Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, myself
Before me: woman is her name, of man
Extracted; for this cause he shall forego
Father and mother, and to his wife adhere;
And they shall be one flesh, one heart, one soul.

She heard me thus : and though divinely brought,
Yet innocence and virgin modesty,
Her virtue and the conscience of her worth,
That would be woo'd, and not unsought be won,
Not obvious, not obtrusive, but retir'd,
The more desirable, or to say all,
Nature herself, though pure of sinful thought,
Wrought in her so, that seeing me, she turn'd;
I follow'd her: she what was honour knew,
And with obsequious majesty approy'd
My pleaded reason. To the nuptial bow'r
I led her blushing like the morn: all heav'n,
And happy constellations on that hour
Shed their selectest influence; the earth
Gave signs of gratulation, and each hills
Joyous the birds; fresh gales and gentle airs
Whisper'd it to the woods, and from their wings
Flung rose, flung odours from the spicy shrub,
Disporting till the amorous bird of night
Sung spousal, and bid haste the evening star
On his hill-top, to light the bridal lamp.

Thus have I told thee all my state, and brought My story to the sum of earthly bliss Which I enjoy, and must confess to find In all things else delight indeed, but such . As us'd or not, works in the mind no change, No vehement desire; these delicacies I mean of taste, sight, smell, herbs, fruits, and flow'rs Walks, and the melody of birds: but here Far otherwise, transported I behold, Transported touch; her passion first I felt; Commotion strange, in all enjoyments else Superior and unmov'd, here only weak Against the charm of beauty's pow'rful glance. Or nature fail'd in me, and left some part

Not proof enough such object to sustain:
Or from my side subducting, took perhaps
More than enough; at least on her bestow'd
Too much of ornament, in outward show
Elaborate, of inward less exact.
For well I understand in the prime end
Of nature her th'inferior; in the mind
And inward faculties, which most excel;
In outward also her resembling less
His image who made both, and less expressing
The character of that dominion giv'n
O'er other creatures: yet when I approach
Her loveliness, so absolute she seems,
And in herself complete, so well to know
Her own, that what she wills to do or say,
Seems wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best;
All higher knowledge in her presence falls
Degraded, wisdom in discourse with her
Loses discountnanc'd, and like folly shows;
Authority and reason on her wait,
As one intended first, not after made
Occasionally; and to consummate all,
Greatness of mind and nobleness their seat
Build in her loveliest, and create an awe
About her, as a guard angelic plac'd.

To whom the Angel, with contracted brow:
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 overinuch to things
Less excellent, as thou thyself perceiv'st.
For what admir'st thou, what transports thee so?
An outside; fair, no doubt, and worthy well
Thy cherishing, thy honouring, and thy love,
Not thy subjection. Weigh her with thyself ;
Then value: oft-times nothing profits more
Than self-esteem, grounded on just and right
Well manag'd; of that skill the more thou know'sts
The more she will acknowledge thee her head,

And to realities yield all her shows:
Made to adorn for thy delight the more,
So awful, that with honour thou may'st 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 vouchsaf'd
To cattle and each beast; which would not be
To them made common and divulgd, if ought
Therein enjoy'd were worthy to subdue
The soul of man, or passion in hin move.
What higher in her society thou find'st
Attractive, human, rational, love still;
In loving thou dost well, in passion not;
Wherein true love consists not; love retines
The thoughts, and heart enlarges; hath his seat
In reason, and is judicious; is the scale
By which to heavinly love thou may'st ascend;
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:
Neither her outside form'd so fair, nor ought
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,
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 soul;
Harmony to behold in wedded pair.

nious sound to th'ear. Yet these subject not: I to thee disclose What inward thence I feel; not therefore foil'd, -Who meet with various objects, from the sense Variously representing ; yet still free Approve the best, and follow what I approve. To love thou blain'st me not; for love, thou say'st, Leads up to heav'n, is both the way and guide: Bear with me then, if lawful what I ask;

Love not the heav'nly sp’rits, and how their love Express they, by looks only, or do they mix Irradiance, virtual or inmediate touch?

To whom the Angel, with a smile that glow'd Celestial rosy red, love's proper hue, Answer'd: Let it suffice thee that thou know'st Us happy, and without love no lrappiness. Whatever pure thou in the body enjoy’st, (And pure thou wert created), we enjoy In eminence, and obstacle find none Of membrane, joint, or linb, exclusive bars; Easier than air with air, if spirits embrace, Total they mix, union of pure with pure Desiring; nor restrain'd conveyance need, As flesh to mix with flesh, or soul with soul. But I can now no more; the parting sun Beyond the earth's green cape and verdant isles Hesperian sets, my signal to depart. Be strong, live happy, and love; but first of all Him, whom to love is to obey, and keep His great command; take heed lest passion sway Thy judgment to do ought, which else free will Would not admit: thine, and of all thy sons, The weal or woe in thee is plac'd; beware. Lin thy persevering shall rejoice, And all the bless'd: stand fast; to stand or fall Tree 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, Go heav'nly guest, ethereal messenger, Sent from whose sov'reign goodness I adoro. Gentle to me, and aflable, hath been Thy condescension, and shall be honour'd ever With grateful memory: thou to mankind Be good and friendly still, and oft return.

So parted they; the Angel up to heav'n Froin the thick shade, and Adam to his bow'r.

Book the Pinth.

THE ARGUMENT. Satan having compassed the earth, with meditated

guile, returns, as a mist by night, into Paradise, and enters into the serpent sleeping. Adam and Eve in the morning goforth to their labours; which Eve proposes to divide in several places, each labour. ing apart: Adam consents not, alledging the danger, lest that enemy, of whom they were forewarned should attempt her found alone: Eve, loath to be thought not circumspect or firm enough, urges her going apart, the rather desirous to make trial of her strength; Adam at last yields. The serpent finds her alone ; his subtle approach, first gazing, then speaking, with much flattery extolling Eve 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 serpent answers, that by tasting of a certain tree in the garden, he attained both to speech and reason, 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, now grown bolder, with many wiles and arguments induces her at length to eat; she, pleased with the tasie, deliberates awhile whether to impart thereof to Adam or not; at last brings him of the fruit, relates what persuaded her to eat thereof. Adam, at first amazed, but perceiving her lost, resolves, through vehemence of love, to perish with her; and extenuating the-trespass, eats also of the fruit: The effects thereof in them both; they seek to cover their na. kedness; then fall to variance, and accusation of one another,