No more of talk, where God, or Angel, guest With Man, as with his friend, familiar used To sit indulgent, and with him partake Rural repast, permitting him the while Venial discourse, unblamed; I now must change These notes to tragic; foul distrust, and breach Disloyal, on the part of Man, revolt, And disobedience; on the part of Heaven, Now alienated, distance, and distaste, Anger, and just rebuke, and judgment given, That brought into this world a world of wo, Sin, and her shadow Death, and Misery, Death's harbinger. Sad task; yet argument Not less, but more heroic, than the wrath Of stern Achilles, on his foe pursued, Thrice fugitive about Troy wall; or rage Of Turnus, for Lavinia dis-espoused; Or Neptune's ire, or Juno's, that so long Perplex'd the Greek, and Cytherea's son. If answerable style I can obtain Of my celestial patroness, who deigns Her nightly visitation, unimplored, And dictates to me slumbering, or inspires Easy my unpremeditated verse:
Since first this subject, for heroic song,
Pleased me, long choosing, and beginning late; Not sedulous by nature to indite Wars, hitherto, the only argument Heroic deem'd; chief mastery, to dissect, With long and tedious havoc, fabled knights, In battles feign'd; the better fortitude Of patience, and heroic martyrdom, Unsung; or to describe races and games, Or tilting furniture, emblazon'd shields, Impresses quaint, caparisons, and steeds, Bases, and tinsel trappings, gorgeous knights, At joust and tournament; then marshall'd feast,
For whom all this was made, all this will soon Follow, as to him link'd in weal or wo; In wo then, that destruction wide may range. To me shall be the glory sole, among The infernal powers, in one day to have marr'd, What he, Almighty styled, six nights and days Continued making, and who knows how long Before had been contriving; though perhaps Not longer than since I, in one night, freed From servitude inglorious well nigh half The angelic name, and thinner left the throng Of his adorers. He, to be avenged, And to repair his numbers, thus impair'd, Whether such virtue, spent of old, now fail'd More angels to create, if they at least Are his created, or, to spite us more, Determined to advance into our room A creature form'd of earth, & him endow, Exalted from so base original,
With heavenly spoils, our spoils. What he decreed, He effected; Man he made, and for him built Magnificent, this world, and earth his seat; Him lord pronounced; and, O indignity! Subjected to his service angel 'wings, And flaming ministers, to watch and tend Their earthy charge. Of these the vigilance I dread; and to elude, thus, wrapt in mist Of midnight vapour, glide obscure, and pry In every bush and brake, where hap may find The serpent sleeping, in whose mazy folds To hide me, and the dark intent I bring. O foul descent! that I, who erst contended With gods to sit the highest, am now constrain'd Into a beast, and mix'd with bestial slime, This essence to incarnate and imbrute, That to the height of deity aspired; But what will not ambition and revenge Descend to? who aspires, must down as low As high he soar'd, obnoxious, first or last, To basest things. Revenge, at first though sweet Bitter ere long, back on itself recoils; Let it; I reck not, so it light well aim'd, Since higher I fall short, on him who next Provokes my envy; this new favourite Of Heaven, this man of clay, son of despite; Whom, us the more to spite, his Maker raised From dust spite then with spite is best repaid."
So saying, through each thicket, dank or dry, Like a black mist, low creeping, he held on His midnight search, where soonest he might find The serpent: him, fast sleeping, soon he found, In labyrinth of many a round, self-roll'd,
His head the midst, well stor'd with subtle wiles; Nor yet in horrid shade, or dismal den, Nor nocent yet, but on the grassy herb, Fearless, unfear'd he slept. In at his mouth The Devil enter'd, and his brutal sense, In heart or head possessing, soon inspired With act intelligential; but his sleep Disturb'd not, waiting close the approach of morn. Now when as sacred light began to dawn, In Eden, on the humid flowers, that breathed Their morning incense, when all things that breathe From the earth's great altar send up silent praise To the Creator and his nostrils fill With grateful smell, forth came the human pair, And join'd their vocal worship to the quire Of creatures wanting voice: that done, partake The season, prime for sweetest scents and airs: Then commune how that day they best might ply Their growing work for much their work outgrew The hands despatch of two, gardening so wide, And Eve first, to her husband, thus began.
