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like this fair PARADISE, yet fuch as it is accept it ; · your Maker's Work; He gave it me, and I as freely give it: To entertain you two, Hell fhall unfold her Gates the wideft, and fend forth all her Kings: There (not like these narrow Limits) will be Room to receive your numerous Offspring: If it is no better Place, thank him who puts me unwilling to take this Revenge on you who wrong me not, inftead of him who wrongs me. And fhould I (as indeed I do): melt to Pity at your harmless Innocence; yet publick Reason, juft Honour, and Revenge, and Empire, by conquering this new World, compel me now to do, what else (notwithstanding I am damned) I should abhor.

THUS spoke the Flend, and with the Tyrant's Plea, Neceffity, excufed his devilish Deeds. Then from his lofty Stand upon the Tree of Life, he lights down among the fporting Herd of thofe four-footed Beafts, turning himself into the Form fometimes of one and fometimes of another, as their Shapes ferved his End beft, to view his Prey nearer, and unobserved to mark what by Words or Actions he might learn further of their State: Now he ftalks round about them like a Lion, with a fierce Glare; then as a Tyger, who by Chance hath fpied two gentle Fawns at Play in fome Purlieu, ftrait couches down close, then rifing, changes his cunning Watch as one who was chufing his Ground, from whence rufhing out, he might surest seize them both, griped in each Paw; when ADAM, the first of all Men, turning himself to Eve, the first of Women, began this moving Speech, which turned SATAN all to Attention:

SOLE Partner, and dearest of all these Joys; dearer than all that Power that made us, and for our Ufe and Comfort all this great World, muft needs be infinitely good, and of his Good be as liberal and

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Book IV. free as he is infinite; that raifed us from the Duft, and then placed us here in all this Happiness, who have merited nothing from him, nor are able to perform any thing of which he hath any Need; who requires no other Service from us, than to keep this one eafy Charge, that of all the Trees in PARADISE, which bear fuch various and delicious Fruit, we are only forbid to taste that Tree of Knowledge, which is planted by the Tree of Life, fo near is Death placed to Life! whatever Death be; no doubt fome very dreadful Thing; for thou knoweft well Gop hath pronounced it Death to taste of that Tree: Among fo many Signs of Power and Rule he has conferred upon us, and Dominion which he hath given us over all other Creatures that live on Earth, in Sea, or in the Air, this is the only Sign left of our Obedience: Then do not let us think one eafy Probation hard, who enjoy fo large and free a Liberty in all Things else, and have an unlimited Choice of manifold Delights; but let us praise him for ever, and extol his Bounty, following our pleasurable Task to prune these growing Plants, and tend upon thefe Flowers; which if of itself were toilfome, yet with thee would feem fweet and pleasant.

To whom Eve replied thus: Oh thou! from whom and for whom I was formed, Flesh of my Flesh, and without whom my Being would be to no Purpofe, my Guide and Head! what thou haft faid is juft and right, for we indeed owe all Praises and daily Thanks to him; but I chiefly, who enjoy fo much the happier Lot by enjoying thee, who art more noble and excellent by fo much Odds; whilft thou canst find no where any Thing that is equal to thyfelf. I often remember that Day when I first waked from Sleep, and laid down under a Shade upon Flowers, wondering much where I was, and what I was, from whence, and how I was brought thither: Not

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a great Way from thence a Sound of murmuring Waters flowed forth from a Cave, and fpread into a liquid Plain, which then ftood unmoved and clear as the Sky: I went thither with unexperienced Thought, and laid me down upon the green Bank, to look into the fmooth and pure Lake, that feemed to me to be another Sky: As I bent myself down to look, juft oppofite appeared a Shape in the Water, bending to look upon me; I started back, and that started back alfo ; but I being pleafed foon returned, and that as foon returned, and as pleased, with anfwering Looks of Sympathy and Love: There till now had I fixed my Eyes, and pined away with vain Defire, had not a Voice thus warned me: "Fair Creature, what thou "there feeft is nothing but thyself, it came with thee, “and with thee it goes away; but follow me, and "I will bring thee where fomething more than a Sha"dow waits forthy Coming, and for thy foft Embraces; "it is he whofe Image thou art, thou shall enjoy him

