He, bolder now, uncall'd before her stood,
But as in gaze admiring: oft he bow'd

His turret crest, and sleek enamell'd neck,

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Fawning, and lick'd the ground whereon she trod,
His gentle dumb expression turn'd at length

The eye of Eve to mark his play; he, glad

Of her attention gain'd, with serpent tongue
Organic, or impulse of vocal air,

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His fraudulent temptation thus began.

"Wonder not, sov'reign mistress, if perhaps Thou canst, who art sole wonder; much less arm Thy looks, the Heav'n of mildness, with disdain,

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Displeas'd that I approach thee thus, and gaze
Insatiate; I thus single ; nor have fear'd
Thy awful brow, more awful thus retir'd.
Fairest resemblance of thy Maker fair,
Thee all things living gaze on, all things thine
By gift, and thy celestial beauty, adore
With ravishment beheld! there best beheld,
Where universally admir'd; but here
In this enclosure wild, these beasts among,
Beholders rude, and shallow to discern

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Half what in thee is fair, one man except,

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Who sees thee'? (and what is one?) who shouldst be seen

A goddess among gods, ador'd and serv'd

By angels numberless, thy daily train."

So gloz'd the tempter, and his proem tun'd;

Into the heart of Eve his words made way,

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Though at the voice much marvelling; at length,

Not unamaz'd, she thus in answer spake.

"What may this mean? language of man pronounc'd

By tongue of brute, and human sense express'd?

The first, at least, of these I thought deny'd

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To beasts; whom God on their creation-day
Created mute to all articulate sound;

The latter I demur; for in their looks

Much reas'on, and in their actions, oft appears.
Thee, serpent, subtlest beast of all the field

I knew, but not with human voice endued;
Redouble then this miracle, and say,

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How cam'st thou speakable of mute, and how
To me so friendly grown above the rest
Of brutal kind, that daily are in sight?
Say, for such wonder claims attention due."

To whom the guileful tempter thus reply'd. "Empress of this fair world, resplendent Eve! Easy to me it is to tell thee all

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What thou command'st; and right thou shouldst be' obey'd : 570 I was at first as other beasts that graze

The trodden herb, of abject thoughts and low,

As was my food; nor ought but food discern'd
Or sex, and apprehended nothing high:
Till on a day roving the field, I chane'd
A goodly tree far distant to behold

Loaden with fruit of fairest colours mix'd,

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Ruddy and gold: 1 nearer drew to gaze;

When from the boughs a savoury odour blown,
Grateful to appetite, more pleas'd my sense
Than smell of sweetest fennel, or the teats
Of ewe or goat dropping with milk at even,

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Unsuck'd of lamb or kid, that tend their play.
To satisfy the sharp desire I had

Of tasting those fair apples, I resolv'd
Not to defer; hunger and thirst at once,
Pow'rful persuaders, quicken'd at the scent
Of that alluring fruit, urg'd me so keen,

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About the mossy trunk I wound me soon;

For high from ground the branches would require

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Thy utmost reach or Adam's: round the tree
All other beasts that saw, with like desire

Longing and envying stood, but could not reach.
Amid the tree now got, where plenty hung
Tempting so nigh, to pluck and eat my fill
I spar'd not; for, such pleasure till that hour
At feed or fountain, never had I found.
Sated at length, ere long I might perceive
Strange alteration in me, to degree

Of reason in my inward pow'rs; and speech
Wanted not long; though to this shape retain'd,
Thenceforth to speculations high or deep

I turn'd my thoughts, and with capacious mind
Consider'd all things visible in Heav'n,
Or Earth, or middle; all things fair and good:
But all that fair and good in thy divine
Semblance, and in thy beauty's heav'nly ray,
United I beheld! no fair to thine
Equivalent or second! which compell'd

Me thus, though importune perhaps, to come
And gaze, and worship thee of right declar'd
Sov'reign of creatures, universal dame !"

So talk'd the spirited sly snake; and Eve,
Yet more amaz'd, unwary thus reply'd.
"Serpent, thy overpraising leaves in doubt
The virtue of that fruit, in thee first prov'd:

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600

605

610

615.

But say, where grows the tree? from hence how far?

For many are the trees of God that grow

In Paradise, and various, yet unknown
To us; in such abundance lies our choice,
As leaves a greater store of fruit untouch'd,

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Still hanging incorruptible, till men
Grow up to their provision, and more hands
Help to disburden Nature of her birth."

To whom the wily adder, blithe and glad.
"Empress, the way is ready, and not long;
Beyond a row of myrtles, on a flat,
Fast by a fountain, one small thicket past
Of blowing myrrh and balm: if thou accept
My conduct, I can bring thee thither soon."

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630

"Lead then," said Eve. He, leading, swiftly roll'd

In tangles, and made intricate seem straight,

To mischief swift.

Hope elevates, and joy

Brightens his crest; as when a wand'ring fire,

Compact of unctuous vapour, which the night
Condenses, and the told environs round,
Kindled through agitation to a flame,

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Which oft, they say, some evil spirit attends,
Hovering and blazing with delusive light,
Misleads th' amaz'd night-wand'rer from his way

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To bogs and mires, and oft through pond or pool;
There swallow'd up and lost, from succour far.

So glister'd the dire snake, and into fraud

Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the tree
Of prohibition, root of all our woe;

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Which when she saw, thus to her guide she spake.

"Serpent, we might have spar'd our coming hither,

Fruitless to me, though fruit be here to' excess,
The credit of whose virtue rest with thee;
Wond'rous indeed, if cause of such effects.
But of this tree we may not taste nor touch;
God so commanded, and left that command
Sole daughter of his voice; the rest, we live
Law to ourselves; our reason is our law."

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To whom the tempter guilefully reply'd. "Indeed! hath God then said that of the fruit Of all these garden trees ye shall not eat,

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Yet lords declar'd of all in earth or air?”
To whom thus Eve, yet sinless.
Of each tree in the garden we may eat;

"Of the fruit

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But of the fruit of this fair tree amidst

The garden, God hath said, 'Ye shall not eat

Thereof, nor shall ye touch it, lest ye die."

She scarce had said, though brief, when now more bold The tempter, but with show of zeal and love

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To man, and indignation at his wrong,

New part puts on; and, as to passion mov'd,
Fluctuates disturb'd, yet comely and in act
Rais'd, as of some great matter to begin.
As when of old some orator renown'd
In Athens or free Rome, where eloquence

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Flourish'd, since mute; to some great cause address'd,
Stood in himself collected; while each part,

Motion, each act, won audience ere the tongue ;
Sometimes in height began, as no delay

Of preface brooking, through his zeal of right:
So standing, moving, or to height up grown,
The tempter, all impassion'd thus began.

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"O sacred, wise, and wisdom-giving plant,
Mother of science! now I feel thy power
Within me clear; not only to discern
Things in their causes, but to trace the ways
Of highest agents, deem'd however wise.

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Queen of this universe! do not believe

Those rigid threats of death; ye shall not die :
How should you? by the fruit? it gives you life
To knowledge; by the threat'ner? look on me,

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