THE ARGUMENT. Satan having compafs'd the Earth, with meditated guile returns as a mift by night into Paradise, enters into the Serpent fleeping. Adam and Eve in the morning go forth to their labors, which Eve propofes to divide in feveral places, each laboring apart: Adam confents not, alledging the danger, left that enemy, of whom they were forewarn'd, fhould attempt her found alone: Eve, loath to be thought not circumfpect or firm enough, urges her going apart, the rather defirous to make trial of her ftrength; Adam at last yields: The Serpent finds her alone; his fubtle approach, firft gazing, then speaking, with much flattery extolling Eve above all other creatures. Eve, wondering to hear the Serpent fpeak, afks how he attain'd to human speech and such understanding not till now; the Serpent anfwers, that by tafting of a certain tree in the garden he attain'd both to speech and reason, till then void of both: Eve requires him to bring her to that tree, and finds it to be the tree of knowledge forbidden: The Serpent now grown bolder, with many wiles and arguments induces her at length to eat; the pleas'd with the taste deliberates a while whether to impart thereof to Adam or not, at last brings him of the fruit, relates what perfuaded her to eat thereof: Adam at first amaz'd, but perceiving her loft, refolves through vehemence of love to perifh with her; and extenuating the trefpafs eats alfo of the fruit: The effects thereof in them both; they seek to cover their nakedness; then fall to variance and accufation of one another. PARADISE LOST. BOOK IX. No O more of talk where God or Angel guest Venial discourse unblam'd: I now must change Ba ΤΟ 20 And And dictates to me flumb'ring, or infpires Eafy my unpremeditated verse: Since first this fubject for heroic song Pleas'd me long choofing, and beginning late; Not fedulous by nature to indite Wars, hitherto the only argument Heroic deem'd, chief mast'ry to diffect That name, unless an age too late, or cold The fun was funk, and after him the star Twilight upon the earth, short arbiter 'Twixt day and night, and now from end to end Night's hemifphere had veil'd th' horizon round: 25 30 35 40 45 50 When When Satan who late fled before the threats In meditated fraud and malice, bent 55 60 65 His entrance, and forewarn'd the Cherubim Into a gulf shot under ground, till part Satan involv'd in rising mist, then fought 75 Where to lie hid; fea he had fearch'd and land From Eden over Pontus, and the pool |