Certain to undergo like doom; if death

Confort with thee, death is to me as life;
So forcible within my heart I feel
The bond of nature draw me to my own,

My own in thee, for what thou art is mine;

Our state cannot be fever'd, we are one,

955

One flesh; to lose thee were to lose myself.
So Adam, and thus Eve to him reply'd.

O glorious trial of exceeding love,
Illustrious evidence, example high!
Engaging me to emulate, but short

Of thy perfection, how fhall I attain,

950

Adam? from whofe dear fide I boaft me fprung, 965

And gladly of our union hear thee speak,

One heart, one foul in both; whereof good proof

This day affords, declaring thee refolv'd,

Rather than death or ought than death more dread

Shall feparate us, link'd in love fo dear,

970

To undergo with me one guilt, one crime,

If any be, of tafting this fair fruit,

Whose virtue (for of good still good proceeds,
Direct, or by occafion) hath presented

This happy trial of thy love, which elfe

So eminently never had been known.

Were it I thought death menac'd would enfue
This my attempt, I would sustain alone

The worst, and not perfuade thee, rather die
Deferted, than oblige thee with a fact
Pernicious to thy peace, chiefly affur'd

Remarkably fo late of thy fo true,

975

980

So faithful love unequal'd; but I feel

Far otherwise th' event, not death, but life

Augmented, open'd eyes, new hopes, new joys, 985
Tafte fo divine, that what of fweet before

Hath touch'd my sense, flat seems to this, and harsh.
On my experience, Adam, freely tafte,
And fear of death deliver to the winds.

So faying, the embrac'd him, and for joy
Tenderly wept, much won that he his love
Had fo ennobled, as of choice to' incur
Divine displeasure for her fake, or death.
In recompenfe (for fuch compliance bad
Such recompenfe best merits) from the bough
She gave him of that fair enticing fruit
With liberal hand: he fcrupled not to eat
Against his better knowledge, not deceiv'd,
But fondly overcome with female charm.
Earth trembled from her entrails, as again
In pangs, and Nature
Sky lour'd, and muttering thunder, fome fad drops.

gave a fecond

Wept at completing of the mortal fin

groan,

990

995

1000

They fwim in mirth, and fancy that they feel

Divinity within them breeding wings,

ICIO

Wherewith to fcorn the earth: but that falfe fruit

Far other operation first display'd,

Carnal

Carnal defire inflaming; he on Eve

Began to caft lafcivious eyes, he him

As wantonly repaid; in luft they burn:

1015

Till Adam thus 'gan Eve to dalliance move.

Eve, now I fee thou art exact of taste,

And elegant, of fapience no fmall part,
Since to each meaning favor we apply,

And palate call judicious; I the praise

1020

Yield thee, fo well this day thou haft purvey'd.

Much pleasure we have loft, while we abstain'd

From this delightful fruit, nor known till now
True relish, tasting; if such pleasure be
In things to us forbidd'n, it might be wish'd,
For this one tree had been forbidden ten.

1025

But come, fo well refresh'd, now let us play,

As meet is, after fuch delicious fare;
For never did thy beauty fince the day

1 I faw thee firft and wedded thee, adorn'd With all perfections, fo inflame my sense

1030

With ardor to enjoy thee, fairer now

Than ever, bounty of this virtuous tree,

So faid he, and forbore not glance or toy

Of amorous intent, well understood

1035

Of Eve, whofe eye darted contagious fire.

Her hand he feiz'd, and to a fhady bank,

Thick overhead with verdant roof imbowr'd,

He led her nothing loath; flow'rs were the couch,
Panfies and violets, and afphodel,

1040

And hyacinth, earth's freshest softeft lap.

There they their fill of love and love's difport

D 3

Took

Took largely, of their mutual guilt the feal,

The folace of their fin, till dewy fleep

Opprefs'd them, wearied with their amorous play. 1045 Soon as the force of that fallacious fruit,

That with exhilarating vapor bland

About their fpi'rits had play'd, and inmoft powers
Made err, was now exhal'd; and groffer fleep
Bred of unkindly fumes, with confcious dreams 1050
Incumber'd, now had left them; up they rose

As from unreft, and each the other viewing,

Soon found their eyes how open'd, and their minds
How darken'd; innocence, that as a veil

Had fhadow'd them from knowing ill, was gone, 1055
Juft confidence, and native righteousness,

And honor from about them, naked ieft

To guilty fhame; he cover'd, but his robe
Uncover'd more, So rofe the Danite strong
Herculean Samfon from the harlot-lap

Of Philiftéan Dalilah, and wak'd

Shorn of his ftrength. They deftitute and bare
Of all their virtue: filent, and in face

Confounded long they fat, as strucken mute,

1060

Till Adam, though not less than Eve abash'd,

1065

At length gave utterance to these words constrain'd.
O Eve, in evil hour thou didst give ear
To that falfe worm, of whomfoever taught
To counterfeit Man's voice, true in our fall,
Falfe in our promis'd rifing; fince our eyes
Open'd we find indeed, and find we know
Both good and ev'il, good loft, and evil got,

1070

Bad

Bad fruit of knowledge, if this be to know,
Which leaves us naked thus, of honor void,

Of innocence, of faith, of purity,

1075

Our wonted ornaments now foil'd and ftain'd,

And in our faces evident the figns

Of foul concupifcence; whence evil store;
Ev'n fhame, the last of evils; of the first

Be fure then. How thall I behold the face
Henceforth of God or Angel, erft with joy

1080

And rapture fo' oft beheld? those heav'nly shapes
Will dazzle now this earthly with their blaze
Infufferably bright. O might I here

In folitude live favage, in fome glade
Obscur'd, where highest woods, impenetrable
To ftar or fun-light, spread their umbrage broad
And brown as evening: Cover me, ye Pines,
Ye Cedars, with innumerable boughs
Hide me, where I may never fee them more.
But let us now, as in bad plight, devise
What best may for the present serve to hide
The parts of each from other, that seem moft
To shame obnoxious, and unfeemliest seen;

1085

1090

Some tree, whofe broad smooth leaves together fow'd,
And girded on our loins, may cover round

Thofe middle parts, that this new comer, shame,
There fit not, and reproach us as unclean.

So counsel'd he, and both together went
Into the thickest wood; there foon they chose
The fig-tree, not that kind for fruit renown'd,
But fuch as at this day to Indians known

1100