Of knowledge, nor was Godhead from her thought.
Greedily she ingorged without restraint,
And knew not eating death. Satiate at length,
And heighten'd as with wine, jocund and boon,
Thus, to herself, she pleasingly began.
O sovereign, virtuous, precious of all trees
In Paradise! of operation blest
To sapience, hitherto obscured, infamed,
And thy fair fruit let hang, as to no end
Created; but henceforth my early care,
Not without sóng, each morning, & due praise,
Shall tend thee, and the fertile burden ease
Of thy full branches, offer'd free to all;
Till, dieted by thee, I grow mature
In knowledge as the gods, who all things know;
Though others envy what they cannot give;
For had the gift been theirs, it had not here
Thus grown. Experience, next to thee I owe,
Best guide; not following thee I had remain'd
In ignorance; thou open'st wisdom's way,
And givest access, though secret she retire.
And I perhaps am secret: Heaven is high,
High, and remote, to see from thence distinct
Each thing on earth; and other care perhaps
May have diverted from continual watch
Our great Forbidder, safe with all his spies
About him. But to Adam, in what sort
Shall I appear? Shall I to him make known
As yet my change, and give him to partake
Full happiness with me? or rather not,
But keep the odds of knowledge in my power,
Without co-partner? so to add what wants
In female sex, the more to draw his love,
And render me more equal, and perhaps,
A thing not undesirable, sometime
Superior; for inferior, who is free?
This may be well: but what if God have seen,
And death ensue? then I shall be no more,
And Adam, wedded to another Eve,
Shall live with her enjoying; I extinct:
A death to think. Confirm'd then, I resolve,
Adam shall share with me in bliss or woe;
So dear I love him, that with him, all deaths
I could endure, without him, live no life."
So saying, from the tree her steps she turned But first low reverence done, as to the power That dwelt within whose presence had infused
Into the plant sciential sap, derived
From nectar, drink of gods. Adam the while
Waiting, desirous her return, had wove
Of choicest flowers, a garland, to adorn
Her tresses, and her rural labours crown:
As reapers oft are wont their harvest-queen.
Great joy he promised to his thoughts, & new
Solace in her return, so long delayed:
Yet oft his heart, divine of something ill,
Misgave him; he the faltering measure felt;
And forth to meet her went the way she took
That morn, when first they parted: by the tree
Of knowledge he must pass; there he her met,
Scarce from the tree returning: in her hand
A bough of fairest fruit, that downy smiled,
New gather'd, and ambrosial smell diffused.
To him she hasted; in her face excuse
Came prologue, and apology to prompt;
Which, with bland words at will, she thus address'd.
"Hast thou not wonder'd, Adam, at my stay?
Thee I have miss'd, & thought it long, deprived
Thy presence; agony of love till now
Not felt, nor shall be twice; for never more
Mean I to try, what, rash, untried I sought,
The pain of absence from thy sight. But strange
Hath been the cause, and wonderful to hear :
This tree is not, as we are told, a tree
Of danger, tasted, nor to evil unknown
Opening the way; but of divine effect,
To open eyes, and make them gods who taste;
And hath been tasted such: the serpent, wise,
Or not restrain'd as we, or not obeying,
Hath eaten of the fruit; and is become
Not dead, as we are threaten'd, but henceforth
Endued with human voice, and human sense,
Reasoning to admiration; and with me.
Persuasively hath so prevailed, that I
Have also tasted, and have also found
The effects to correspond; opener mine eyes,
Dim erst, dilated spirits, ampler heart,
And growing up to godhead; which for thee
Chiefly I sought, without thee, can despise.
For bliss, as thou hast part, to me is bliss,
Tedious, unshared with thee, and odious soon.
Thou therefore also taste, that equal lot
May join us, equal joy, as equal love;
Lest thou, not tasting, different degree
Disjoin us, and I then, too late, renounce
Deity for thee, when fate will not permit."
Thus Eve with countenance blithe, her story told;
But in her cheek distemper, flushing, glow'd
On the other side, Adam, soon as he heard
The fatal trespass done by Eve, amazed,
Astonied stood and blank, while horror chill
Ran through his veins, and all his joints relax'd;
From his slack hand the garland, wreath'd for Eve
Down dropt, and all the faded roses shed:
Speechless he stood, and pale, till thus at length,
First to himself, he inward silence broke:
"O fairest of creation! last and best
Of all God's works! creature in whom excell'd
Whatever can to sight, or thought, be form'd,
Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet!
How art thou lost, how on a sudden lost,
Defaced, deflowered, & now to death devote?
Rather, how hast thou yielded to transgress
The strict forbiddance, how to violate
The sacred fruit forbidden? some cursed fraud
Of enemy hath beguiled thee, yet unknown,
And me, with thee, hath ruin'd; for with thee
Certain my resolution is to die:
How can I live without thee, how forego
Thy sweet converse and love, so dearly join'd,
To live again in these wild woods forlorn?
