With me? How can they then acquitted ftand
In fight of GOD? Him, after all disputes,
Forc'd I abfolve: all my evafions vain,

And reafonings (though thro' mazes) lead me still
But to my own conviction: first and last

830

On me, me only (as the fource and spring
Of all corruption) all the blame lights due:

So might the wrath! Fond wish! Couldft thou fupport
That burden, heavier than the earth to bear;

835

Than all the world much heavier; though divided

With that bad woman? Thus, what thou defireft,

And what thou fear'ft, alike defroys all hope

Of refuge; and concludes thee miserable,
Beyond all paft example, and future:

840

TO SATAN only like, both crime, and doom.

O Confcience into what abyss of fears

And horrors haft thou driven me? Out of which

I find no way, from deep to deeper plung'd!

845

Thus ADAM to himfelf lamented loud,
Through the ftill night: not now (as ere man fell)
Wholfom, and cool, and mild; but with black air
Accompany'd; with damps, and dreadful gloom:
Which to his evil confcience represented

All things with double terror. On the ground
Out-firetch'd he lay; on the cold ground! and oft
Curs'd his creation; Death as oft accus'd
Of tardy execution, fince denounc'd

850

The day of his offence. Why comes not Death, (Said he) with one thrice acceptable stroke

855

To end me? Shall truth fail to keep her word?
Juftice Divine not haften to be just?

But death comes not at call; Justice Divine

Mends not her floweft pace for pray'rs, or cries!

O woods, O fountains, hillocks, dales, and bow'rs!

861

With other echo late I taught your shades
To answer, and resound far other long!-
Whom thus afflicted when fad EVE beheld,
Defolate where the fat, approaching nigh,
Soft Words to his fierce paffion fhe affay'd;

Z 2

But

But her with stern regard he thus repell'd.

Out of my fight, thou ferpent!

That name best

Befits thee, with him leagu'd; thy felf as false

And hateful! nothing wants, but that thy shape,
Like his, and colour ferpentine, may fhew

870

Thy inward fraud; to warn all creatures from thee
Henceforth; left that too-heavenly_form, pretended
To hellish falfhood, fnare them! But for thee

I had perfifted happy: had not thy pride
And wand'ring vanity, when leaft was fafe,
Rejected my forewarning, and difdain'd
Not to be trusted; longing to be seen,
Though by the devil 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 againft all affaults:
And understood not all was but a fhew,
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

875

880

885

To my juft number found! -O! why did GOD,

Creator wife! that peopl'd highest heav'n
With fpirits mafculine, create at last

890

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 befal'n,

895

And more that shall befal: innumerable

Disturbances on earth through female fnares,

And ftraight conjunction with this fex! for either
He never fhall find out fit mate; but fuch
As fome misfortune brings him, or mistake;

900

Or, whom he wishes most, shall seldom gain

Through her perverfenefs: but fhall fee her gain'd

By a far worfe: or if fhe love, witheld
By parents; or his happiest choice too late

Shall

Shall meet, already link'd, and wedlock-bound

To a fell adversary, his hate, or shame:
Which infinite calamity shall caufe

To human life, and houfhold peace confound!

905

He added not, and from her turn'd

-but EVE,

Not fo repuls'd, with tears that ceas'd not flowing,

And treffes all disorder'd, at his feet

911

Fell humble; and, embracing them, befought

His peace, and thus proceeded in her plaint.

Forfake me not thus, ADAM! Witness heav'n
What love fincere, and reverence in my heart
I bear thee, and unweeting have offended,
Unhappily deceiv'd! Thy fuppliant
I beg, and clafp thy knees :-
(Whereon I live!) thy gentle looks, thy aid,
Thy counsel, in this uttermoft distress,

-bereave me not

915

920

-where fubfift ?

My only ftrength, and ftay! Forlorn of thee,
Whither fhall I betake me,-

While yet we live, (fcarce one fhort hour perhaps)
Between us two let there be peace! both joining

(As join'd in injuries) one enmity

Against a foe by doom exprefs affign'd us,
That cruel ferpent!- -On me exercise not
Thy hatred, for this mifery befall'n;
On me, already loft! Me, than thy felf
More miferable! Both have finn'd but thou

Against GoD only; I againft 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 caufe to thee of all this woe;
Me! me! only just 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'rds her, his life fo late, and fole delight,
Z 3

925

930

935

940

Now

Now at his feet fubmiffive in distress!

Creature fo fair his reconcilement feeking,
His counsel, (whom she had. difpleas'd) his aid!
At once difarm'd, his anger all he lost;

And thus with peaceful words up-rais'd her foon.

Unwary! and too defirous (as before,

945

So now) of what thou know'it not, who defir'st
The punishment all on thy felf! Alas!

Bear thine own firft; ill able to sustain

950

His full wrath, whose thou feel'ft as yet least part;
And my displeasure bear'ft fo ill.

If pray'rs

Could alter high decrees, I to that place

Would speed before thee: and be louder heard,
That on my head all might be vifited;
Thy frailty and infirmer sex forgiv❜n;

955

To me committed, and by me expos'd.

But rife!-let us no more contend or blame

Each other; blam'd enough elsewhere! but strive
In offices of love, how we may light'n

960

Each other's burden, in our fhare of woe:

Since this day's death denounc'd (if ought I fee)

Will prove no fudden, but a flow pac'd evil;

A long day's dying to augment our pain:

And to our feed (Ō hapless feed!) deriv'd.

965

To whom thus EVE, recov'ring 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

970

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 ris'n :
Tending to fome relief of our extremes,
Or end; though sharp, and fad, yet tolerable
As in our evils, end of eafier choice.
If care of our descent perplex us moft,

975

Which must be born to certain woe, devour'd

980

By DEATH at laft, (and miferable it is

To be to others cause of mifery,

Our own begotten; and of our loins to bring
Into this curfed world a woeful race;

That, after wretched life, must be at last

985

Food for fo foul a monfter!) in thy pow'r

It lies yet, ere conception, to prevent

The race unbleft, to Being yet unbegot.

Childless thou art, childless remain: fo DEATH

Shall be deceiv'd his glut: and with us two
Be forc'd to fatisfy his rav'nous maw.

990

But if thou judge it hard and difficult,
Converfing, looking, loving, to abstain

From love's due rites, nuptial embraces sweet;
And with defire to languish without hope,

Before the present object languishing

With like defire; (which would be mifery,

And torment, less than none of what we dread)
Then (both ourselves and feed, at once to free
From what we fear for both) let us make fhort,-
Let us feek DEATH:- or, he not found, supply
With our own hands his office on ourselves.
Why ftand we longer fhivering under fears,

That fhew no end but death; and have the pow'r
Of many ways to die, the shorteft chufing,
Destruction with destruction to destroy?

1005

She ended here, or vehement defpair

Broke off the reft: fo much of death her thoughts
Had entertain'd, as dy'd her cheeks with pale.
But ADAM, with fuch counfel nothing sway'd,
To better hopes his more attentive mind
Lab'ring had rais'd; and thus to Eve reply'd.

EVE! thy contempt of life and pleasure, seems
To argue in thee fomething more fublime,
And excellent, than what thy mind contemns.
But felf-deftruction therefore fought, refutes
That excellence thought in thee: and implies,

1010

1015

Not