PARADISE LOST. BOOK IX. The argument. Satan having compassed the Earth, with meditated guile returns as a mist by night into Paradise, enters into the serpent sleeping. Adam and Eve in the morning go forth to their labours, which Eve proposes to divide in several places, each labouring apart: Adam consents not, alledging the danger, lest that enemy, of whom they were forewarned, should attempt her found alone: Eve, loath to be thought not circumspect or firm nough arges her going apart, the rather desirous to make trial of her strength; Adam at last yields. The serpent finds her alone; his subtle approach first gazing, then speaking, with much flattery extolling Eve above all other creatures. Eve wondering to hear the serpent speak, asks how he attained to human speech and such understanding not till now? the serpent answers, that by rasting of a certain tree in the garden he attained 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: she; pleased with the taste, deliberates a while whe ther to impart thereof to Adam or rot, at last brings him of the fruit relates what pers aded her to eat thereof. Adam at first amazed, but perceiving her lost, resolves through vehemence of love to perish with her i and extenuating the trespass eats also of the fruit: the effects thereof in them both; they seek to cover their nakedness; then fall to variance and accusation of one another. No more of talk where God or Angel guest Those notes to tragic; foul distrust, and breach And disobedience: on the part of Heav'n Of my celestial Patroness, who deigns And dictates to me slumb'ring, or inspires Since first this subject for heroic song Pleas'd me long chusing, and beginning late; Wars, hitherto the only argument Heroic deem'd, chief mast'ry to dissect ΤΟ 20 30 84 Bases and tinsel trappings, gorgeous knights Not that which justly gives heroic name 40 Nor skill'd nor studious, higher argument That name, unless an age too late, or cold 'Twixt day and night, and now from end to end In meditated fraud and malice, bent 50 60 On man's destruction, maugre what might hap From pole to pole, traversing each colúre; On th' eighth return'd, and on the coast averse From entrance or cherubic watch, by stealth Found unsuspected way. There was a place, 69 Now not, tho' Sin, not Time, first wrought the change, Where Tigris at the foot of Paradise Into a gulf shot under ground, till part Rose up a fountain by the Tree of Life; In with the river sunk, and with it rose Where to lie hid; sea he had search'd and land Most opportune might serve his wiles, and found Of thoughts revolv'd, his final sentence chose To enter, and his dark suggestions hide Proceeding, which in other beasts observ'd Volume 11. H 80 90 Active within beyond the sense of brute. O Earth, how like to Heav'n, if not preferr'd Centring receiv'st from all those orbs; in thee, 100 Of growth, sense, reason, all summ'd up in man. With what delight could I have walk'd thee round, If I could joy in ought, sweet interchange Of hill, and valley, rivers, woods, and plains, 120 Bane, and in Heav'n much worse would be my state. But neither here seek I, no nor in Heav'n To dwell, unless by mast'ring Heav'n's Supreme;' |