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Speech intermitted thus to Eve renew'd:

Would thou hadst hearken'd to my words, and ftay'd With me, as I befought thee, when that ftrange 1135 Defire of wand'ring this unhappy morn,

I know not whence poffefs'd thee: we had then
Remain'd ftill happy; not as now, defpoil'd
Of all our good, fham'd, naked, miferable.

Let none henceforth feek needlefs caufe to' approve 1140
The faith they owe; when earneftly they seek
Such proof, conclude, they then begin to fail.

To whom foon mov'd with touch of blame thus Eve:
What words have pafs'd thy lips, Adam fevere!
Imput'ft thou that to my default, or will

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Of wand'ring, as thou call'ft it, which who knows
But might as ill have happen'd thou being by,'
Or to thyself perhaps? Hadft thou been there,
Or here th' attempt, thou couldft not have difcern'd
Fraud in the ferpent, fpeaking as he spake;
No ground of enmity between us known,
Why he should mean me ill, or feek to harm.
Was I to' have never parted from thy fide?
As good have grown there still a lifeless rib.
Being as I am, why didft not thou the head
Command me abfolutely not to go,
Going into fuch danger as thou faidft?
Too facile then thou didst not much gainfay,
Nay didt permit, approve, and fair difmifs.
Hadft thou been firm and fix'd in thy diffent,
Neither had I tranfgrefs'd, nor thou with me.
To whom then firft incens'd Adam reply'd :
Is this the love, is this the recompence
Of mine to thee, ingrateful Eve, express'd
Immutable, when thou wert loft, not I;
Who might have liv'd, and 'joy'd immortal blifs,
Yet willingly chose rather death with thee?

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And am I now upbraided as the cause

Of thy tranfgreffing? not enough severe,

It seems, in thy restraint: what could I more?
I warn'd thee, I admonish'd thee, foretold
The danger, and the lurking enemy

That lay in wait; beyond this had been force,
And force upon free-will hath here no place.
But confidence then bore thee on, fecure
Either to meet no danger, or to find

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Matter of glorious trial: and perhaps

I alfo erred in overmuch admiring

What feem'd in thee fo perfect, that 1 thought
No evil durft attempt thee; but I rue

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That error now, which is become my crime,

And thou th' accufer. Thus it shall befal

Him who to worth in women overtrufting,

Lets her will rule: reftraint she will not brook;
And left to' herself, if evil thence enfue,

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She firft his weak indulgence will accufe..
Thus they in mutual accufation spent

The fruitless hours, but neither felf-condemning;
And of their vain conteft appear'd no end.

End of Book NINTH.

PARADISE LOST.

BOOK THE TENTH.

The ARGUMENT of Book X.

MAN's tranfgreffion known, the guardian angels forfake Paradife, and return up to heaven to approve their vigilance; and are approved, God declaring, that the entrance of Satan could not be by them prevented. He fends his Son to judge the tranfgreffors; who defcends, and gives fentence accordingly: then in pity clothes them both, and reafcends. Sin and Death, fitting till then at the gates of hell, by wondrous fympathy feeling the fuccefs of Satan in this new world, and the fin by man there committed, refolve to fit no longer confined in hell, but to follow Satan their fire up to the place of man: to make the way eafier from hell to this world, to and fro, they pave a broad highway or bridge over Chaos, according to the track that Satan firft made; then preparing for earth, they meet him, proud of his fuccefs, returning to hell; their mutual gratulation. Satan arrives at Pandemonium; in full affembly relates with boasting his fuccefs againft man; inftead of applaufe, is entertained with a general bifs by all his audience, transformed with himfelf alfo fuddenly into ferpents, according to his doom given in Paradife; then deluded with a fhow of the forbidden tree fpringing up before them, they, greedily reaching to take of the fruit, chew duft and bitter afher. The proceedings of Sin and Death: God foretels the final victory of his Son over them, and the renewing of all things; but for the prefent commands his angels to make feveral alterations in the heavens and elements. Adam, more and more perceiving his fallen condition, heavily bewails: rejects the condolement of Eve; fhe perfifts, and at length appeafes him: then, to evade the curfe likely to fall on their offspring, proposes to Adam violent ways, which he approves not; but, conceiving better hope, puts her in mind of the late promise made them, that her feed fhould be revenged on the ferpent, and exhorts her with him to feek peace of the offended Deity,. by repentance and fupplication.

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