Moré hands then ours to lop thir wanton growth:
Those Bloffoms alfo, and thofe dropping Gumms,
That lie bestrowne unfightly and unsmooth,
Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with ease ;
Mean while, as Nature wills, Night bids us rest.
To whom thus Eve with perfet beauty adornd.
My Author and Disposer, what thou bidft
Unargu'd I obey; fo God ordains,
God is thy Law, thou mine: to know no more
Is womans happiest knowledge and her praise.
With thee converfing I forget all time,
All seasons and thir change, all please alike.
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rising sweet,
With charm of earliest Birds; pleasant the Sun
When first on this delightful Land he spreads
His orient Beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flour,
Gliftring with dew; fragrant the fertil earth
After soft showers; and fweet the coming on
Of grateful Eevning milde, then filent Night
With this her folemn Bird and this fair Moon,
And these the Gemms of Heav'n, her starrie train:
But neither breath of Morn when she ascends 650
With charm of earliest Birds, nor rifing Sun
On this delightful land, nor herb, fruit, floure,
Gliftring with dew, nor fragrance after showers,
Nor grateful Evening mild, nor filent Night
With this her folemn Bird, nor walk by Moon,
Or glittering Starr-light without thee is fweet.
But wherfore all night long shine these, for whom
This glorious fight, when sleep hath shut all eyes?
To whom our general Ancestor repli'd.
Daughter of God and Man, accomplisht Eve, 660
In Wood or Wilderness, Forrest or Den;
Sporting the Lion rampd, and in his paw
Dandl'd the Kid; Bears, Tygers, Ounces, Pards
Gambold before them, th' unwieldy Elephant
To make them mirth us'd all his might, & wreathd
His Lithe Probofcis; close the Serpent fly
Infinuating, wove with Gordian twine
His breaded train, and of his fatal guile
Gave proof unheeded; others on the grass
Coucht, and now fild with pasture gazing sat,
Or Bedward ruminating; for the Sun
Declin'd was hafting now with prone carreer
To th' Ocean Iles, and in th' ascending Scale
Of Heav'n the Starrs that usher Evening rose :
When Satan still in gaze, as first he stood,
Scarce thus at length faild speech recoverd fad.
O Hell! what doe mine eyes with grief behold,
Into our room of blifs thus high advanc't
Creatures of other mould, earth-born perhaps, 360
Not Spirits, yet to heav'nly Spirits bright
Little inferior; whom my thoughts pursue
With wonder, and could love, fo lively shines
In them Divine resemblance, and fuch grace
The hand that formd them on thir fhape hath pourd.
Ah gentle pair, yee little think how nigh
Your change approaches, when all these delights
Will vanish and deliver ye to woe,
More woe, the more you taste is now of joy ;
Happie, but for so happie ill fecur'd
Long to continue, and this high seat your Heav'n
Ill fenc❜t for Heav'n to keep out such a foe
As now is enterd; yet no purpos'd foe
Το you whom I could pittie thus forlorne
Though I unpittied: League with you
And mutual amitie fo ftreight, so close,
That I with you must dwell, or you with me
Henceforth; my dwelling haply may not please
Like this fair Paradise, your fenfe, yet such
Accept your Makers work; he gave it me,
Which I as freely give; Hell fhall unfould,
To entertain you two, her widest Gates,
And fend forth all her Kings; there will be room,
Not like these narrow limits, to receive
Your numerous ofspring; if no better place,
Thank him who puts me loath to this revenge
On you who wrong me not for him who wrongd.
And should I at your harmless innocence
Melt, as I doe, yet public reason just,
Honour and Empire with revenge enlarg'd,
By conquering this new World, compels me now
To do what else though damnd I should abhorre.
So fpake the Fiend, and with neceffitie,
The Tyrants plea, excus'd his devilish deeds.
Then from his loftie stand on that high Tree
Down he alights among the sportful Herd
Of those fourfooted kindes, himself now one,
Now other, as thir shape servd best his end
Neerer to view his prey, and unespi'd
To mark what of thir ftate he more might learn
By word or action markt: about them round
A Lion now he stalkes with fierie glare,
Then as a Tiger, who by chance hath spi'd
In fome Purlieu two gentle Fawnes at play,
Strait couches close, then rifing changes oft
His couchant watch, as one who chose his ground
Whence rushing he might fureft seise them both
Grip't in each paw: when Adam first of men
To first of women Eve thus moving fpeech, 409
Turnd him all eare to heare new utterance flow.
Sole partner and fole part of all these joyes,
Dearer thy self then all; needs must the Power
That made us, and for us this ample World
Be infinitly good, and of his good
As liberal and free as infinite,
That rais'd us from the duft and plac't us here
In all this happiness, who at his hand
Have nothing merited, nor can performe
Aught whereof hee hath need, hee who requires
From us no other service then to keep
This one, this eafie charge, of all the Trees
In Paradife that beare delicious fruit
So various, not to taste that onely Tree
Of knowledge, planted by the Tree of Life,
So neer grows Death to Life, what ere Death is,
Som dreadful thing no doubt; for well thou knowst
God hath pronounc't it death to taste that Tree,
The only fign of our obedience left
Among so many fignes of power and rule
Conferrd upon us, and Dominion giv'n
Over all other Creatures that poffeffe
Earth, Aire, and Sea. Then let us not think hard
One eafie prohibition, who enjoy
Free leave fo large to all things else, and choice Unlimited of manifold delights:
But let us ever praise him, and extoll
His bountie, following our delightful task
To prune these growing Plants, & tend these Flours, Which were it toilfom, yet with thee were sweet.
To whom thus Eve repli'd. O thou for whom And from whom I was formd flesh of thy flesh, And without whom am to no end, my Guide And Head, what thou haft faid is juft and right. For wee to him indeed all praises owe, And daily thanks, I chiefly who enjoy So farr the happier Lot, enjoying thee Preeminent by fo much odds, while thou Like comfort to thy felf canst no where find. That day I oft remember, when from fleep I first awak't, and found self repos'd Under a fhade on flours, much wondring where And what I was, whence thither brought, and how. Not diftant 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' expanfe of Heav'n; I thither went With unexperienc't thought, and laid me downe On the green bank, to look into the cleer Smooth Lake, that to me seemd another Skie. As I bent down to look, just opposite, A Shape within the watry gleam appeerd Bending to look on me, I started back, It started back, but pleasd I soon returnd, Pleas'd it returnd as foon with answering looks Of fympathie and love, there I had fixt
eyes now, and pin'd with vain defire, Had not a voice thus warnd me, What thou seest, What there thou seeft fair Creature is thy self, With thee it came and goes: but follow me,
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