one that is his Hate or Shame; which shall cause infinite Calamities to human Life, and confound domeftick Peace!

HE faid no more, and turn'd from her. ------ But EVE, not repuls'd fo, with Tears that flow'd continually, and difhevell'd Hair, fell humbly at his Feet; and embracing them, entreated him to be at Peace, and proceeded thus in her Complaint:

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ADAM! do not abandon me thus; witness Heaven, what fincere Love and Reverence in my Heart I bear thee, and have offended not knowingly; but being unhappily deceiv'd! with humbleft Supplication I beg to be forgiven, and clafp thy Knees." not bereave me of that, on which I live, thy gentle Looks, thy kind Affiftance and Counsel in this uttermoft Diftrefs, my only Strength and Support! Forfaken of thee, whither fhall I betake me? Where fhall I fubfift? While we yet live (which perhaps may be scarce one fhort Hour) let there be Peace between us two! both joining in one Enmity (as join'd in Injuries) against a Foe, exprefly affign'd us by Fate, that cruel Serpent! ---- ---Do not exercise thy Hatred on me for this Mifery which is befallen us; upon me, who am already loft! me, more miferable than thyself! We both have finn'd! but thou only against GOD; I, both against GoD and thee; and will return to the Place of Judgment, there to importune Heaven with my Cries, that all the Sentence remov'd from thy Head may light upon me, who am the fole Caufe of all this Woe to thee: Yes! it is I alone, that am the juft Object of his Wrath!

SHE ended weeping, and kept immoveable in her humble Pofture; 'till having obtain'd Peace from her Fault acknowledg'd, and repented, fhe wrought Commiferation in ADAM: His Heart foon relented to

wards her, to fee her, who fo lately was his only Delight, and dear to him as Life, now in fuch Distress, fubmiffive at his Feet! to fee fo fair a Creature feeking his Reconcilement whom she had displeas'd, and fuing for his Counsel and Affiftance! Difarm'd at once, he loft all his Anger, and thus with peaceful Words he foon rais'd her up from the Ground:

UNWARY EVE! and too defirous (now as thou wert before) of what thou knoweft not, who defirest, that the Punishment of both our Crimes may all light upon thyfelf! Alas! bear thy own Part firft; thou art ill able to fuftain his full Wrath, of which as yet thou feel'ft but the leaft Part, and feeft how ill thou can't bear even my Difpleasure. If Prayers could alter the Decrees of Heaven, I would fpeed to the Place of Judgment before thee; and be heard louder requefting that upon my Head all might be vifited, and thy Frailty and infirmer Sex be forgiven; which was committed to my Care, and through my Permiffion expos'd to Hazard. But rife! ----- Let us contend no more, nor blame each other; we are blam'd enough elsewhere! but let us ftrive in Offices of Love, how we may make each others Burthen lighter in our Share of Mifery; fince DEATH threaten'd us this Day, (if I judge right) will prove a flow-pac'd and not a fudden Evil, a long Day's dying, in Augmentation of our Pain; and be entail'd (Oh Mifery to think on!) upon our Pofterity.

To whom EvE, taking fresh Courage, replied thus: ADAM! I know by fad Experiment, how little Weight my Words ought to have with thee, having been found fo erroneous; thence (as is the juft Event of Error) found fo unfortunate: Nevertheless, being reftor'd by thee to a Place of new Acceptance, (vile as I am!) I am hopeful yet to regain thy Love, which is the only Contentment of my Heart, either living

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or dying; fo that I will not hide from thee what Thoughts are rifen in my unquiet Breaft, tending either to end our extreme Sorrow, or give fome Relief to it; which Means, though fharp and fad, yet are better to be chofe, and more tolerable than our prefent Evils. If the Care of thofe who are to defcend from us, be what perplexes us moft, as they must be born to certain Mifery, and be at last devour'd by DEATH. (and it is a miferable Thing, to be the Cause of Mifery to others, and thofe our own Begotten; out of our own Loins, to bring into this curs'd World a miferable Race, that, after bearing wretched Life, muft be at laft Food for fo foul a Monfter!) It lies yet in thy Power, before Conception, to prevent the unblest Race, to prevent being what is yet unbegot. Thou art yet childless, childlefs remain ftill: So DEATH fhall be deceiv'd of his Glut, and be forc'd to fatisfy his ravenous Maw with us two only. But if thou judge it difficult and too hard, converfing together, looking upon and loving one another, to abftain from fweet nuptial Embraces, the Rites due to Love; and without Hope to languifh with Defire, before the Object that languishes with like Defire; (which would be a Mifery and Torment as great as any that we dread) then, to free both ourselves and Seed at once from what we fear for both, let us make fhort Work, let us feek DEATH; or if he is not to be found, let us ourselves with our own Hands fupply his Office. Why do we ftand any longer fhivering under Fears, that fhow no End but DEATH; and yet have the Power of many Ways to die? Why not chufing the fhorteft prevent the Deftruction of our Pofterity, by deftroying ourselves?

