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Thy love, the fole contentment of my heart

Living or dying, from thee I will not hide

What thoughts in my unquiet breaft are risen, 975 "ending to fome relief of our extremes,

r end, though fharp and fad, yet tolerable,

s in our evils, and of eafier choice.

care of our descent perplex us most,

Which must be born to certain woe, devour'd 980 y Death at last; and miserable it is

"o be to others cause of mifery,

ur own begott'en, and of our loins to bring to this curfed world a woful race,

hat after wretched life must be at laft

985

ood for fo foul a monfter; in thy power

lies, yet ere conception to prevent

The race unbleft, to bei'ng yet unbegot. hildless thou art, childless remain: fo Death

978. As in our evils,] That is nfidering the excess of evil to ich we are reduc'd; an elegant atin ufe of the word As. Cic. Epift. m. IV. 9. Nam adhuc, et factum um probatur, et, ut in tali re, etiam tuna laudatur XII. 2. Non nihil, in tantis malis, eft profectum, that confidering our ill fituation.

Richardfon.

Shall

989. Childless thou art, childless re

main:] It is a ftrange mistake in fome editions, and especially in Milton's own, where this imperfect verse is printed as a whole verfe, and the words fo Death wanting to complete the line are added to the next line, which is thereby made as much too long as this is too short. So Death fhall be deceiv'd his glut, and with us two. 1004. and

999

Shall be deceiv'd his glut, and with us two
Be forc'd to fatisfy his ravenous maw.
But if thou judge it hard and difficult,
Converfing, looking, loving, to abstain
From love's due rites, nuptial embraces sweet,
And with defire to languish without hope,
Before the present object languishing

With like defire, which would be mifery

And torment lefs than none of what we dread;
Then both ourselves and feed at once to free
From what we fear for both, let us make fhort,
Let us feek Death, or he not found, fupply
With our own hands his office on ourselves:

995

1001

Why stand we longer fhivering under fears,
That show no end but death, and have the power,
Of many ways to die the shortest choofing,
Deftruction with destruction to destroy?

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1005

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She ended here, or vehement despair

Broke off the reft; fo much of death her thoughts
Had entertain'd, as dy'd her cheeks with pale.
But Adam with such counsel nothing fway'd, 101Q
To better hopes his more attentive mind

Lab'ring had rais'd, and thus to Eve reply'd.
Eve, thy contempt of life and pleasure seems
To argue in thee something more fublime

And excellent than what thy mind contemns; 1015
But self-destruction therefore fought, refutes
That excellence thought in thee, and implies,
Not thy contempt, but anguish and regret
For lofs of life and pleasure overlov'd.

Or if thou covet death, as utmost end
Of mifery, fo thinking to evade

The penalty pronounc'd, doubt not but God
Hath wifelier arm'd his vengeful ire than so

better sense and grammar than can
be with any other punctuation.

1007. She ended bere
-fo much of death her thoughts
Had entertain'd, as dy'd her cheeks
with pale.] Virg. Æn. IV.

499.

Hæc effata filet: pallor fimul oc-
cupat ora.
Jortin.
VOL. II.

1020

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To be foreftall'd; much more I fear left death

So fnatch'd will not exempt us from the pain 102;
We are by doom to pay; rather fuch acts
Of contumacy will provoke the Highest
To make death in us live: Then let us feek
Some fafer refolution, which methinks
I have in view, calling to mind with heed
Part of our sentence, that thy feed shall bruise
The Serpent's head; piteous amends, unless

Be meant, whom I conjecture, our grand foe

Satan, who in the ferpent hath contriv'd

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Against us this deceit: to crush his head

Would be revenge indeed; which will be loft
By death brought on ourselves, or childless days
Refolv'd as thou propofeft; fo our foe
Shall 'fcape his punishment ordain'd, and we
Instead fhall double ours upon our heads.

No more be mention'd then of violence

1030

1035

1040

Against ourselves, and wilful barrenness,

That

calling to mind with heed their fen- poetry: it might not be fo trite and tence, as it is ver. 1030.

vulgar formerly; for Fairfax like

1024. To be foreftall'd;] This' wife ufes it in his Jerufalem, Cunt. word appears too low for heroic 15. St. 47.

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That cuts us off from hope, and favors only
Rancor and pride, impatience and despite,
Reluctance against God and his juft yoke

1045

aid on our necks. Remember with what mild And gracious temper he both heard and judg'd Without wrath or reviling; we expected

mmediate diffolution, which we thought

Vas meant by death that day, when lo, to thee 1050
ains only in child-bearing were foretold,
And bringing forth, foon recompens'd with joy,
Fruit of thy womb: on me the curse aflope
Glanc'd on the ground; with labor I must earn
My bread; what harm? Idleness had been worse;

My labor will fuftain me; and left cold

1056

Or heat should injure us, his timely care

Hath unbesought provided, and his hands
Cloth'd us unworthy, pitying while he judg'd;
How much more, if we pray him, will his ear 1060
le open, and his heart to pity' incline,

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