Ecce autem attentâ totus convertitur aure

Perculfus mirâ Satanas novitate loquelæ,

Dum princeps Hominum Adamus primam ordinis Evam
Fœminei affatur, funditque has pectore voces:
Has ô delicias quæ dividis unica mecum,

Divisasque auges eadem, ô fuprema mariti

Gaudia; Qui nutu excelfo nos finxit, & iftas

Conceffit facilis fedes dulcefque receffus,

Quanta Patris, quàm immenfa, fuî quàm prodiga Virtus!
Extulit ille luto è vili, loca læta colenda

Immeritis etiam indulfit; nihil indigus Ille

Noftræ opis, hæc ultro tribuit; folamque benignus

Dat legem, folum obfequii vult pignus, ut omni
Ex gente arboreâ fola illibata fit Arbos,

Per quam Scire datur, Vitali proxima Plantæ :
Usque adeo Vitam Mortis vicinia tangit.

Sed Mors ifta quid eft? Res certè horrenda, feverâ
Indixit quam voce DEUS (meminiffe neceffe eft

Grip'd in each paw. When Adam first of men
To first of women Eve thus moving speech,
Turn'd him all ear to hear new utterance flow.
Sole
and fole
partner,
of all these joys,
part
Dearer thy felf than all; needs must the Pow'r
That made us, and for us this ample World,
Be infinitely good, and of his good

As liberal and free, as infinite;

That rais'd us from the duft, and plac'd us here
In all this happiness, who at his hand

Have nothing merited, nor can perform
Ought whereof He hath need; He who requires
From us no other service than to keep

This one, this eafie Charge; of all the Trees
In Paradife that bear delicious fruit

So various, not to taste that only Tree
Of Knowledge, planted by the Tree of Life.
So near grows Death to Life, whate'er Death is;
Some dreadful thing no doubt: for well thou know'ft,
GOD hath pronounc'd it death to taste that Tree,

Heu

Heu nimiùm) vetitos audenti carpere fructus.
Obfequii hæc nobis Lex unica, figna tot inter
Imperii, quod nos latè fuper omnia, vastum
Quæ pelagus terrafque colunt, quæque aeris auras,
Evehit. Ergo unâ cohiberi lege dolebit
Tam facili, quibus uberior conceffa facultas
Cætera carpendi paffim, tot gaudia plenis
Luxuriant rivis? Quin jugi laude Parentem
Munificum canimus? Quin penfa revifimus ultro
Dulcia? Quin colimus flores plantasque putamus?
Si Labor hoc fuerit, Tecum Labor ipfe Voluptas.

Tum Sic Eva refert: O cui focianda marito,
Auspice quo vitam accepi, Te carne lubenter
Sufficiente tuâ carnem mihi; Quo fine frustra
Spirarem; Te læta colo Regemque Ducemque.
Certè digna mones: Olli nos folvere laudem
Affiduam, æternique decet vectigal honoris ;
At Me apprimà decet, tantò, Te Conjuge, forte

The only fign of our obedience left,
Among so many signs of pow'r and rule
Conferr'd upon us, and Dominion giv'n
Over all other Creatures that poffefs

Earth, Air, and Sea. Then let us not think hard
One eafie prohibition, who enjoy

Free leave fo large to all things elfe, and choice
Unlimited of manifold delights:

But let us ever praise Him, and extoll
His Bounty, following our delightful task

To prune thefe growing Plants, and tend these

[Flowr's;

Which were it toilfome, yet with Thee were sweet.

To whom thus Eve reply'd: O thou for whom
And from whom I was form'd, flesh of thy flesh,
And without whom am to no end; my Guide,
And Head: what thou hast said is just, and right.
For we to Him indeed all praises owe,
And daily thanks; I chiefly, who enjoy
So far the happier Lot, enjoying Thee

Quæ

Quæ meliore fruor; dum fœdere vinctus iniquo
Tu reperire parem nufquam potes. Ut juvat illum
Sæpe animo revocare Diem, cum vincula primùm
Difcutiens fomni memet fpeculabar in umbrâ,

Mollia florifero recubantem membra cubili.

