Of all corruption, all the blame lights due ;
So might the wrath. Fond wish! couldst thou support
That burden heavier than the earth to bear, 835
Than all the world much heavier, though divided
With that bad Woman? Thus what thou defir'st
And what thou fear'st, alike destroys all hope
Of refuge, and concludes thee miferable
Beyond all paft example and future,
To Satan only like both crime and doom.
O Conscience, into what abyss of fears
And horrors haft thou driv'n me; out of which
I find no way, from deep to deeper plung'd!
Thus Adam to himself lamented loud
Through the still night, not now, as ere Man fell,
Wholesome and cool, and mild, but with black air
Accompanied, with damps and dreadful gloom,
Which to his evil confcience represented
All things with double terror on the ground
Outftretch'd he lay, on the cold ground, and oft
Curs'd his creation, death as oft accus'd
Of tardy execution, fince denounc'd
The day of his offenfe. Why comes not death,
Said he, with one thrice acceptable stroke
To end me? fhall truth fail to keep her word,
Justice divine not hasten to be just ?
But death comes not at call, justice divine
Mends not her flowest pace for
O woods, O fountains, hillocs, dales and bowers, 860
With other echo late I taught your shades
To answer, and refound far other fong.
Whom thus afflicted when fad Eve beheld,
Defolate where fhe fat, approaching nigh,
Soft words to his fierce paffion she assay'd:
But her with ftern regard he thus repell'd.
Out of my fight, thou Serpent; that name best
Befits thee with him leagu'd, thyself as false
And hateful; nothing wants, but that thy fhape,
Like his, and color ferpentine, may show
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 least was safe,
Rejected my forewarning, and difdain'd
Not to be trufted, longing to be seen
Though by the Dev'il himself, him overweening
To over-reach, but with the ferpent meeting
Fool'd and beguil'd, by him thou, I by thee,
To truft thee from my fide, imagin'd wife,
Conftant, mature, proof against all assaults,
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
To my just number found. O why did God,
Creator wife, that peopled highest Heaven
With Spirits masculine, create at last
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
Mankind? this mischief had not then befall'n,
And more that fhall befall, innumerable
Disturbances on earth through female fnares,
And strait 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 most shall seldom gain
Through her perverfenefs, but shall see 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 adversary', 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, 910 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: witness Heaven
What love fincere, and reverence in my heart
I bear thee, and unweeting have offended,
Unhappily deceiv'd; thy fuppliant
I beg, and clasp thy knees; bereave me not,
Whereon I live, thy gentle looks, thy aid,
Thy counsel in this uttermost distress,
My only ftrength and ftay: forlorn of thee,
Whither fhall I betake me, where fubfift?
While yet we live, scarce one short hour perhaps,
As join'd in injuries, one enmity
Between us two let there be peace, both joining,
Against a foe by doom express affign'd us,
That cruel Serpent: On me exercise not
Thy hatred for this misery 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 cause 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'ards 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 difpleas'd, his aid;
As one difarm'd, his anger all he lost,
And thus with peaceful words uprais'd her foon.
Unwary', and too defirous, as before,
So now of what thou know'ft not, who defir'st
The punishment all on thyfelf; alas,
Bear thine own firft, ill able to sustain
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 speed before thee, and be louder heard,
That on my head all might be visited,
Thy frailty and infirmer fex forgiven,
To me committed and by me expos'd.
But rife, let us no more contend, nor 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 fee,
Will prove no fudden, but a slow-pac'd evil,
A long day's dying to augment our pain,
And to our feed (O hapless seed!) 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 end, though sharp 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
|