The ev'ning cool; when he, from wrath more cool, 95
Came, the mild Judge and Interceffour both,
To fentence man. The voice of God they heard
Now walking in the garden, by foft winds
Brought to their ears, while day declin'd; they heard,
And from his prefence hid themselves among
The thickest trees, both man and wife; till God
Approaching, thus to Adam call'd aloud.
Where art thou, Adam, wont with joy to meet
My coming feen far off? I mifs thee here,
Not pleas'd, thus entertain'd with folitude,
Where obvious duty' ere while appear'd unfought:
Or come I lefs confpicuous, or what change
Abfents thee, or what chance detains? Come forth.
He came, and with him Eve, more loath, tho' first
To' offend: discount'nance'd both, and difcompos'd:
Love was not in their looks, either to God
Or to each other; but apparent guilt,
And shame, and perturbation, and despair,
Anger, and obftinacy', and hate, and guile.
Whence Adam faltring long, thus anfwer'd brief. 115
I heard thee in the gard'n, and of thy voice
Afraid, being naked, hid myself. To whom
The gracious judge without revile reply'd.
My voice thou oft haft heard, and haft not fear'd,
But ftill rejoice'd; how is it now become
So dreadful to thee? that thou' art naked, who
Hath told thee? haft thou eaten of the tree,
Whereof I gave thee charge thou shouldft not eat?
To whom thus Adam fore befet reply'd.
O heaven! in evil ftrait this day I stand
Before my Judge, either to undergo
Myself the total crime, or to accufe
My other felf, the partner of my life;
Whofe failing, while her faith to me remains,
I should conceal, and not expose to blame
By my complaint; but strict neceffity
Subdues me, and calamitous constraint,
Left on my head both fin and punishment,
However infupportable, `be all
Devolv'd; tho' fhould I hold my peace, yet thou
Wouldft eafily detect what I conceal.
This woman, whom thou mad' to be my help,
And gav'ft me as thy perfect gift, fo good,
So fit, fo acceptable, fo divine,
That from her hand I could suspect no ill;
And what he did, whatever in itself,
Her doing feem'd to justify the deed;
She gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
To whom the Sov'reign Prefence thus reply'd.
Was fhe thy God, that her thou didst obey
Before his voice? or was fhe made thy guide,
Superiour, or but equal, that to her
Thou didst refign thy manhood, and the place
Wherein God fet thee' above her, made of thee,
And for thee, whofe perfection far excell'd
Hers in all real dignity? Adorn'd
She was indeed, and lovely to attract
Thy love, not thy fubjection; and her gifts
Were fuch as under government well feem'd,
Unfeemly to bear rule; which was thy part
And perfon, hadft thou known thyfelf aright.
So having faid, he thus to Eve in few.
Say, woman, what is this which thou haft done ?
To whom faid Eve, with fhame nigh overwhelm'd,
Confefling foon, yet not before her Judge
Bold or loquacious, thus abafh'd reply'd.
The ferpent me beguil'd, and I did eat.
Which when the Lord God heard, without delay To judgement he proceeded on th' accus'd
Serpent though brute, unable to transfer
The guilt on him who made him inftrument
Of mischief, and polluted from the end
Of his creation; juftly then accurs'd,
As vitiated in nature: more to know
Concern'd not man, (fince he no further knew), 170
Nor alter'd his offence; yet God at last
To Satan first in fin his doom apply'd,
Though in mysterious terms, judge'd as then best: · And on the ferpent thus his curse let fall;
Because thou haft done this, thou art accurs'd
Above all cattle, each beaft of the field;
Upon thy belly grovelling thou shalt go,
And duft fhalt eat all the days of thy life.
Between thee and the woman I will put
Enmity, and between thine and her feed;
Her feed-fhall-bruise thy head, thou bruise his heel,
So fpake this oracle, then verify'd
When Jefus fon of Mary, fecond Eve,
Saw Satan fall like lightning down from heaven,
Prince of the air; then rifing from his grave
Spoil'd principalities and powers, triumph'd
In open fhow, and with afcenfion bright
Captivity led captive through the air,
The realin itself of Satan long ufurp'd;
Whom he fhall tread at last under our feet;
Ev'n he who now foretold his fatal bruife,
And to the woman thus his fentence turn'd.
Thy forrow I will greatly multiply
By thy conception; children thou shalt bring
In forrow forth; and to thy husband's will
Thine fhall fübmit; he over thee fhall rule.
On Adam last thus judgement he pronounce'd.
Because thou' haft heargen'd to th' voice of thy wife, And eaten of the tree, concerning which:
I charg'd thee, fay'ing, Thou shalt not eat thereof: 200
Curs'd is the ground for thy fake; thou in forrow
Shalt eat thereof all the days of thy life;
Thorns alfo' and thistles it shall bring thee forth
Unbid; and thou fhalt eat th' herb of the field.
In the fweet of thy face fhalt thou eat bread,
Till thou return unto the ground; for thou
Out of the ground waft taken, know thy birth,
For duft thou art, and fhalt to dust return.
So judge'd he man, both Judge and Saviour fent, And th' inftant ftroke of death denounce'd that day 210 Remov'd far off; then pitying how they stood Before him naked to the air, that now Muft fuffer change, difdain'd not to begin Thenceforth the form of fervant to affume: As when he wash'd his fervants feet, fo now, As father of his family, he clad Their nakedness with skins of beasts, or flain, Or as the fnake with youthful coat repaid; And thought not much to clothe his enemies: Nor he their outward only with the skins Of beafts, but inward nakednefs, much more Opprobrious, with his robe of righteoufnefs, Arraying cover'd from his Father's fight. To him with fwift afcent he up return'd, Into his blifsful bofom reaffum'd
In glory as of old; to him appeas'd,
All, tho' all-knowing, what had pafs'd with man
Recounted, mixing interceffion fweet.
Meanwhile, ere thus was finn'd and judge'd on earth,
Within the gates of hell fat Sin and Deatly,
In counterview within the gates, that now
Stood open wide, belching outrageous flame
Far into Chaos, fince the fiend pafs'd through,
Sin opening, who thus now to Death began.
O fon, why fit we here each other viewing
Idly, while Satan, our great author, thrives
In other worlds, and happier feat provides.
For us his offspring dear? It cannot be
But that fuccefs attends him; if mishap,
Ere this he had return'd, with fury driv’n-
By his avengers; fince no place like this
Can fit his punishment, or their revenge.
Methinks I feel new ftrength within me rise,
Wings growing, and dominion given me large
Beyond this deep; whatever draws me on,
Or fympathy, or fome connatʼral force,-
Powerful at greatest diftance to unite,
With fecret amity, things cf like kind.
By fecreteft conveyance. Thou, my shade
Infeparable, maft with me along":
Over this main from hell to that new world!
Where Satan now prevails; a-monument‹
Of merit high to all th' infernal host,-
Eafing their paffage Kence, for intercourfe,-
Or tranfmigration, as their lot fhall lead.
Nor can I miss the way, fo ftrongly drawn
By this new felr attraction and inftinct.
Whom thus the meagre fhadow anfwer'd foon.
Go whither fate and inclination ftrong.
Leads thee; I fhall not lag behind, nor err
The way, thou leading; fuch a scent I draw
Of carnage, prey innumerable, and taste
The favour of death from all things there that live:
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