To me committed, and by me expos'd.

But rife, let us no more contend, nor blame

Each other, blam'd enough elsewhere; but ftrive
In offices of love, how we may lighten.
Each other's burthen, in our fhare of woe;
Since this day's death denounce'd, if aught I fee,
Will prove no fudden, but a flow-pace'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, by fad experiment I know

How little weight my words with thee can find,
Found fo erroneous, thence by just event

960

965

Found fo unfortunate: nevertheless,
Reftor'd by thee, vile as I am, to place
Of new acceptance, hopeful to regain
Thy love, the fole contentment of my heart,
Living or dying, from thee I will not hide
What thoughts in my unquiet breast are risen,
Tending to fome relief of our extremes,
Or end, though fharp and fad, yet tolerable,
As in our evils, and of eafier choice.

970

975

If care of our defcent perplex us most,

Which must be born to certain woe, devour'd

980

By death at last; and miferable it is

To be to others cause of mifery,

Our own begott'en, and of our loins to bring
Into this curfed world a woeful race,

That after wretched life must be at laft

985

Food for fo foul a monfter; in thy power

It lies, yet ere conception, to prevent

The race unblefs'd, to being yet unbegot.

Childless thou art, childless remain: fo Death
Shall be deceiv'd his glut, and with us two
Be forced to fatisfy his ravenous maw.

990.

But if thou judge it hard and difficult,
Converfing, looking, loving, to abstain
From love's due rites, nuptial embraces fweet,
And with defire to languifh without hope,
Before the prefent object languishing

9951

With like defire, which would be mifery

And torment lefs than none of what we dread;
Then both ourselves and feed at once to free

From what we fear for both, let us make fhort, 1000
Let us feek Death; or he not found, fupply
With our own hands his office on ourselves!
Why stand we longer shivering under fears,
That fhow no end but death, and have the power,
Of many ways to die the shortest chufing,
Deftruction with deftruction to destroy?

She ended here, or vehement despair

1005

Broke off the reft; fo much of death her thoughts
Had entertain'd, as dy'd her cheeks with pale.
But Adam, with fuch counsel nothing fway'd, 1010
To better hopes his more attentive mind

Lab'ring had rais'd, and thus to Eve reply'd.

Eve, thy contempt of life and pleafure feems
To argue in thee fomething more fublime.

And excellent than what thy mind contemns; 1015
But felf-deftruction therefore fought, refutes
That excellence thought in thee, and implies,
Not thy contempt, but anguifh and regret
For lofs of life and pleafure overlov'd,"
Or if thou covet death, as utmost end.
Of mifery, fo thinking to evade

The penalty pronounce'd, doubt not but God
Hath wifelier arm'd his vengeful ire than fo
To be foreftall'd; much more I fear left death
So fnatch'd will not exempt us from the pain
We are by doom to pay; rather fuch acts

1020

1025

Of contumacy will provoke the Highest
To make death in us live: then let us feek
Some fafer refolution, which methinks
I have in view, calling to mind with heed
Part of our fentence, that thy feed fhall bruise
The ferpent's head; pieteous amends, unless
Be meant, whom I conjecture, our grand foe.
Satan, who in the ferpent hath contriv'd
Against us this deceit : to crush his head
Would be revenge indeed; which will be loft
By death brought on ourselves, or childless days
Refolv'd, as thou propofeft; fo our foe
Shall 'fcape his punishment ordain'd, and we
Instead fhall double ours upon our heads.
No more be mention'd then of violence
Against ourselves, and wilful barrenness,
That cuts us off from hope, and favours only"
Rancour and pride, impatience and defpite,
Reluctance against God, and his just yoke
Laid on our necks. Remember with what mild
And gracious temper he both heard and judg'd,
Without wrath or reviling: we expected
Immediate diffolution, which we thought
Was meant by death that day; when lo to thee
Pains only in child-bearing were foretold,
And bringeth forth, foon recompens'd with joy,
Fruit of thy womb on me the curfe aflope
Glance'd on the ground;
My bread: what harm?
My labour will fuftain me

,1050

with labour I must earn
Idlenefs had been worse;
and left cold

Or heat fhould injure us, his timely care
Hath unbefought provided, and his hands
Cloth'd us unworthy, pitying while he judge'd:
How much more, if we pray him, will his ear
Be open, and his heart to pity' incline,

1956

1060

And teach us further by what means to fhun
Th' inclement feafons, rain, ice, hail, and fnow?
Which now the fky with various face begins

To fhow us in this mountain, while the winds 1065
Blow moist and keen, fhattering the graceful locks
Of these fair spreading trees; which bids us feek
Some better fhroud, fome better warmth to cherish
Our limbs benumb'd, ere this diurnal ftar

Leave cold the night, how we his gather'd beams
Reflected, may with matter fere foment,
Or by collifion of two bodies grind

The air attrite to fire, as late the clouds

1075

Juftling or pufh'd with winds, rude in their fhock Tine the flant lightning, whofe thwart flame driv❜o Kindles the gummy bark of fir or pine,

And fends a comfortable heat from far,

Which might supply the fun: fuch fire to use,
And what may elfe be remedy or cure

[down

1077

To evils which our own misdeeds have wrought, 1080
He will inftruct us praying, and of grace
Befeeching him, so as we need not fear
To pafs commodiously this life, fustain’d
By him with many comforts, till we end
In duft, our final rest and native home.
What better can we do, than to the place
Repairing where he judg'd us, proftrate fall
Before him reverent, and there confess

Humbly our faults, and pardon beg, with tears
Watering the ground, and with our fighs the air
Frequenting, fent from hearts contrite, in fign 1091
Of forr'ow unfeign'd, and humiliation meek?.
Undoubtedly he will relent, and turn

From his displeasure; in whofe look ferene,
When angry moft he feem'd, and moft fevere, 1095
What else but favour, grace, and mercy fhone?

So fpake our father penitent; nor Evet

1100

Felt lefs remorfe: they forthwith to the place
Repairing where he judge'd them, prostrate fell
Before him reverent, and both confess'd
Humbly their faults, and pardon begg'd, with tears
Watering the ground, and with their fighs the air
Frequenting, fent from hearts contrite, in fign
Of forr'ow unfeign'd, and humiliation meek.

END of the TENTH BOOKS