SHE ended here; or elfe vehement Defpair broke off the reft fhe had to fay: Her Thoughts had entertain'd fo much of DEATH, as made her Cheek quite pale: e: But ADAM, nothing fway'd by fuch Counfel,

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had rais'd his labouring and more attentive Mind to better Hopes; and thus he reply'd to EVE:

EVE! thy Contempt of Life and Pleafure, feems to argue fomething in thee more fublime and excellent, than that which thy Mind contemns. But, therefore feeking Self-Deftruction refutes that Excellence, thought to be in thee; and implies not thy Contempt of Life, but Anguish and Regret for the Lofs of it, and Pleasure over-lov'd. Or if thou covet'ft DEATH, as the utmoft End of all Mifery, fo thinking to evade the Penalty pronounc'd; doubt not but GOD hath more wifely arm'd his angry Vengeance, than to be fore-ftall'd and difappointed fo: I am much more afraid, left DEATH, if we fhould fo fnatch it, will not exempt us from the Pain, which we are by Doom to pay. Rather fuch Acts of Contumacy will provoke GOD to make DEATH live in us! Then let us seek fome fafer Refolution, which methinks I have in my View; with Heed calling to Mind that Part of our Sentence, that THY SEED SHALL BRUISE THE SERPENT'S HEAD; a poor Amends! unlefs (which as I conjecture) our great Enemy SATAN be meant; who, in the Serpent, hath contriv'd this Deceit against us. To crufh his lead would be Revenge indeed!, which will be loft, if we were to bring DEATH upon ourfelves; or refolve, as thou haft propos'd, to live childlefs: So our Foe fhall efcape the Punishment ordain'd him, and we, inftead of that, fhall double ours upon our own Heads. Then don't let any more be mention'd of Violence upon ourfelves, or willful Barrennefs, that cuts us off from Hope, and only favours of Rancour, Pride, Impatience, and Defpight, and Reluctance against GOD, and his juft Yoke laid upon our Necks. Let us remember, with what mild and gracious Temper he both heard and judg'd us; without Anger, and without Reproaches. We expected immediate Diffoluti

on, which we imagin'd was meant by DEATH THAT DAY: When, Lo! to thee were only foretold Pains in bearing and bringing forth Children, which will be foon recompenc'd with Joy, the Fruit of thy Womb. The Curfe not fo directly pronounc'd on me, glanc'd on the Ground; I muft earn my Bread with Labour: What Harm is that? Idlenefs had been worse; my Labour will fuftain me: And left Cold or Heat fhould do us Injury, he has, without being fought to, with timely Care provided us Cloaths, (unworthy as we are) with his own Hands; pitying, even while he judg'd us. How much more then, if we pray to him, will his Ear be open, and his Heart inclin'd to pity us? And teach us further, how to fun the Inclemency of the Seafons, Rain, Ice, Hail, and Snow; which now the Sky begins to fhow us in this Mountain; while the Winds blow moift and keen; fhattering the Leaves of thefe fair fpreading Trees: Which bids us feek fome better Covering, to cherish our numb'd Limbs; before the Sun leave the Night cold, how we may foment his Beams, gather'd together by fome warm or combuftible Matter; or by ftriking two hard Bodies together, move the heated Air into Fire, as lately the Clouds, juftling or forced with Winds, in their rude Shock flafh'd the flant Lightning, the Flame of which driven down, kindles the gummy Part of Fir or Pine, and fends out from a Distance a comfortable Heat, which might fupply the Want of that of the Sun. He will inftruct us, if we pray to him, and befeech Grace of him, to ufe fuch Fire, and what elfe may be a Cure to thefe Evils, which our own Mifdeeds have brought on us: So as we need not fear to pals this Life commodioufly, fultain'd by him with many Comforts; 'till fuch Time as we end in Duft, our final Reft and native Home! What can we do better, than repair to the Place where he judg'd us? Fall reverently proftrate before him, and there humbly confefs our Faults, and beg Pardon;

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