Their earthly charge. Of these the vigilance
I dread, and to elude, thus wrapt in mist
Of midnight vapour, glide obscure, and pry
In ev'ry bush and brake, where hap may find
The serpent sleeping, in whose mazy folds
To hide me, and the dark intent I bring.
O foul descent! that 1, who erst contended
With Gods to sit the high'st, am now constrain'd
Into a beast, and mix'd with bestial slime,
To basest things. Revenge, at first though sweet, Bitter ere long back on itself recoils.
Let it I reck not, so it light well aim'd,
Since higher I fall short, on him who next
Provokes my envy, this new fav'rite
Of Heav'n, this man of clay, son of despite,
Whom us the more to spite his Maker raised
From dust. Spite then with spite is best repaid.
So saying, through each thicket dank or dry, Like a black mist low creeping, he held on His midnight search, where soonest he might find The serpent: him fast sleeping soon he found, In labyrinth of many a round self-roll'd,
His head the midst, well stored with subtle wiles:
Nor yet in horrid shade or dismal den,
Nor nocent yet, but on the grassy herb
Fearless, unfear'd, he slept. In at his mouth
The devil enter'd, and his brutal sense,
In heart or head, possessing soon inspired
With act intelligential; but his sleep
Disturb'd not, waiting close th' approach of morn.
Now when as sacred light began to dawn
In Eden on the humid flow'rs, that breathed
173. The character of Satan is finely managed in this passage; the darkness of despair is made more dark by the loftiness of thought and the gleam of arch-angel grandeur still remaining. 186. Not nocent yet, in the first edition.
192. This is the morning of the ninth day. On the first Satan came to the earth; for seven he was voyaging round it, and is here represented as entering Paradise on the ninth.
193. Breath, like the Latin spiro.
Their morning incense, when all things that breathe,
From th' earth's great altar send up silent praise
To the Creator, and his nostrils fill
With grateful smell, forth came the human pair,
And join'd their vocal worship to the choir
Of creatures wanting voice: that done partake
The season, prime for sweetest sents and airs;
Then commune how that day they best may ply
Their growing work for much their work outgrew
The hands dispatch of two gard'ning so wide:
And Eve first to her husband thus began :
Adam, well may we labour still to dress
This garden, still to tend plant, herb, and flow'r,
Our pleasant task enjoin'd; but till more hands
Aid us, the work under our labour grows,
Luxurious by restraint; what we by day
Lop overgrown, or prune, or prop, or bind,
One night or two with wanton growth derides
Tending to wild. Thou therefore now advise,
Or hear what to my mind first thoughts present:
Let us divide our labours; thou where choice
Leads thee, or where most needs, whether to wind
The woodbine round this arbour, or direct
The clasping ivy where to climb; while I
In yonder spring of roses, intermix'd
With myrtle, find what to redress till noon:
For while so near each other thus all day
Our task we choose, what wonder if so near
Looks intervene and smiles, or object new
Casual discourse draw on, which intermits
Our day's work brought to little, though begun
Early, and th' hour of supper comes unearn'd.
To whom mild answer Adam thus return'd:
Sole Eve, associate sole; to me beyond
Compare above all living creatures dear,
Well hast thou motion'd, well thy thoughts employ'd How we might best fulfil the work which here 230 God hath assign'd us; nor of me shalt pass
200. Milton spells scent without the c, according to the
Italian Sentiendo.
213. Bear instead of hear, in some editions.
228. Compare for comparison; a verb converted into a noun as adjectives sometimes are.
Unpraised for nothing lovelier can be found
In woman, than to study household good,
And good works in her husband to promote.
Yet not so strictly hath our Lord imposed
Labour, as to debar us when we need
Refreshment, whether food, or talk between,
(Food of the mind) or this sweet intercourse
Of looks and smiles (for smiles from reason flow)
To brute deny'd, and are of love the food;
Love not the lowest end of human life.
For not to irksome toil, but to delight
He made us, and delight to reason join'd.
These paths and bow'rs doubt not but our joint hands
Will keep from wilderness with ease, as wide
As we need walk, till younger hands ere long
Assist us: but if much converse perhaps
Thee satiate, to short absence I could yield;
For solitude sometimes is best society,
And short retirement urges sweet return.