Should God create another Eve, and I
Another rib afford, yet loss of thee
Would never from my heart; no, no, I feel
The link of nature draw me: flesh of flesh,
Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state
Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe."
So having said, as one from sad dismay
Re-comforted, and, after thoughts disturb'd,
Submitting to what seem'd remediless,
Thus, in calm mood, his words to Eve he turn'd.
"Bold deed thou hast presumed, adventurous Eve,
And peril great provoked, who thus hath dared,
Had it been only coveting to eye
That sacred fruit, sacred to abstinence,
Much more to taste it under ban to touch.
But past, who can recal, or done, undo;
Not God omnipotent, nor Fate; yet so
Perhaps thou shalt not die; perhaps the fact
Is not so heinous now; foretasted fruit,
Profaned first by the serpent, by him first
Made common and unhallow'd, ere our taste;
Nor yet on him found deadly, he yet lives,
Lives, as thou said'st, and gains to live as man,
Higher degree of life, inducement strong
To us, as likely, tasting, to attain
Proportional ascent; which cannot be
But to be gods, or angels demi-gods.
Nor can I think that God, Creator wise,
Though threatening, will in earnest so destroy
Us his prime creatures, dignified so high,
Set over all his works, which in our fall,
For us created, needs with us must fail,
Dependant made; so God shall uncreate,
Be frustrate, do, undo, and labour lose,
Not well conceived of God; who, tho' his power
Creation could repeat, yet would be loth
Us to abolish; lest the Adversary
Triumph, and say, 'Fickle their state whom God
Most favours; who can please him long? me first
He ruin'd; now mankind; whom will he next?'
Matter of scorn, not to be given the foe.
However, I with thee have fix'd my lot,
Certain to undergo like doom; if death
Consort with thee, death is to me as life;
So forcible, within my heart, I feel
The bond of nature draw me to my own,
My own in thee, for what thou art is mine:
Our state cannot be sever'd; we are one,
One flesh; to lose thee, were to lose myself."
So Adam, and thus Eve to him replied.
"O glorious trial of exceeding love,
Illustrious evidence, example high!
Engaging me to emulate; but short
Of thy perfection, how shall I attain,
Adam? from whose dear side I boast me sprung,
And gladly of our union hear thee speak,
One heart, one soul in both; whereof good proof
This day affords, declaring thee resolved,
Rather than death, or aught than death more dread,
Shall separate us, link'd in love so dear,
To undergo with me, one guilt, one crime,
If any be, of tasting this fair fruit;
Whose virtue, for of good still good proceeds,
Direct, or by occasion, hath presented
This happy trial of thy love; which else
So eminently never had been known.
Were it I thought death menac'd would ensue
This my attempt, I would sustain alone
The worst, and not persuade thee; rather die
Deserted, than oblige thee, with a fact
Pernicious to thy peace, chiefly assured
Remarkably so late, of thy so true,
So faithful love, unequall'd; but I feel
Far otherwise the event; not death, but life
Augmented, open'd eyes, new hopes, new joys;
Taste so divine, that what of sweet before
Hath touch'd my sense, flat seems to this, & harsh.
On my experience, Adam, freely taste,
And fear of death deliver to the winds."
So saying, she embrac'd him, and for joy
Tenderly wept, much won that he his love
Had so ennobled, as of choice to incur
Divine displeasure for her sake, or death.
In recompense, for such compliance bad
Such recompense best merits, from the bough
She gave him of that fair enticing fruit,
With liberal hand. He scrupled not to eat,
Against his better knowledge; not deceived,
But fondly overcome with female charm.
Earth trembled from her entrails, as again
In pangs, and nature gave a second groan;
Sky lower'd, & muttering thunder, some sad drops.
Wept at completing of the mortal sin
Original; while Adam took no thought,
Eating his fill; nor Eve to iterate
Her former trespass fear'd, the more to soothe
Him with her loved society, that now,
As with new wine intoxicated both,
They swim in mirth, and fancy that they feel
Divinity within them, breeding wings
Wherewith to scorn the earth: but that false fruit
Far other operation first displayed,
Carnal desire inflaming; he on Eve
Began to cast lascivious eyes, she him
As wantonly repaid; in lust they burn:
Till Adam thus 'gan Eve to dalliance move.
"Eve, now I see thou art exact of taste,
And elegant, of sapience no small part,
Since to each meaning savour we apply,
And palate call'd judicious; I the praise
Yield thee, so well, this day, thou hast purvey'd.
Much pleasure we have lost, while we abstain'd
From this delightful fruit, nor known, till now,
True relish, tasting; if such pleasure be
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