Tum quibus in terris, Quid eram, mirabar, & Unde,
Quo Duce!
Nec longè, nigranti effusa cavernâ,

Murmure cum rapido vis rauca erupit aquarum,
Quæ liquidos late in campos diffufa, fereno
Stabat clara finu, purifque fimillima cœlis.
Hic Ego, inexpertâ jam mente ignara rudifque,
Me viridi temere fundebam in graminis herbâ,
Infpectura lacus, purofque in marmore cœlos.
Ecce autem, flexa in lymphas dum lumina tendo,
Æmula Forma meî fpeculo lucente refulfit,
Ipfa mihi tendens fimili fua lumina vultu.
Me revoco; revocat pariter fe Forma; redibam
Lætior; Illa redit placido non fegniùs ore,

Preeminent by fo much odds; while Thou
Like confort to thy felf can'ft no where find.
That day I oft remember, when from fleep
I first awak'd, and found my felf repos'd
Under a fhade, on flow'rs; much wond'ring where,
And what I was, whence thither brought, and how.
Not distant far from thence a murmuring found
Of waters iffu'd from a Cave, and spread
Into a liquid Plain; then stood unmov'd

Pure as th' expanse of Heav'n: I thither went
With unexperienc'd thought, and laid me down
On the green bank, to look into the clear
Smooth Lake, that to me feem'd another Sky.
As I bent down to look, juft oppofite
A Shape within the watry gleam appear'd,
Bending to look on me: I ftarted back;
It started back but pleas'd I foon return'd;
Pleas'd it return'd as foon, with anfwering looks

Cognatos

Cognatos facili rifu testata calores.

Ufque & adhuc oculos penitùs defixa filentes
Tabueram molli flammâ, ni talibus aures
Vox cita pertigerat monitis: Quod cernis in undâ,
Quod cupidis luftras oculis, Pulcherrima rerum,
Forma tua eft; tecum illa venit, tecumque recedit.
At fequere; & ducam, quà non levis umbra vetabit
Amplexus: Illum ipfum oculis, Tu cujus Imago,
Continges; Illi irrupto data fœdere, prolem
Innumeram fimilemque Tuî dabis: Unde Hominum Gens
Te fibi communem referet per fæcula Matrem.
Quid facerem? Occulto duce perfuadente, sequebar;
Teque vagâ platani fufum fub fronde videbam,
Procerum, & formâ infigni; verùm ore, fatebor,
Molle minùs radiante, minùs ridente decorum,
Lucida quàm vitreo quæ flumine fulfit Imago.
Me refero.

Tu deinde altâ fic voce fecutus:

Quem fugis, Eva? Redi, Pulcherrima! Nafceris Illo

Of fympathy and love: there I had fix'd
Mine eyes till now, and pin'd with vain defire,
Had not a voice thus warn'd me: What thou
feeft,

What there thou feeft, fair Creature, is thy felf;
With thee it came and goes: but follow me,
And I will bring thee where no fhadow stays
Thy coming, and thy foft embraces; He
Whofe image thou art: him thou shalt enjoy

Infeparably thine, to him fhalt bear
Multitudes like thy felf, and thence be call'd
Mother of human Race. What could I do,
But follow ftrait, invifibly thus led,
Till I efpy'd thee, fair indeed and tall,
Under a Plantan; yet methought left fair,
Lefs winning foft, lefs amiably mild,
Than that smooth watry Image? Back I turn'd:
Thou following cryd'ft aloud, Retum fair Eve,

Y

Quem

Quem fugis; ipfa Caro Tute Illius, Illius Offa:
Ex latere hoc folidas vitæ, quæ proxima cordi,
Fundebam vires; ut Te latus ufque prementem
Sortirer comitem optatam: Te dimidium Mî
Vendico, Pars Animæ cariffima !

Tum tibi dextra

Blanda meam rapuit: conceffi; & tempore ab illo
Jam video, quantùm formæ muliebris Honori

Præniteant animi Dotes & mafcula Virtus.

Hæc effata Hominum Mater communis, amicis
Luminibus cafti illecebras vibrabat amoris,
Obfequio miftas; primoque innixa Parenti
Suaviter, atque ulnâ partim complexa, papillâ
Turgidulâ medium preffabat pectus, obumbrans
Candorem fluitantum auro fulgente comarum.
Ille & deliciis formæ geftuque decoro
Percitus, augufto ridet venerabile vultu;

Qualis ubi Sponfam complexus Jupiter, almas

Fœcundat nubes, quæ vernos ubere flores

Whom fly'ft thou? Whom thou fly'ft, of Him thou And Wisdom, which alone is truly fair.

>

So fpake our general Mother; and with eyes-
Of conjugal attraction unreprov'd,
And meek furrender, half embracing lean'd.
On our first Father: half her fwelling Breaft
Naked met his, under the flowing gold:
Of her loofe treffes hid. He (in delight
Both of her Beauty, and fubmiffive Charms,).
Smil'd with fuperior Love; as Jupiter
On June fmiles, when he impregns the clouds,
Dant