But Death comes not at call, Justice divine
Mends not her floweft pace for pray'rs or cries.
O woods, O fountains, hillocks, dales, and bowers, With other echo late I taught your fhades
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 870 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
With fpirits mafculine, create at last
Creator wife, that peopled highest heav'n
To my just number found. O why did God,
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
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
Not fo repuls'd, with tears, that ceas'd not flowing, And treffes all diforder'd, at his feet
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
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,
Between us two let there be peace, both joining As join'd in injuries, one enmity
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
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.
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,
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,
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.
Could alter high decrees, I to that place
Would fpeed before thee, and be louder heard, That on my head all might be vifited,
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
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
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
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,
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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