"Adam, well may we labour still to dress This garden, still to tend plant, herb, and flower, Our pleasant task enjoined; but till more hands Aid us, the work under our labour grows Luxurious by restraint; what we by day Lop overgrown, or prune, or prop, or bind, One night or two with wanton growth derides, Tending to wild. Thou therefore now advise, Or hear, what to my mind first thoughts present: Let us divide our labours; thou where choice Leads thee, or where most needs, whether to wind The woodbine round this arbour, or direct The clasping ivy where to climb: while I, In yonder spring of roses intermix'd With myrtle, find what to redress till noon: For while so near each other thus all day Our task we choose, what wonder, if so near, Looks intervene and smiles, or object new, Casual discourse draw on? which intermits Our day's work, brought to little, though begun Early; and the hour of supper comes unearn'd."
To whom mild answer Adam thus return'd. "Sole Eve, associate sole, to me, beyond Compare, above all living creatures dear;
Well hast thou motion'd, well thy thoughts employ'd How we might best fulfil the work, which here God hath assign'd us, nor of me shalt pass Unpraised for nothing lovelier can be found In woman, than to study household good, And good works in her husband to promote, Yet not so strictly hath our Lord imposed Labour, as to debar us, when we need, Refreshment, whether food, or talk, between, Food of the mind, or this sweet intercourse
Of looks and smiles; for smiles from reason flow,
To brute denied, and are of love the food; Love, not the lowest end of human life. For not to irksome toil, but to delight, He made us, and delight to reason join'd. The paths & bowers, doubt not, but our joint hands Will keep from wilderness, with ease, as wide As we need walk, till younger hands ere long, Assist us: but if much converse, perhaps, Thee satiate, to short absence I could yield: For solitude sometimes is best society, And short retirement urges sweet return. But other doubt possesses me, lest harm Befal thee severed from me; for thou know'st What hath been warn'd us, what malicious foe, Envying our happiness, and of his own Despairing, seeks to work us woe and shame, By sly assault; and somewhere nigh at hand Watches no doubt, with greedy hope, to find His wish, and best advantage, us asunder; Hopeless to circumvent us join'd, where each To other speedy aid might lend at need: Whether his first design be to withdraw Our fealty from God, or to disturb Conjugal love; than which, perhaps, no bliss Enjoy'd by us excites his envy more; Or this, or worse; leave not the faithful side That gave thee being, still shades thee, & protects. The wife, where danger or dishonour lurks, Safest, and seemliest, by her husband stays; Who guards her, or with her worse endures."
To whom the virgin majesty of Eve, As one who loves, & some unkindness meets, With sweet austere composure, thus replied.
"Offspring of Heaven and Earth, & all Earth's Lord, That such an enemy we have, who seeks Our ruin, both by thee inform'd, I learn, And from the parting angel overheard, As in a shady nook I stood behind,
Just then return'd at shut of evening flowers.
But that thou shouldst my firmness therefore doubt,
To God, or thee, because we have a foe May tempt it, I expected not to hear. His violence thou fear'st not, being such As we, not capable of death or pain, Can either not receive, or can repel. His fraud is then thy fear; which plain infers Thy equal fear, that my firm faith and love Can by his fraud be shaken, or seduced;
Thoughts, which how found they harbour in thy breast, Adam, misthought of her, to thee so dear?"
To whom, with healing words, Adam replied. Daughter of God and Man, immortal Eve,
For such thou art, from sin and blame entire :
Not diffident of thee, do I dissuade Thy absence from my sight, but to avoid
The attempt itself, intended by our foe.
For he who tempts, though in vain, at least asperses
The tempted with dishonour foul, supposed Not incorruptible of faith, not proof
Against temptation: thou thyself with scorn And anger, wouldst resent the offer'd wrong, Though ineffectual found; misdeem not then, If such affront I labour to avert From thee, alone, which on us both at once, The enemy, though bold, will hardly dare; Or daring, first on me the assault shall light. Nor thou his malice and false guile contemn: Subtle he needs must be, who could seduce Angels; nor think superfluous others' aid. I, from the influence of thy looks, receive Access in every virtue; in thy sight
More wise, more watchful, stronger if need were
Of outward strength; while shame, thou looking on,
Shame to be overcome or overreach'd,
Would utmost vigour raise, and raised unite.
Why shouldst not thou like sense within thee feel
When I am present, and thy trial choose With me, best witness of thy virtue tried!" So spake domestic Adam, in his care And matrimonial love; but Eve, who thought
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