She ended here, or vehement despair Broke off the rest; so much of death her thoughts Had entertained as dyed her cheeks with pale. But Adam, with such counsel nothing swayed, To better hopes his more attentive mind Labouring had raised, and thus to Eve replied :— "Eve, thy contempt of life and pleasure seems To argue in thee something more sublime And excellent than what thy mind contemns : But self-destruction therefore sought refutes That excellence thought in thee, and implies Not thy contempt, but anguish and regret For loss of life and pleasure overloved. Or, if thou covet death, as utmost end Of misery, so thinking to evade
The penalty pronounced, doubt not but God Hath wiselier armed his vengeful ire than so To be forestalled. Much more I fear lest death So snatched will not exempt us from the pain We are by doom to pay; rather such acts Of contumacy will provoke the Highest To make death in us live. Then let us seek Some safer resolution-which methinks I have in view, calling to mind with heed Part of our sentence, that thy seed shall bruise The Serpent's head. Piteous amends! unless Be meant whom I conjecture, our grand foe, Satan, who in the Serpent hath contrived Against us this deceit. To crush his head Would be revenge indeed-which will be lost By death brought on ourselves, or childless days Resolved, as thou proposest; so our foe Shall scape his punishment ordained, and we Instead shall double ours upon our heads. No more be mentioned, then, of violence Against ourselves, and wilful barrenness
That cuts us off from hope, and savours only Rancour and pride, impatience and despite, Reluctance against God and his just yoke
Laid on our necks. Remember with what mild And gracious temper he both heard and judged, Without wrath or reviling. We expected Immediate dissolution, which we thought
Was meant by death that day; when, lo! to thee Pains only in child-bearing were foretold, And bringing forth, soon recompensed with joy, Fruit of thy womb. On me the curse aslope Glanced on the ground. My bread; what harm? My labour will sustain me. Or heat should injure us, his timely care Hath, unbesought, provided, and his hands Clothed us unworthy, pitying while he judged. How much more, if we pray him, will his ear Be open, and his heart to pity incline, And teach us further by what means to shun The inclement seasons, rain, ice, hail, and snow! Which now the sky, with various face, begins To show us in this mountain, while the winds Blow moist and keen, shattering the graceful locks Of these fair spreading trees; which bids us seek Some better shroud, some better warmth to cherish Our limbs benumbed-ere this diurnal star
With labour I must earn Idleness had been worse; And, lest cold
Leave cold the night, how we his gathered beams 1070 Reflected may with matter sere foment,
Or by collision of two bodies grind
The air attrite to fire; as late the clouds,
Justling, or pushed with winds, rude in their shock,
Tine the slant lightning, whose thwart flame, driven
Kindles the gummy bark of fir or pine,
And sends a comfortable heat from far,
Which might supply the Sun. Such fire to use, And what may else be remedy or cure
To evils which our own misdeeds have wrought, 1080 He will instruct us praying, and of grace Beseeching him; so as we need not fear To pass commodiously this life, sustained By him with many comforts, till we end In dust, our final rest and native home. What better can we do than, to the place Repairing where he judged us, prostrate fall Before him reverent, and there confess
Humbly our faults, and pardon beg, with tears Watering the ground, and with our sighs the air 1090 Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite, in sign Of sorrow unfeigned and humiliation meek? Undoubtedly he will relent, and turn
From his displeasure, in whose look serene, When angry most he seemed and most severe, What else but favour, grace, and mercy shone?" So spake our Father penitent; nor Eve Felt less remorse. They, forthwith to the place Repairing where he judged them, prostrate fell Before him reverent, and both confessed Humbly their faults, and pardon begged, with tears Watering the ground, and with their sighs the air Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite, in sign Of sorrow unfeigned and humiliation meek.
THE END OF THE TENTH BOOK.
The Son of God presents to his Father the prayers of our first parents now repenting, and intercedes for them. God accepts them, but declares that they must no longer abide in Paradise; sends Michael with a band of Cherubim to dispossess them, but first to reveal to Adam future things: Michael's coming down. Adam shows to Eve certain ominous signs: he discerns Michael's approach; goes out to meet him; the Angel denounces their departure. Eve's lamentation. Adam pleads, but submits ; the Angel leads him up to a high hill; sets before him in vision what shall happen till the Flood.
'HUS they, in lowliest plight, repentant stood
Praying; for from the mercy-seat above Prevenient grace descending had removed
The stony from their hearts, and made new flesh Regenerate grow instead, that sighs now breathed Unutterable, which the Spirit of prayer
Inspired, and winged for Heaven with speedier flight Than loudest oratory. Yet their port
Not of mean suitors; nor important less
Seemed their petition than when the ancient pair 10 In fables old, less ancient yet than these,
Deucalion and chaste Pyrrha, to restore
The race of mankind drowned, before the shrine Of Themis stood devout. To Heaven their prayers Flew up, nor missed the way, by envious winds Blown vagabond or frustrate in they passed Dimensionless through heavenly doors; then, clad With incense, where the golden altar fumed,
By their great Intercessor, came in sight
Before the Father's throne. Them the glad Son 20 Presenting thus to intercede began :—
"See, Father, what first-fruits on Earth are sprung From thy implanted grace in Man-these sighs And prayers, which in this golden censer, mixed With incense, I, thy priest, before thee bring; Fruits of more pleasing savour, from thy seed Sown with contrition in his heart, than those Which, his own hand manuring, all the trees Of Paradise could have produced, ere fallen From innocence. Now, therefore, bend thine ear 30 To supplication; hear his sighs, though mute; Unskilful with what words to pray, let me Interpret for him, me his advocate
And propitiation; all his works on me, Good or not good, ingraft; my merit those
Shall perfect, and for these my death shall pay.
Accept me, and in me from these receive
The smell of peace toward Mankind; let him live, Before thee reconciled, at least his days
Numbered, though sad, till death, his doom (which I 40 To mitigate thus plead, not to reverse),
To better life shall yield him, where with me All my redeemed may dwell in joy and bliss, Made one with me, as I with thee am one."
To whom the Father, without cloud, serene :-- "All thy request for Man, accepted Son, Obtain; all thy request was my decree. But longer in that Paradise to dwell The law I gave to Nature him forbids; Those pure immortal elements, that know No gross, no unharmonious mixture foul, Eject him, tainted now, and purge him off, As a distemper, gross, to air as gross, And mortal food, as may dispose him best
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