She gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
To whom the sovran Prefence thus reply'd.
Was the thy God, that her thou didst obey
Before his voice, or was she made thy guide,
Superior, or but equal, that to her
Thou didst refign thy manhood, and the place
Wherein God fet thee' above her made of thee,
And for thee, whofe perfection far excell'd
Hers in all real dignity? Adorn'd
She was indeed, and lovely to attract
Thy love, not thy fubjection; and her gifts
Were fuch as under government well seem'd,
Unfeemly to bear rule, which was thy part
And perfon, hadst thou known thyself aright.
So having faid, he thus to Eve in few.
Say Woman, what is this which thou haft done?
To whom fad Eve with fhame nigh overwhelm'd,
Confeffing foon, yet not before her judge
Bold or loquacious, thus abafh'd reply'd.
The Serpent me beguil'd, and I did eat.
Which when the Lord God heard, without delay
To judgment he proceeded on th' accus'd
Serpent though brute, unable to transfer
The guilt on him who made him inftrument
Of mifchief, and polluted from the end
Of his creation; juftly then accurs'd,
As vitiated in nature: more to know
Concern'd not Man (fince he no further knew)
Nor alter'd his offence; yet God at last
Though in mysterious terms, judg'd as then beft:
And on the Serpent thus his curfe let fall.
Because thou haft done this, thou art accurs'd
Above all cattel, each beast of the field;
Upon thy belly groveling thou shalt go,
And dust shalt eat all the days of thy life.
Between thee and the Woman I will put
Enmity, and between thine and her feed;
Her feed shall bruise thy head, thou bruise his heel.
So fpake this oracle, then verify'd
When Jefus fon of Mary, fecond Eve,
Saw Satan fall like lightning down from Heaven,
Prince of the air; then rising from his grave
Spoil'd Principalities and Pow'rs, triumph'd
In open show, and with ascension bright
Captivity led captive through the air,
The realm itself of Satan long ufurp'd,
Whom he shall tread at last under our feet
Ev'n he who now foretold his fatal bruise,
And to the Woman thus his fentence turn'd.
Thy forrow I will greatly multiply
By thy conception; children thou shalt bring
In forrow forth; and to thy husband's will
Thine shall submit; he over thee fhall rule.
On Adam laft thus judgment he pronounc'd.
Because thou' haft hearken'd to the' voice of thy wife,
And eaten of the tree, concerning which
I charg'd thee, say'ing, Thou shalt not eat thereof:
Curs'd is the ground for thy fake; thou in forrow
Shalt eat thereof all the days of thy life;
Thorns alfo' and thistles it shall bring thee forth
Unbid; and thou shalt eat th' herb of the field,
In the sweat of thy face fhalt thou eat bread,
Till thou return unto the ground; for thou
Out of the ground was taken, know thy birth,
For duft thou art, and fhalt to duft return.
So judg'd he Man, both judge and saviour fent,
And th' inftant ftroke of death denounc'd that day 210
Remov'd far off; then pitying how they stood
Before him naked to the air, that now
Muft fuffer change, difdain'd not to begin
Thenceforth the form of fervant to affume,
As when he wash'd his fervants feet, fo now
As father of his family he clad
Their nakedness with skins of beafts, or flain,
Or as the snake with youthful coat repaid;
And thought not much to clothe his enemies :
Nor he their outward only with the skins
Of beasts, but inward nakedness, much more
Opprobrious, with his robe of righteousness,
Arraying cover'd from his Father's fight.
To him with fwift afcent he up return'd,
Into his blifsful bofom reaffum'd
In glory as of old; to him appeas'd
All, though all-knowing, what had pass'd with Man
Recounted, mixing interceffion sweet.
Mean while, ere thus was finn'd and judg'd on Earth,
Within the gates of Hell fat Sin and Death,
In counterview within the gates, that now
Stood open wide, belching outrageous flame
Far into Chaos, fince the Fiend pass'd through,
Sin opening, who thus now to Death began.
O Son, why fit we here each other viewing
Idly, while Satan our great author thrives
In other worlds, and happier feat provides
For us his offspring dear? It cannot be
But that fuccefs attends him; if mishap,
Ere this he had return'd, with fury driven
By his avengers, fince no place like this
Can fit his punishment, or their revenge.
Methinks I feel new strength within me rife,
Wings growing, and dominion giv`n me large
Beyond this deep; whatever draws me on,
Or fympathy, or fome connatural force
Pow'rful at greatest distance to unite
With fecret amity things of like kind
By fecretest conveyance. Thou my shade
Infeparable must with me along :
For Death from Sin no pow'r can separate.
But left the difficulty of paffing back
Stay his return perhaps over this gulf
Impaffable, impervious, let us try
Adventrous work, yet to thy pow'r and mine
Not unagreeable, to found a path
Over this main from Hell to that new world
Where Satan now prevails, a monument
Of merit high to all th' infernal hoft,
Eafing their paffage hence, for intercourfe,
Or tranfmigration, as their lot shall lead.
Nor can I miss the way, fo ftrongly drawn.
By this new-felt attraction and instinct.
Whom thus the meager Shadow answer'd soon.
Go whither fate and inclination strong
Leads thee; I fhall not lag behind, nor err
The way, thou leading, fuch a scent I draw
Of carnage, prey innumerable, and tafte
The favor of Death from all things there that live:
Nor fhall I to the work thou enterprisest
Be wanting, but afford thee equal aid.
So faying, with delight he fnuff'd the smell
Of mortal change on earth. As when a flock
Of ravenous fowl, though many a league remote,
Against the day of battel, to a field,
Where armies lie incamp'd, come flying, lur'd
With scent of living carcaffes defign'd
For death, the following day, in bloody fight:
So fcented the grim Feature, and upturn'd
His noftril wide into the murky air,
Sagacious of his quarry from fo far.
Then both from out Hell gates into the waste
Wide anarchy of Chaos damp and dark
Flew diverfe, and with pow'r (their pow'r was great)
Hovering upon the waters, what they met
Solid or flimy, as in raging fea
Toft up and down, together crouded drove
As when two polar winds, blowing adverse
From each fide fhoaling tow'ards the mouth of Hell:
Upon the Cronian fea, together drive
Mountains of ice, that ftop th' imagin'd way
Beyond Petfora eastward, to the rich
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