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What fear I then, rather what know to fear
Under this ignorance of good and evil,
Of God or death, of law or penalty?

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Here grows the cure of all, this fruit divine,
Fair to the eye, inviting to the taste,

Of virtue to make wife: what hinders then
To reach, and feed at once both body' and mind?
So faying, her rafh hand in evil hour
Forth reaching to the fruit, fhe pluck'd, she eat:
Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her feat
Sighing through all her works gave signs of woe,
That all was loft. Back to the thicket flunk
The guilty Serpent, and well might, for Eve
Intent now wholly on her tafte, nought else
Regarded, fuch delight till then, as feem'd,
In fruit fhe never tafted, whether true
Or fancy'd fo, through expectation high

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Of knowledge, nor was God-head from her thought.
Greedily fhe ingorg'd without restraint,

And knew not eating death: Satiate at length,
And highten'd as with wine, jocond and boon,
Thus to herself the pleasingly began.

795

O fovran, virtuous, precious of all trees

In Paradife, of operation bleft

To fapience, hitherto obfcur'd, infam'd,

And thy fair fruit let hang, as to no end

Created; but henceforth my early care,

Not without fong, each morning, and due praise,

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Shall tend thee, and the fertil burden ease

Of thy full branches offer'd free to all;

Till dieted by thee I grow mature

In knowledge, as the Gods who all things know;
Though others envy what they cannot give;
For had the gift been theirs, it had not here
Thus grown. Experience, next to thee I owe,
Beft guide; not following thee, I had remain'd
In ignorance; thou open'ft wisdom's way,
And giv'ft accefs, though fecret she retire.
And I perhaps am fecret; Heav'n is high,
High, and remote to fee from thence distinct
Each thing on earth; and other care perhaps
May have diverted from continual watch
Our great forbidder, fafe with all his spies
About him. But to Adam in what fort
Shall I appear? fhall I to him make known
As yet my change, and give him to partake
Full happiness with me, or rather not,
But keep the odds of knowledge in my power
Without copartner? fo to add what wants
In female fex, the more to draw his love,
And render me more equal, and perhaps,
A thing not undefirable, fometime
Superior; for inferior who is free?

This may be well: but what if God hath seen,
And death enfue? then I fhall be no more,
And Adam wedded to another Eve,
Shall live with her enjoying, I extinct;

A death to think. Confirm'd then I refolve,
Adam fhall fhare with me in blifs or woe:
So dear I love him, that with him all deaths

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I could

I could indure, without him live no life.

So faying, from the tree her step she turn'd,
But firft low reverence done, as to the Power
That dwelt within, whose presence had infus’d
Into the plant fciential fap, deriv'd

From nectar, drink of Gods. Adam the while,
Waiting defirous her return, had wove

Of choicest flow'rs a garland to adorn
Her treffes, and her rural labors crown,
As reapers oft are wont their harvest
Great joy he promis'd to his thoughts, and new
Solace in her return, fo long delay'd;

queen.

Yet oft his heart, divine of fomething ill,
Mifgave him; he the faltring measure felt;
And forth to meet her went, the way she took
That morn when first they parted; by the tree
Of knowledge he must pass, there he her met,
Scarce from the tree returning; in her hand
A bough of fairest fruit, that downy smil'd,
New gather'd, and ambrofial smell diffus'd.
To him she hasted; in her face excufe

:

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Came prologue, and apology too prompt,
Which with bland words at will fhe thus addrefs'd. 855
Haft thou not wonder'd, Adam, at my stay?
Thee I have mifs'd, and thought it long, depriv'd

Thy prefence, agony of love till now

Not felt, nor fhall be twice, for never more

Mean I to try, what rash untry'd I fought,

860

The pain of absence from thy fight. But ftrange

Hath been the cause, and wonderful to hear:

This tree is not as we are told, a tree
Of danger tasted, nor to' evil unknown
Opening the way, but of divine effect

To open eyes, and make them Gods who taste;
And hath been tafted fuch; the serpent wise,
Or not reftrain'd as we, or not obeying,

Hath eaten of the fruit, and is become,

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Not dead, as we are threaten'd, but thenceforth 870

Indued with human voice and human sense,

Reasoning to admiration, and with me
Perfuafively hath so prevail'd, that I
Have alfo tafted, and have also found
Th' effects to correfpond, opener mine eyes,
Dim erft, dilated fpirits, ampler heart,
And growing up to Godhead; which for thee
Chiefly I fought, without thee can despise.
For blifs, as thou hast part, to me is bliss,
Tedious, unfhar'd with thee, and odious foon.
Thou therefore also tafte, that equal lot
May join us, equal joy, as equal love;
Left, thou not tafting, different degree
Disjoin us, and I then too late renounce
Deity for thee, when fate will not permit.

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Thus Eve with count'nance blithe her story told;

But in her cheek diftemper flushing glow'd.

On th' other fide, Adam, foon as he heard
The fatal trespass done by Eve, amaz'd,
Aftonied ftood and blank, while horror chill
Ran through his veins, and all his joints relax'd;
From his flack hand the garland wreath'd for Eve

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Down

Down dropt, and all the faded roses shed:

Speechless he stood and pale, till thus at length
First to himself he inward filence broke.

O fairest of creation, laft and best

Of all God's works, Creature in whom excell'd
Whatever can to fight or thought be form'd,
Holy, divine, good, amiable, or fweet!

How art thou loft, how on a fudden loft,
Defac'd, deflower'd, and now to death devote?
Rather how haft thou yielded to tranfgrefs
The ftri&t forbiddance, how to violate

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୨୦୧

The facred fruit forbidd'n? fome curfed fraud
Of enemy hath beguil'd thee, yet unknown,
And me with thee hath ruin'd, for with thee
Certain my refolution is to die :

How can I live without thee, how forgo
Thy sweet converse and love fo dearly join'd,
To live again in these wild woods forlorn?
Should God create another Eve, and I
Another rib afford, yet loss of thee

Would never from my heart; no, no, I feel

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The link of nature draw me:

flesh of flesh,

Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state

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Mine never shall be parted, blifs or woe.
So having faid, as one from fad difmay
Recomforted, and after thoughts disturb'd
Submitting to what feem'd remedilefs,

Thus in calm mood his words to Eve he turn'd.
Bold deed thou hast presum'd, adventrous Eve,

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And peril great provok'd, who thus haft dar'd,

VOL, II.

D

Had

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