But other doubt possesses me, lest harm
Befall thee, severed from me; for thou know'st
What hath been warn'd us; what malicious foe,
Envying our happiness, and of his own
Despairing, seeks to work us woe and shame
By sly assault; and somewhere nigh at hand
Watches, no doubt, with greedy hope to find
His wish and best advantage, us asunder,
Hopeless to circumvent us join'd, where each
To other speedy aid might lend at need.
Whether his first design be to withdraw
Our fealty from God, or to disturb
Conjugal love, than which perhaps no bliss
Enjoy'd by us excites his envy more;
Or this, or worse, leave not the faithful side
That gave thee being, still shades thee, and protects.
The wife, where danger or dishonour lurks,
Safest and seemliest by her husband stays;
Who guards her, or with her the worst endures.
To whom the virgin majesty of Eve,
As one who loves, and some unkindness meets, With sweet austere composure thus reply'd: Offspring of Heav'n and Earth, and all Earth's That such an enemy we have, who seeks
Our ruin, both by thee inform'd I learn,
And from the parting Angel overheard,
As in a shady nook I stood behind,
Just then return'd at shut of ev'ning flow'rs.
But that thou should'st my firmness therefore doubt
To God or thee, because we have a foe
May tempt it, I expected not to hear.
His violence thou fear'st not, being such
As we, not capable of death or pain,
Can either not receive, or can repel.
His fraud is then thy fear; which plain infers
Thy equal fear that my firm faith and love
Can by his fraud be shaken or seduced?
Thoughts, which how found they harbour in thy
Adain, mis-thought of her to thee so dear?
To whom with healing words Adam reply'd: 290 Daughter of God and Man, immortal Eve,
For such thou art, from sin and blame entire:
Not diffident of thee do I dissuade
Thy absence from my sight, but to avoid
Th attempt itself, intended by our foe.
For he who tempts, though in vain, at least asperses
The tempted with dishonour foul, supposed
Not incorruptible of faith, not proof
Against temptation. Thou thyself with scorn
And anger would'st resent the offer'd wrong,
Though ineffectual found: misdeem not then,
If such affront I labour to avert
From thee alone, which on us both at once
The enemy, though bold, will hardly dare,
Or daring, first on me th' assault shall light.
Nor thou his malice and false guile contemn;
Subtle he needs must be who could seduce
Angels; nor think superfluous other's aid.
I from the influence of thy looks receive
Access in ev'ry virtue; in thy sight
More wise, more watchful, stronger, if need were
Of outward strength; while shame, thou looking on, Shame to be overcome or over-reach'd
Would utmost vigour raise, and raised unite.
Why should'st not thou like sense within thee feel
278. Nothing can be more beautifully natural than the hour of return being fixed by the closing of the flowers.
When I am present, and thy trial choose
With me, best witness of thy virtue try'd?
So spake domestic Adam, in his care
And matrimonial love: but Eve, who thought
Less attribúted to her faith sincere,
Thus her reply with accent sweet renew'd:
If this be our condition, thus to dwell
In narrow circuit straighten'd by a foe,
Subtle or violent, we not endued
Single with like defence, wherever met,
How are we happy, still in fear of harm?
But harm precedes not sin: only our foe
Tempting, affronts us with his foul esteem
Of our integrity: his foul esteem
Sticks no dishonour on our front, but turns
Foul on himself: then wherefore shunn'd or fear'd By us? who rather double honour gain
From his surmise proved false, find peace within,
Favour from Heav'n, our witness from th' event.
And what is faith, love, virtue unassay'd
Alone, without exterior help sustain'd?
Let us not then suspect our happy state
Left so imperfect by the Maker wise,
As not secure to single or combined.
Frail is our happiness, if this be so,
And Eden were no Eden thus exposed.
To whom thus Adam fervently reply'd:
O Woman, best are all things as the will
Of God ordain'd them; his creating hand
Nothing imperfect or deficient left
Of all that he created, much less Man,
Or aught that might his happy state secure,
Secure from outward force. Within himself
The danger lies, yet lies within his pow'r:
Against his will he can receive no harm.
But God left free the will; for what obeys
Reason is free, and reason he made right;
But bid her well be ware, and still erect,
Lest by some fair appearing good surprised,
She dictate false, and misinform the will
To do what God expressly hath forbid.
353. Be ware, two words ware being an adjective as well as rect.
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