depart. Be strong, live happy, and love! but first of all love him, whom to love rightly is to obey, and keep his great Commandment: Take Heed, left Paffion fhould fway thy Judgment to do any Thing, which elfe Free-will would not admit of. The Happiness or Unhappiness of thee and all thy Pofterity is placed in thee: Beware! I, and all the Bleffed above, fhall rejoice to fee thee perfevere in Obedience. Stand faft; it lies free in thy own Election, to stand or fall : Having Power fufficient within, feck no Help elfewhere, and repel every Temptation to tranfgrefs. SAYING this, he arofe; and ADAM thus followed him with Thanks: Since the Time of thy Departure is come, go, heavenly Meffenger, and Gueft fent from him whose fovereign Goodrefs I adore! Thy Condefcenfion hath been very gentle and affable to me, and shall ever be honoured with grateful Remembrance Continue ftill to be good and friendly to MANKIND, and return hither often, So they parted; the Angel flying up to Heaven, and ADAM to his Bower, to feek for EvE. The End of the EIGHTH BOOK. THE THE NINTH BOOK OF PARADISE LOST. S The ARGUMENT. ATAN having compassed the Earth, with meditated Guile returns, as a Mift, by Night into Paradife, and enters into the Serpent fleeping. Adam and Eve in the Morning go forth to their Labours, which Eve propofes to divide into feveral Places, each labouring apart: Adam confents not, alledging the Danger, left that Enemy, of whom they are forewarned, should attempt her alone: Eve loath to be thought not circumfpect, or firm enough, urges her going apart, the rather defirous to make Trial of her Strength, and Adam at laft yields. The Serpent finds Eve alone, approaches and speaks to her, with many Wiles aud Arguments; induces her to taste the Tree of Knowledge forbidden: She refolves to impart thereof to Adam. Eve brings of the Fruit to Adam, be eats alfo; the Effects thereof on them both. СНАР. Satan having compaffed the Earth, with meditated Guile returns by Night into Paradise, and enters into the Serpent fleeping. H Enceforward I shall have no more to relate of GoD or Angel fitting an indulgent and familiar Gueft with MAN, as with his Friend, partaking with him in his Repaft, and permitting him the while to difcourfe innocently without Blame. Now I must change to mournful Subjects; foul Diftruft, and difloyal Breach of Duty; Revolt and Difobedience on the Part of MAN, and on the Part of alienated Heaven, Distance, Dislike, Anger, juft Rebuke, and Judgment pronounced, that brought into this World all our Woe; that brought in SIN and DEATH, and all thofe bitter Evils that bring DEATH ON. This is a Theme of Sorrow; yet the Subject is great, and more heroic than the Anger of ACHILLES (a), or Rage of TURNUS (b), or that of NEPTUNE (c), or JUNO, which fo long perplexed (a) Achilles: Lat. Gr. i. e. Without a Lip; which was burnt, when he was an Infant; Or, free from Pain: Because he was made invulnerable, by being dipt all over in the River Styx, except the Heel, by which his Mother held him. The Son of Peleus, King of The Jaly, and Thetis, Goddefs of the Sea: the moft valiant of all the Grecian Heroes, that went to the Siege of Troy. After many heroic Actions, he was flain by Paris, being hot in the Heel. the (b) Turnus; Rutil. An antient King of the Rutilians, who were old Inhabitants of Italy, long before the Latins. He was a brave Champion; but at last engaging with Æneas, for the Sake of Lavinia, was flain by him in a Duel; as Livy, Florus, Justin, and Virgil relate, which many learned Authors have confuted fince. (c) Neptune; Lat. Gr. i. e. A Walker or from Nephtin; Heb and Egypt. i. e. Maritime : Hence |
