1085 Will dazle now this earthly. with their blaze 1090 1100 1106 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 In Malabar or Decan spreads her arms Branching fo broad and long, that in the ground The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow About the mother tree, a pillar'd fhade High overarch'd, and echoing walks between; There oft the Indian herdsman shunning heat Shelters in cool, and tends his pafturing herds At loopholes cut through thickeft fhade: Thofe leaves They gather'd, broad as Amazonian targe, And with what skill they had, together fow'd, To gird their waist, vain covering if to hide Their guilt and dreaded fhame; O how unlike To that firft naked glory! Such of late. Columbus found th American, fo girt With feather'd cincture, naked elfe and wild R IIII Among the trees on ifles and woody fhores. Thus fenc'd, and as they thought, their fhame in part Cover'd, but not at reft or ease of mind, FI20 1125 They fat them down to weep; nor only tears : Superior fway from thus diftemper'd breaft, 1130 Would thou hadst hearken'd to my words, and stay'd With me, as I befought thee, when that ftrange 1135 Defire of wand'ring this unhappy morn, I know not whence poffefs'd thee; we had then To whom foon mov'd with touch of blame thus Eve. What words have pafs'd thy lips, Adam fevere! Imput'ft thou that to my default, or will 1145 Of wand'ring, as thou call'ft it, which who knows But might as ill have happen'd thou being by, Or to thyself perhaps? hadft thou been there, Or here th' attempt, thou couldst not have difcern'd Fraud in the Serpent, fpeaking as he fpake; No ground of enmity between us known, Why he should mean me ill, or feek to harm. 1150 Was I to' have never parted from thy fide? 1155 1160 1165 Yet willingly chofe rather death with thee? And am I now upbraided as the cause Of thy tranfgreffing? not enough fevere, 1170 That lay in wait; beyond this had been force, Matter of glorious trial; and perhaps I also err'd in overmuch admiring 1175 What seem'd in thee so perfect that I thought 1180 That error now, which is become my crime, Lets her will rule; reftraint fhe will not brook, 1185 Thus they in mutual accusation spent The fruitless hours, but neither felf-condemning, And of their vain contest appear'd no end. The End of the Ninth Book. PARADISE LOST. BOOK X. THE ARGUMENT. Man's tranfgreffion known, the guardian Angels forfake paradife, and return up to Heaven to approve their vigilance, and are approv'd, God declaring that the entrance of Satan could not be by them prevented. He fends his Son to judge the tranfgreffors, who defcends and gives fentence accordingly; then in pity cloaths them both, and reafcends. Sin and Death fitting till then at the gates of Hell, by wondrous fimpathy feeling the fuccefs of Satan in this new world, and the fin by Man there committed, refolv'd to fit no longer confin'd in Hell, but to follow Satan their fire up to the place of Man: To make the way eafier from Hell to this world to and fro, they pave a broad high-way or bridge over Chaos, according to the track that Satan first made; then preparing for Earth, they meet him proud of his fuccefs returning to Hell; their mutual gratulation. Satan arrives at Pandemonium, in full affembly relates with boafting his fuccefs against Man; instead of applaufe is entertained with a general bifs by all bis audience, transform'd with himself also fuddenly into ferpents, according to his doom given in Paradife; then deluded with a fhew of the forbidden tree Springing up before them, they greedily reaching to take of the fruit, chew duft and bitter afbes. The proceedings of Sin and Death; God foretels the final victory of his Son over them, and the renewing of all things; but for the |