Eating his fill; nor Eve to iterate
Her former trefpafs fear'd, the more to footh
Him with her lov'd fociety; that now,.
As with new wine intoxicated both,
They fwim in mirth, and fancy that they feel
Divinity within them breeding wings
Wherewith to fcorn the earth. But that false fruit
Far other operation firft difplay'd,
Carnal defire inflaming; he on Eve
Began to caft lafcivious eyes, the him
As wantonly repaid; in luft they burn:
Till Adam thus 'gan Eve to dalliance move.
Eve, now I fee thou art exact of taste, And elegant, of fapience no fmall part,. Since to each meaning favour we apply," And palate call judicious: I the praise
Yield thee, fo well this day thou hast purvey'd.
Much pleafure we have loft, while we abftain'd
From this delightful fruit, nor known till now
True relifh, tafting; if fuch pleasure be
In things to us forbidd'n, it might be wifh'd,
For this one tree had been forbidden ten.
But come, fo well refresh'd, now let us play,
As meet is, after fuch delicious fare ;
For never did thy beauty fince the day
I faw thee firft, and wedded thee, adorn'd
With all perfections, fo inflame my fenfe
With ardour to enjoy thee, fairer now
Than ever, bounty of this virtuous tree.
So faid he, and forbore not glance or toy
Of amorous intent; well understood
Of Eve, whofe eye darted contagious fire.
Her hand he feiz'd, and to a fhady bank,
Thick overhead with verdant roof imbower'd,
He led her nothing loath; flowers were the couch,
Panfies, and violets, and asphodel,
And hyacinth, earth's freshest, softest lap.
There they their fill of love, and love's disport
Took largely, of their mutual guilt the feal,
The folace of their fin; till dewy fleep
Opprefs'd them, wearied with their amorous play.
Soon as the force of that fallacious fruit,
That with exhilarating vapour bland
About their spi'rits had play'd, and inmoft powers
Made err, was now exhal'd; and groffer fleep
Bred of unkindly fumes, with conscious dreams 1050
Incumber'd, now had left them; up they rofe
As from unreft, and each the other viewing,
Soon found their eyes how open'd, and their minds
How darken'd; innocence, that as a veil
Had fhadow'd them from knowing ill, was gone,
Juft confidence, and native righteousness,
And honour from about them, naked left.
To guilty fhame; he cover'd, but his robe
Uncover'd more. So rofe the Danite strong,
Herculean Samfon, from the harlot-lap
Of Philiftéan Dalilah, and wak'd
Shorn of his ftrength; they deftitute and bare
Of all their virtue: filent, and in face
Confounded, long they fat, as ftrucken mute;
Till Adam, though not lefs than Eve abafh'd, 1065
At length gave utterance to these words constrain’d.
O Eve, in evil hour thou didst give ear
To that falfe worm, of whomfoever taught
To counterfeit man's voice; true in our fall,
Falfe in our promis'd rifing; fince our eyes
Open'd we find indeed, and find we know
Both good and ev'il, good loft, and evil got,
Bad fruit of knowledge, if this be to know,
Which leaves us naked thus, of honour void,
Of innocence, of faith, of purity,
Our wonted ornaments now foil'd and stain'd,
And in our faces evident the signs
Of foul concupifcence; whence evil ftore;
Ev'n fhame, the last of evils; of the first
Be fure then. How fhall I behold the face
Henceforth of God or angel, erst with joy
And rapture fo' oft beheld? thofe heavenly fhapes.
Will dazzle now this earthly with their blaze
Infufferably bright. O might I here.
In folitude live favage, in fome glade
Obfcur'd, where highest woods impenetrable:
To ftar or fun-light, fpread their umbrage broad.
And brown as evening! Cover me, ye pines,
Ye cedars, with innumerable boughs
Hide me,, where I may never fee them more !
But let us now, as in bad plight, devise
What best may for the prefent serve to hide
The parts of each from other, that seem most
To fhame obnoxious, and unfeemlieft feen;
Some tree, whose broad smooth leaves together fow'd,
And girded on our loins, may cover round 1096
Those middle parts, that this new comer, shame,
There fit not, and reproach us as unclean.
So counfell'd he, and both together went
Into the thickeft wood: there foon they chofe
The fig-tree; not that kind for fruit renown'd;
But fuch as at this day to Indians known
In Malabar or Decan, fpreads 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 shade
High overarch'd, and echoing walks between;
There oft the Indian herdsman fhunning 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 fkill they had, together fow'd,
To gird their waist; vain covering, if to hide`
Their guilt and dreaded shame! O how unlike
To that first naked glory! Such of late:
Columbus found th' American, fo girt
With feather'd cincture, naked elfe and wild
Among the trees, on ifles and woody shores...
Thus fence'd, and, as they thought, their fhame in part
Cover'd, but not at rest or ease of mind,
They fat them down to weep: nor only tears.
Rain'd at their eyes, but high winds worse within
Began to rife, high paffions, anger, hate,
Miftruft, fufpicion, difcord, and fhook fore
Their inward state of mind; calm region once, 1125
And full of peace, now toft and turbulent :
For understanding rul'd not, and the will
Heard not her lore, both in fubjection now
To fenfual appetite, who from beneath
Ufurping, over fov'reign reafon claim'd
Superiour fway: from thus diftemper'd breast,
Adam, estrange'd in look and alter'd style,
Speech intermitted thus to Eve renew'd.
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
Remain'd.ftill happy; not, as now, defpoil'd
Of all our good, fham'd, naked, miserable.
Let none henceforth feek needlefs caufe to' approve
The faith they owe; when earnestly they seek
Such proof, conclude, they then begin to fail..
To whom foon mov'd with touch of blame thus Eve.
What words have pafs'd thy lips, Adam fevere !
Imput't thou that to my default, or will
Of wandring, as thou call'ft it, which who knows
But might as ill have happen'd thou being by,
Or to thyself perhaps? Hadit thou been there,
Or here th' attempt, thou couldst not have difcern'd Fraud in the ferpent, fpeaking as he spake;
No ground of enmity between us known,
Why he should mean me ill, or feek to harm.
Was I to have never parted from thy fide?
As good have grown there ftill a lifeless rib.
Being as I am, why didft not thou, the head,
Command me abfolutely not to go,
Going into fuch danger as thou faidft?
Too facile then thou didst not much gainfay,
Nay didft permit, approve, and fair dismiss.
Had thou been firm and fix'd in thy diffent,
Neither had I tranfgrefs'd, nor thou with me.
To whom, then first incens'd, Adam reply'd.
Is this the love, is this the recompenfe
Of mine to thee, ingrateful Eve, express'd
Immutable, when thou wert loft, not I;
Who might have liv'd, and joy'd immortal bliss,
Yet willingly chose rather death with thee?
And am I now upbraided as the cause
Of thy tranfgreffing? not enough fevere,
It seems, in thy restraint: what could I more? 1170
I warn'd thee, I admonish'd thee, foretold
The danger, and the lurking enemy
That lay in wait; beyond this had been force,
And force upon free will hath here no place.
But confidence then bore thee on, fecure
Either to meet no danger, or to find
Matter of glorious trial: and perhaps
I also err'd in overmuch admiring
What feem'd in thee fo perfect, that I thought
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