Out ftretch'd he lay; on the cold ground! and oft
Curs'd his creation; Death as oft accus'd
Of tardy exécution, fince denounc'd

The day of his offenfe. Why comes not Death,
(Said he) with one thrice-acceptable stroke
To end me? Shall Truth fail to keep her word ?
Juftice Divine not haften to be just?

But, Death comes not at call; Juftice Divine
Mends not her flowest pace, for prayr's, or cries!
O woods, O fountains, hillocks, dales, and bow'rs!
With other echo late 1 taught your shades
To anfver, and resound far other song!
Whom thus afflicted when fad Eve beheld,
Defolate where she fat, approaching nigh,
Soft words to his paffion she assay'd:

But her with ftern regard he thus repell❜d.

Out of my fight, thou ferpent!.... That name bef Befits thee, with him leagu'd; thy felf as falfe, And hateful! nothing wants, but that thy shape, Like his, and color ferpentine, may shew

Thy inward fraud; to warn all creatures from thee
Henceforth; left that too heav'nly form, pretended
To hellish falshood, fnare them! But for thee
I had perfifted happy; had not thy pride,
And wand'ring vanity, when least was safe,
Rejected my fore-warning, and disdain'd
Not to be trufted; longing to be seen,
Though by the devil himself; him over-weening
To over-reach: but, with the ferpent meeting,
Fool'd, and beguil'd; by him thou, I by thee

Το

To trust thee from my fide; imagin'd wife,
Conftant,, mature, proof against all assaults :
And understood not all was but a shew,
Rather than folid virtue; all but a rib,
Crooked by nature, bent (as now appears )
More to the part finifter from me drawn ;
Well if thrown out, as fupernumerary
To my juft number found!... O! why did God,
Creator wife! that peopl'd highest heav'n
With fpirits mafculine, create at last
This novelty on earth, this fair defect
Of nature? And not fill the world at once
With men, as Angels, without feminine?
Or find fome other way to generate
Mankind? This mischief had not then befall'n,
And more that shall be fal: innumerable
Disturbances on earth through female snares,
And ftraight conjunction with this fex for, either
He never shall find out fit mate; but fuck
As fome misfortune brings him, or mistake;
Or, whom he wishes molt, shall feldom gain
Through her perverfenefs; but shall fee her gain'd
By a far worse: or, if she love, with-held
By parents; or, his happiest choice too late
Shall meet, already link'd, and wedlock-bound
To a fell adverfary, his hate, or shame:
Which infinite calamity shall caufe
To human life, and houshold peace confound!....

He added not, and from her turn'd... But, Eve, Not fo repuls'd, with tears that ceas'd'not flowing, Tome II.

And treffes all dif-order'd, at his feet

Fell humble ; and, embracing them, besought
His peace, and thus proceeded in her plaint.

Forfake me not thus, Adam! Witness heav'n
What love fincere, and reverence in my heart
I bear thee, and un-weeting have offended,
Unhappily deceiv'd! Thy fuppliant

I beg, and clasp thy knees!.... bereave me noc (Whereon I live!) thy gentle looks, thy aid, Thy counsel, in this uttermost distress,

My only ftrength, and stay! Forlorn of thee,
Whither shall I betake me, ... where subfift?
While ye we live, (scarce one short hour perhaps)
Between us two let there be peace! both joining'
( As join’d in injuries ) one enmity

Against a foe by doom exprefs affign'd us,
That cruel ferpent!.... On me exercise not
Thy hatred, for this mifery befall'n;
On me, already loft! Me, than thy felf
More miferable! Both have fin'd! but, thou
Against God only; I, against God, and thee:
And to the place of judgment will return,
There with my cries importune heav'n; that all
The sentence, from thy head remov'd, may light
On me; fole cause to thee of all this woe;
Me! me! only just object of His ire !

She ended weeping; and her lowly plight Immoveable, 'till peace obtain'd from fault Acknowledg'd, and deplor'd, in ̈ Adam wrought Commiferation foon his heart relented

Tow’rds her, his life so late, and sole delight
Now at his feet fubmiffive in diftrefs!
Creature fo fair his reconcilement feeking

His counsel, (whom she had displeas'd) his aid! .
As one difarm'd, his anger all he loft; .
And thus with peaceful words up-rais'd her soon.
Unwary! and too defirous (as before,

So now) of what thou know'st not, thou desir’st
The punishment all on thy self! Alas !

Bear thine own first ; ill able to fuftain
;

His full wrath, whose thou feel'ft as yet least part; ;
And my displeasure bear'st so ill. If pray'rs
Could alter high decrees, I to that place
Would speed before thee: and be louder heard,
That on my head all might be visited;
Thy frailty, and infirmer fex, forgiv'a;
To me committed, and by me expos'd.

But, rife!... let us no more contend, nor blame :
Each other, blam'd enough elfewhere! but, ftrive
In offices of love, how we may light'n.
Each other's burthen, in our share of woe ::
Since this day's death denounc'd (if ought I see)
Will prove no fudden, but a flow-pac'd, evil ;
A long day's dying, to augment our pain :
And to our feed (O hapless feed!) deriv’d.!
To whom thus Eve, recov'ring heart, reply'd..
Adam fad experiment, I know
How little weight my words with thee can find,,
Found fo erroneous; thence by juft event

Found fo unfortunate; nevertheless,

Reftor'd by thee, (vile as I am!) to place
Of new acceptance, hopeful to re-gain.

Thy love (the fole contentment of my heart,
Living, or dying) from thee I will not hide
What thoughts in my un-quiet breast are ris'n :
Tending to fome relief of our extremes,
Or end; though sharp, and sad, yet tolerable
As in our evils, and of easier choice.

If care of our descent perplex us most,
Which must be born to certain woe, devour'd
By Death at laft, (and miserable it is
To be to others cause of misery,

Our own begotten; and of our loins to bring
Into this curfed world a woeful race;
That after wretched life, must be at laft
Food for fo foul a monfter!) in thy pow'r
It lies yet, e'er conception, to prevent
The race un-bleft, to Being yet un-begot.
Childless thou art, childless remain: fo Death
Shall be deceiv'd his glut; and with us two
Be forc'd to fatisfy his ravʼnous maw.
But, if thou judge it hard, and difficult,
Converfing, looking, loving to abftain
From love's due rites, nuptial embraces sweet;
And with defire to languish without hope,
Before the prefent object languishing
With like defire : (which would be mifery,
And torment, less than none of what we dread)
Then, (both ourselves, and feed, at once to free
From what we fear for both ) let us make shore,