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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

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Each other's burden, in our share of woe: Since this day's death denounc'd, if ought I

fee,

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. 965
To whom thus Eve, recov'ring heart, re-
ply'd.

Adam by fad experiment, I know

How little weight my words with thee can

find,

Found fo erroneous; thence by just event
Found fo unfortunate; nevertheless,
Reftor'd by thee, vile as I am, to place

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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

ris'n :

Tending to fome relief of our extremes,

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Or end, though fharp and fad, 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, de

vour'd

By Death at laft; and miferable it is

To be to others cause of mifery,

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Our own begotten, and of our loins to bring Into this curfed world a woeful race;

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That after wretched life must be at last
Food for fo foul a monster: in thy pow'r
It lies, yet e're conception to prevent
The race unbleft, to being yet unbegot.
Childless thou art, childless remain: fo Death
Shall be deceiv'd his glut; and with us

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Be forc'd to fatisfy his rav'nous maw.
But if thou judge it hard and difficult,
Converfing, looking, loving, to abftain
From love's due rites, nuptial embraces fweet,
And with defire to languifh without hope, 995
Before the present object languishing
With like defire, which would be misery,
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
fhort,

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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 show no end but death; and have the pow'r

Of many ways to die the shortest choofing 1005 Destruction with deftruction to destroy?

She ended here, or vehement despair

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,

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To better hopes his more attentive mind Lab'ring had rais'd; and thus to Eve replyd. Eve, thy contempt of life and pleasure seems

A

To ague in thee fomeeting more fublime, And excellent than what thy mind con1015

temns.

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But felf-deftruction therefore fought, refutes
That excellence thought in thee; and implies,
Not thy contempt, but anguish and regret
For lofs of life and pleasure overlov'd.
Or if thou covet death, as utmost end
Of mifery; fo thinking to evade
The penalty pronounc'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,
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We are by doom to pay. Rather fuch acts
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 1030
Part of our sentence, that ,,thy feed fhall
bruife

,,The Serpents head:" Piteous amends! unless Be meant, whom I conjecture, our grand foe Satan who in the Serpent hath contriv'd Against us this deceit: to crush his head 1035 Would be revenge indeed, which will be loft By death brought on ourselves; or childless days

Refolv'd, as thou propofeft: so, our foe
Shall 'fhape his punishment ordain'd; and we
Instead fhall double ours upon our heads. 1040
No more be mention'd then of violence
Against ourselves; and wilful barrenness,
That cuts us off from hope; and favors only
Rancor and pride, impatience and despite,
Reluctance againft God, and his juft yoke 1045
Faid 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

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Pains only in child-bearing were, foretold,
And bringing forth foon recompens'd with joy,
Fruit of thy womb: on me the curfe aflope

Glanc'd on the ground; with labor I must earn My bread: what harm? Idleness had been worfe:

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My labor will sustain me: and left cold
Or heat fhould injure us, his timely care
Hath unbefought provided; and his hands
Cloth'd us unworthy; pitying while he judg'd.
How much more, if we pray him, will his

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Be open, and his heart to pity incline,
And teach us further, by what means to shun
Th' inclement feafons, rain, ice, hail and fnow;
Which now the fky with various face begins
To fhew us in this mountain; while the

winds

1065 Blow moift and keen, Thattering the graceful

locks

Of those fair spreading trees; which bids us

feek

Some better fhrowd, fome better warmth to cherish

Our limbs benumm'd; e're this diurnal star

Leave cold the night, how we his gather'd

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Reflected, may with matter fere foment
Or by collifion of two bodies grind
The air attrite to fire; as late the clouds
Juftling, or pufh'd with winds, rude in their

Shock

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