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infeparably, to him fhalt bear Multitudes of Creatures "like thyfelf, and thence shalt be called the Mother of "human Kind." What could I do elfe but immediately follow, being 'led thus invifibly, till I faw thee under a Platan (z)? Fair indeed and tall, and yet methought lefs fair, lefs winning and foft, and lefs amiably mild than that other smooth watery Image: I turned back, thou criedft aloud, following me, fair EVE return; from whence doft thou fly? whom thou flieft from, of whom art thou made, his Flesh and Bone; to give thee thy Being I lent fubftantial Life,

(*) Platan (in the Lat. Edit. Plantan, which is wrong, Gr. i.e. Broad; because the Leaves of it are very broad and spread ing wide, which make a cool, refreshing, and welcome Shade in hot Countries; the PlaneTree. It grows very large and

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well fpread in Macedonia; the Body of it is a clear green, smooth as Glass, very ftreight, and about twenty Feet high; the Leaves are eight or ten Feet long, and four Feet broad; and the Heart of it is common Food in South America.

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nearest my Heart and out of my Side, to have thee by my Side; henceforth an individual and dear Comfort, I feck thee as Part of my Soul, and lay Claim to thee who art my other Half! With that thy gentle Hand took hold of mine; I yielded; and from that Time fee how much Beauty is excelled by manly Grace and Wildom, befides which nothing is truly fair.

So fpake our first and general Mother, and with Eyes of Conjugal Attraction and meek Surrender, half embracing him, leaned upon ADAM; half her naked fwelling Breaft met his, hid under the flowing Treffes of her golden Hair: He, in Delight both of her Beauty and her fubmiffiye Charms, fmiled with fuperior Love, as Poets feign JUPITER to fmile on JUNO (a), when he makes the Clouds fruitful, that fhed MayFlowers; and he preffed her matron Lip with frequent and pure Kiffes; The Devil turned afide for Envy; yet with a jealous and malicious Look eyed them, and thus complained to himself;

HATEFUL and tormenting Sight! thus these two in the Paradife of one another's Arms, (the happiest EDEN) fhall enjoy their Fill of Blifs upon Blifs; while I am thruit to Hell, where there's neither Joy nor Love, but what among others is not the leaft of our Torments, fierce Defire pines with Pain of Longing, never fatisfied nor quenched. Yet do not let me forget what I have gained from their own Mouths: It seems all is not theirs; there ftands one fatal Tree, called the Tree of Knowledge, forbidden them to tafte: Knowledge forbidden? and why? that is fufpi

(a) Fund; Lat. i. e. Help or Aftance. An Heathen Goddess, the Sifter and Wife of Jupiter; The goes under various Names

among the antient Poets. By this Fable they meant the Air and Earth, which came both out of her Womb, the Chaos.

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cious and without Reafon: Why fhould their Lord envy them that? Can it be any Sin to gain Know·ledge? Can that deferve Death? And do they ftand perfect only by their Ignorance? Is that their happy State? their Faith, and the Proof of their Obedience? What a fair Foundation is here laid, whereon to build their Ruin? For this Caufe I will excite a greater De-fire to know, and to reject envious Commands invented only with a Defign to keep them low, whom this prohibited Knowledge might exalt and make equal with Gods: Perhaps afpiring to be fuch, they taite, and die, what can likelier be the Confequence! But first I muft walk round this Garden with very narrow Search, and leave no Place undiscover'd; a Wonder if Chance may not lead me; where I may meet fome wandering Spirit of Heaven, retir'd in fome thick Shade, or near fome Fountain, from whom I may learn what I want farther to know.----Ye happy Pair! live while ye may, and till I return enjoy fhort Pleafures, for the Woes are long which are to fucceed. Having faid this, he fcornfully turn'd his proud Steps afide, and began to make his Search, though with Slynefs and great Circumfpection, through Woods and Plains, and over the Hills and Vallies.

С Н А Р. III.

Uriel warns Gabriel, that fome evil Spirit had pafs'd by his Sphere. Night comes on, Adam and Eve difcourfe going to their Reft: Their Bower defcrib'd and Evening Worship.

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TEAN while the setting Sun defcended flowly, and levelled his Evening Rays directly against the Eastern Gate of PARADISE: was a Rock of Alabaster, piled up almost as high

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