THE ARGUMENT. Satan having compafs'd the Earth, with meditated guile returns as a mift by night into Paradife, 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 speak, afks how he attain'd to human fpeech and fuch understanding not till now; the Serpent answers, that by tasting 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; fhe pleas'd with the tafte 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. S Pintard Server 4. No us'd O more of talk where God or Angel gueft To fit indulgent, and with him partake Venial discourse unblam'd: I now must change And disobedience: on the part of Heaven Ва 5 ΤΟ 20 And And dictates to me flumb'ring, or inspires Eafy my unpremeditated verse : Since first this fubject for heroic fong 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 '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 1 When Satan who late fled before the threats In meditated fraud and malice, bent 55 60 His entrance, and forewarn'd the Cherubim 65 He circled, four times crofs'd the car of night Into a gulf fhot under ground, till part Satan involv'd in rifing mift, then fought 75 Where to lie hid; fea he had fearch'd and land From Eden over Pontus, and the pool B 3 80 With |