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But Death comes not at call, Justice divine

Mends not her floweft pace for pray'rs or cries.

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O woods, O fountains, hillocks, dales, and bowers, With other echo late I taught your fhades

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To answer, and refound far other fong.
Whom thus afflicted, when fad Eve beheld,
Defolate where the fat, approaching nigh,
Soft words to his fierce paffion the affay'd:
But her with ftern regard he thus repell'd :
Out of my fight, thou ferpent! that name best
Befits thee with him leagu'd, thyself as false
And hateful; nothing wants, but that thy fhape,
Like his, and colour ferpentine, may show
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Thy inward fraud, to warn all creatures from thee
Henceforth; left that too heav'nly form, pretended
To hellish falfhood, fnare them. But for thee
I had perfifted happy, had not thy pride
And wand'ring vanity, when leaft was fafe,
Rejected my forewarning, and difdain'd
Not to be trufted, longing to be seen
Though by the dev'l himself, him overweening
To over-reach, but with the ferpent meeting,
Fool'd and beguil'd, by him thou, I by thee,
To trust thee from my fide imagin'd wife,
Conftant, mature, proof against all affaults,
And understood not all was but a fhow
Rather than folid virtue, all but a rib
Crooked by nature, bent, as now appears,
More to the part finifter, from me drawn,
Well if thrown out, as fupernumerary

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With fpirits mafculine, create at last

Creator wife, that peopled highest heav'n

To my just number found. O why did God,

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This novelty on earth, this fair defect

Of nature, and not fill the world at once

With men as angels without feminine,
Or find fome other way to generate

Disturbances on earth through female snares,

Mankind? this mifchief had not then befall'n,
And more that shall befal, innumerable

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And ftrait conjunction with this fex: for either
He never fhall find out fit mate, but fuch
As fome misfortune brings him, or mistake;
Or whom he wishes moit fhall feldom gain
Through her perverfenefs, but shall fee her gain'd
By a far worse; or, if the love, withheld
By parents; or his happiest choice too late
Shall meet, already link'd, and wedlock-bound
To a fell adverfary, his hate or shame;
Which infinite calamity fhall caufe

To human life, and houfhold peace confound.
He added not, and from her turn'd

but Eve,

Not fo repuls'd, with tears, that ceas'd not flowing,
And treffes all diforder'd, at his feet

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Fell humble, and embracing them befought

His peace, and thus proceeded in her plaint:

Forfake me not thus, Adam; witnefs Heav'n,
What love fincere, and rev'rence in my heart,
I bear thee, and unweeting have offended,
Unhappily deceiv'd; thy fuppliant

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I beg, and clafp thy knees; bereave me not,
Whereon I live, thy gentle looks, thy aid,
Thy counfel in this uttermoft diftreis,
My only ftrength and stay; forlorn of thee,
Whither fhail I betake me, where fubfift?
While yet we live, fcarce one fhort hour perhaps,

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Between us two let there be peace, both joining
As join'd in injuries, one enmity

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Against a foe by doom express'à affign'd us,

That cruel ferpent: on me exercise not
Thy hatred for this mifery befall'n,
On me already loft, me than thyself

More miferable: both have finn'd, but thou

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Against God only, I against God and thee,

And to the place of judgment will return,
There with my cries importune heav'n, that all
The fentence, from thy head remov'd, may light
On me, fole caufe to thee of all this woe;
Me, me only, juft object of his ire.

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She ended weeping, and her lowly plight,
Immoveable till peace obtain'd from fault
Acknowledg'd and deplor'd, in Adam wrought
Commiferation; foon his heart relented
Tow'rds her, his life fo late and fole delight,
Now at his feet fubmiffive in distress,
Creature fo fair his reconcilement feeking,

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His counsel, whom she had displeas'd, his aid;
As one difarm'd, his anger all he loft,

And thus with peaceful words uprais'd her foon:
Unwary, and too defirous, as before,

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So now of what thou know'st not, who defir'ft
The punishment all on thyfelf; alas!
Bear thine own firft, ill able to fustain

His full wrath; whofe thou feel'ft as yet leaft part,
And my difpleasure bear'ft fo ill.

If prayers

Could alter high decrees, I to that place

Would fpeed before thee, and be louder heard,
That on my head all might be vifited,

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Thy frailty and infirmer fex forgiven,

To me committed, and by me expos'd.

But rife, let us no more contend, ror blame

Each other, blam'd enough elsewhere, but strive,
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 see,
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.

To whom thus Eve, recovering heart reply'd:

Adam, by fad experiment I know

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

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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,

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Or en, though fharp and fad, yet tolerable,
As in our evils, and of eafier choice.

If care of our defcent perplex us most,

Which must be born to certain woe, devour'd

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By death at laft; and miferable it is

To be to others caufe of mifery,

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

That after wretched life must be at laft

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Food for fo foul a monster; in thy power

It lies, yet ere conception to prevent

The race unbleft, to being yet unbegot.

Childless thou art, childlefs remain: fo Death

Shall be deceiv'd his glut, and with us two

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Be forc'd to fatisfy his ravenous 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 languish without hope,
Before the prefent object languishing

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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 short; 1005 Let us feek death; or he not found, fupply

With our own hands his office on ourselves:

Why ftand we longer fhivering under fears,
That fhow no end but death, and have the power
Of many ways to die, the fhorteft choosing,
Deftruction with deftruction to destroy?

She ended here, or vehement despair

Broke off the rett; fo much of death her thoughts
Had entertain'd, as dy'd her cheeks with pale.
But Adam with fuch counfel nothing sway'd,
To better hopes his more attentive mind
Lab'ring had rais'd, and thus to Eve reply'd:
Eve, thy contempt of life and pleasure seems
To argue in thee fomething more fublime
And excellent than what thy mind contemns;
But felf-deftruction therefore fought, refutes

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ΠΟΙΟ

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That excellence thought in thee, and implies,
Not thy contempt, but anguish and regret
For lots of life and pleasure overlov'd.'
Or if thou covet death, as utmost end
Of mifery, to thinking to evade

The penalty pronounc'd, doubt not but God
Hath witelier arm'd his vengeful ire than fo
To be foreftall'd; much more I fear left death
Se fnatch'd will not exempt us from the pain
We are by doom to pay; rather such 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
Part of our fentence, that thy feed shall bruise
The ferpent's head; piteous amends, unless
Be meant, whom I conjecture, our grand foe,
Satan, who in the ferpent hath contriv'd
Against us this deceit: to crufh his head

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Would be revenge indeed; which will be lost

By death brought on ourselves, or childless days

Refolv'd, as thou proposeit; so our foe

Shall 'fcape his punishment ordain'd, and we,

Inftead, 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 favors only
Rancour and pride, impatience and defpite,
Reluctance against God, and his juft yoke
Laid on our necks. Remember with what mild

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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 1050
Pains only in child-bearing were foretold,
And bringing forth, foon recompens'd with joy,
Fruit of thy womb: on me the curse aflope
Glanc'd on the ground; with labour I must earn
My bread what harin? Idlenefs had been worse;
My labour will fuftain me; and lest cold

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