Seems wifeft, virtuouseft, discreeteit, belt;

550 All higher knowledge in her presence falls Degraded; wisdom in discourse with her Loses discount'nance’d, and like folly ihows; Authority and reason on her wait, As one intended first, not after made

555 Occasionally; and to consummate all, Greatness of mind, and nobleness, their seat Build in the loveliest, and create an awe About her, as a guard angelic place’d.

To whom the angel, with contracted brow. 5.60 Accuse not nature, she hath done her part; Do thou but thine ; and be not diffident Of Wisdom; she deserts thee not, if thou Dismiss not her, when most thou need'st her nigh, By attributing overmuch to things

565 Less excellent, as thou thyself perceiv'st. For what admir'st thou, what transports thee fo, An outside ? fair no doubt, and worthy well Thy cherishing, thy honouring, and thy love, Not thy subjection. Weigh with her thyself; 570 Then value: ofttimes nothing profits more Than self esteem, grounded on just and right Well manage’d; of that skill the more thou know'st, The more she will acknowledge thee her head, And to realities yield all her shows :

575 Made so adorn for thy delight the more, So awful, that with honour thou mayst love Thy mate, who sees when thou art seen least wise. But if the sense of touch whereby mankind Is propagated seem such dear delight Beyond all other,' think the same vouchfafa To cattle and each beast; which would not be To them made common, and divulge’d, if aught Therein enjoy'd were worthy to subdue

The foul of man, or passion in him move, 585
What high'er in her fociety thou find'ft
Attractive, human, rational, love still ;
In loving thou dost well, in paflion not ;
'Wherein true love confifts not : love refines
The thoughts, and heart enlarges; hath his feat 590
In reas’on, and is judicious ; is the scale
By which to heavenly love thou mayst afcend;
Not sunk in carnal pleasure ; for which cause
Among the beasts no mate for thee was found.

To whom thus half abash'd Adam reply'd. 595
Neither her outside form’d so fair, nor aught
In procreation common to all kinds
(Though higher of the genial bed by far,
And with mysterious reverence I deem),
So much delights me, as those graceful acts, 600
Those thousand decencies that daily flow
From all her words and actions mix'd with love
And sweet compliance, which declare unfeign'd
Union of mind, or in us both one foul;
Harmony to behold in wedded pair

603 More grateful than harmonious found to th' ear. Yet these subject not : I to thee disclose What inward thence I feel ; not therefore foild, Who meet with various objects, from the sense Variously representing ; yet ftill free

610 Approve the best, and follow what I approve. To love thou blam'st me not; for love thou say'st Leads up to heaven, is both the way and guide : Bear with me then, if lawful what I ask ; Love not the heavenly spi'rits, and how their love 615 Express they, by looks only', or do they mix Irradiance, virtual or immediate touch ?

To whom the angel, with a smile that glow'd Celestial rosy red, love's proper hue, Answer'd, Let it fuffice thee that thou know'A 620

Us happy', and without love no happiness.
Whatever pure thou in thy body' enjoy'ít,
(And pure thou wert created), we enjoy.
In eminence, and obstacle find none
Of membrane, joint, or limb, exclusive bars ;

625
Eafier than air with air, if spi'rits embrace,
Total they mix, union of pure with pure
Defiring; nor reftrain'd conveyance need,
As flesh to mix with flesh, or soul with foul.
But I can now no more; the parting sun 630
Beyond the earth's green cape and verdant isles
Hesperian sets, my signal to depart.
Be Itrong, live happy', and love; but first of all
Him whom to love is to obey, and keep
His great command ; take heed left paflion sway 635
Thy judgement to do aught, which else free will
Would not admit; thine, and of all thy fons,
The weal or woe in thee is place’d.; beware.
I in thy perfevering shall rejoice,
And all the bless'd : stand fast; to stand or fall

640 Free in thine own arbitrement it lies. Perfect within, no outward aid require ; And all temptation to transgress repel.

So saying, he arose ; whom Adam thus
Follow'd with benediction. Since to part, 645
Go heavenly guest, ethereal messenger,
Sent from whose fov’reign goodness I adore.
Gentle to me, and affable, hath been
Thy condescension, and shall be honour'd ever
With grateful memory: thou to mankind - 650
Be good and friendly still, and oft return.

So parted they ; the angel up to heaven
From the thick shade, and Adam to his bower.

End of the EIGHTH Book,

ARGUMENT of Book IX.

Satan having compaffed the earth, with meditated guile

returns as a mift by night into Paradise, and enters into the serpent fleeping. Adam and Eve in the morning go forth to their labours; which-Eve proposes to divide in several places, cach labouring apart : Adam confents sot, alleging the danger, left that enemy, of whom they were forewarned, should attempt her, found alone : Eve, loath to be thought not circumspect or farm enough, urges her going apart, the rather desirous to make trial of her strength; Adam at last yields.

The ferpent finds her alone; his fübtle approach, first gazing, then: speaking, with much flattery extolling Evé 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 ferpent answers, that by tasting of a certain tree in the garden he attained both to speech and reafon, 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 www grown bolder, with many wiles and arguments induces ber at length to eat; me, pleased with the taste, deliberates a while whether to impart tbereaf to Adam, or not; at laf brings him of the fruit, relates what per. suaded her to eat thereof : Adam at first amazed, but perceiving her loft, refolves through vehemence of love 'to perish with her; and extenuating the trespass, eats also of the fruit : the effeEts thereof in them both: they seek to cover their nakedness; then fall to variance, and Arculation of one another.