In Malabar or Decan fpreads her arms Branching fo broad and long, that in the ground High overarch'd, and echoing walks between; With feather'd cincture, naked elfe and wild 1115 Thus fenc'd, and, as they thought, their shame in part Cover'd, but not at reft or ease of mind, They fat them down to weep; nor only tears Rain'd at their eyes, but high winds worse within 1120 Miftruft, fufpicion, difcord, and shook fore Their inward state of mind, calm region once 1125 And full of peace, now toft and turbulent: 1130 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 approve .1150 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 1145 Of wand'ring, as thou call'ft 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 couldst not have difcern'd Fraud in the Serpent, speaking as he spake; No ground of enmity between us known, Why he should mean me ill, or feek to harm. Was I to' have never parted from thy fide? As good have grown there ftill a lifeless rib. Being as I am, why didst not thou the head Command me abfolutely not to go, Going into fuch danger as thou faidft? Too facil then thou didst not much gainsay, Nay didft permit, approve, and fair dismiss. Hadft thou been firm and fix'd in thy diffent, Neither had I tranfgrefs'd, nor thou with me. 1155 1160 Το To whom then first incens'd Adam reply'd. It seems, in thy restraint: what could I more? 1170 I warn'd thee, I admonish'd thee, foretold 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 1175 Either to meet no danger,.or to find Matter of glorious trial; and perhaps I alfo err'd in overmuch admiring What feem'd in thee fo perfect, that I thought 1180 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 fhe will not brook, And left to' herself, if evil thence enfue, 1185 She first his weak indulgence will accufe. The fruitless hours, but neither felf-condemning, THE END OF THE NINTH BOOK. Sin Man's tranfgreffion known, the guardian Angels forfake Paradise, and return up to Heaven to approve their vigilance, and are approv'd, God declaring that the entrance of Satan could not be by them prevented. He fends his Son to judge the tranfgreffors, who defcends and gives fentence accordingly; then in pity clothes them both, and reascends. and Death fitting till then at the gates of Hell, by wondrous fympathy feeling the fuccefs of Satan in this new world, and the fin by Man there committed, refolve to fit no longer confin'd in Hell, but to follow Satan their fire up to the place of Man: To make the way easier from Hell to this world to and fro, they pave a broad high-way or bridge over Chaos, according to the track that Satan first made; then preparing for Earth, they meet him proud of his fuccefs returning to Hell; their mutual gratulation. Satan arrives at Pandemonium, in full affembly relates with boafting his fuccefs against Man ; instead of applause is entertained with a general hiss by all his audience, transform'd with himself alfo fuddenly into ferpents, according to his doom given in Paradife; then deluded with a shew of the forbidden tree fpringing up before them, they greedily reaching to take of the fruit, chew duft and bitter afhes. The proceedings of Sin and Death; God foretels the final victory of his Son over them, and the renewing of all things; but for the prefent commands his Angels to make several alterations in the Heavens and elements. Adam more and more perceiving his fallen condition heavily bewails, rejects the condolement of Eve; the perfifts, and at length appeases him: then to evade the curfe likely to fall on their offspring, proposes to Adam violent ways, which he approves not, but conceiving better hope, puts her in mind of the late promise made them, that her feed fhould be reveng'd on the Serpent, and exhorts her with him to feek peace of the offended Deity, by repentance and fupplication. |