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Bad fruit of knowledge, if this be to know,
Which leaves us naked thus, of honor void,
Of innocence, of faith, of purity,

Our wonted ornaments now foil'd and ftain'd,
And in our faces evident the figns

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Of foul concupifcence; whence evil ftore;
Ev'n fhame, the laft of evils; of the first
Be fure then. How fhall I behold the face.
Henceforth of God or Angel, erft with joy
And rapture fo' oft beheld?, thofe heav'nly 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 higheft 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 beft may for the present serve to hide
The parts of each from other, that seem most
To fhame obnoxious, and unfeemlieft feen;

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Some tree, whofe broad smooth leaves together fow'd,
And girded on our loins, may cover round
Thofe middle parts, that this new comer, fhame,
There fit not, and reproach us as unclean.

So counsel'd he, and both together went
Into the thickest wood; there foon they chose
The fig-tree, not that kind for fruit renown'd,
But fuch as at this day to Indians known

In Malabar or Decan spreads her arms

Branching fo broad and long, that in the ground
The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow 1105
About the mother tree, a pillar'd shade

High overarch'd, and echoing walks between;
There oft the Indian herdsman shunning heat
Shelters in cool, and tends his pafturing herds
At loopholes cut through thickest shade: Thofe leaves
They gather'd, broad as Amazonian targe,
And with what skill they had, together fow'd,
To gird their wafte, vain covering if to hide
Their guilt and dreaded shame; O how unlike
To that firft naked glory! Such of late
Columbus found th' American, so girt
With feather'd cincture, naked elfe and wild
Among the trees on iles and woody shores.

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Thus fenc'd, and, as they thought, their shame in part Cover'd, but not at rest or ease of mind,

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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,
Mistrust, fufpicion, discord, and shook fore

Their inward state of mind, calm region once
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 fovran reason clam'd

Superior fway, from thus diftemper'd breast,
Adam, estrang'd in look and alter'd stile,

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Speech

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 strange 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 needless cause to' approve
The faith they owe; when earnestly they feek
Such proof, conclude, they then begin to fail.

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To whom foon mov'd with touch of blame thus Eve.
What words have pafs'd thy lips, Adam fevere!
Imput'ft thou that to my default, or will
Of wand'ring, as thou call'st it, which who knows
But might as ill have happen'd thou being by,
Or to thyself perhaps? hadft thou been there,
Or here th' attempt, thou couldft not have difcern'd
Fraud in the Serpent, fpeaking as he spake;
No ground of enmity between us known,
Why he should mean me ill, or feck to harm.
Was I to' have never parted from thy fide ?
As good have grown there still a lifeless rib.
Being as I am, why didft not thou the head
Command me absolutely not to go,
Going into fuch danger as thou faidst?

Too facil then thou didst not much gainfay,
Nay didft permit, approve, and fair difmifs.
Hadft thou been firm and fix'd in thy diffent,
Neither had I tranfgrefs'd, nor thou with me.

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To

To whom then first incens'd Adam reply'd.
Is this the love, is this the recompenfe
Of mine to thee, ingrateful Eve, exprefs'd
Immutable when thou wert loft, not I,

Who might have liv'd and joy'd immortal bliss,
Yet willingly chofe rather death with thee?
And am I now upbraided as the cause
Of thy tranfgreffing? not enough severe,

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It feems, in thy refraint: what could I more?

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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

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Matter of glorious trial; and perhaps

I also err'd in overmuch admiring

What feem'd in thee so perfect, that I thought
No evil durft attempt thee, but I rue

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That error now, which is become my crime,

And thou th' accufer. Thus it fhall befall

Him who to worth in woman overtrufting

Lets her will rule; reftraint she will not brook,
And left to herself, if evil thence enfue,

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She firft his weak indulgence will accufe.
Thus they in mutual accufation spent

The fruitless hours, but neither self-condemning,
And of their vain contest appear'd no end..

THE END OF THE NINTH BOOK.

THE

TENTH воок

OF

PARADISE LOS T.

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