Thee all things living gaze on, all things thine
By gift, and thy celeftial beauty' adore,
Where ravishment beheld, there best beheld
Where univerfally admir'd; but here
In this inclofure wild, these beats among,
Beholders rude, and shallow to difcern
Half what in thee is fair, one man except,"

A goddess among gods, ador'd and ferv'd

By angels numberlefs, thy daily train.

Who fees thee? (and what is one?) who thouldst be seen

So gloz'd the tempter, and his proem tun'd;
Into the heart of Eve his words made way,
Though at the voice much marvelling; at length
Not unamaz'd the thus in anfwer fpake.

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What may this mean? language of man pronounc'd By tongue of brute, and human fense express'd The first at leaft of thefe I thought deny'd

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To beafts, whom God on their creation day i
Created mute to all articulate found:

The latter I demur: for in their looks

Much reas'n, and in their actions, oft appears.
Thee, ferpent, fubtleft beast of all the field
I knew, but not with human voice endu’d;
Redouble then this miracle, and fay,

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How cam'it thou speakable of mute? and how

To me fo friendly grown above the reft

Of brutal kind, that daily are in fight?

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Say, for fuck wonder claims attention due.

Emprefs of this fair world, refplendent Eve,
Eafy it is to me to tell thee all

To whom the guileful tempter thus reply'd.

What thou command'st, and right thou should'st be obey'd.

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I was at first as other beafts that graze

The trodden herb, of abject thoughts and low
As was my food; nor ought but food discern'd
Or fex, and apprehended nothing high:
Till on a day roving the field, I chanc'd
A goodly tree far diftant to behold,
Loaden with fruit of fairest colours mix'd,
Ruddy and gold: Inearer drew to gaze;

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When from the boughs a favoury odour blown,
Grateful to appetite, more pleas'd my fenfe
Than fmell of fweeteft fenel, or the teats
Of ewe or goat dropping with milk at ev'n,
Unfuck'd of lanıb or kid, that tend their play.
To fatisfy the fharp defire I had
Of tafting thofe fair apples, I refolv'd
Not to defer; hunger and thirst at once,
Pow'rful perfuaders, quicken'd at the fcent
Of that alluring fruit, urg'd me fo keen,
About the molly trunk I wound me foon;
For high from ground the branches would require. 590
Thy utmost reach, or Adam's: round the tree
All other beats that faw, with like defire..
Longing and envying food, but could not reach.
Amid the tree now got, where plenty hung
Tempting fo nigh, to pluck and eat my fill
I fpar'd not; for fuch pleasure till that hour
At feed or fountain never had I found.
Sated at length, ere long I might perceive
Strange alteration in me, to degree
Of reafon in my inward pow'rs, and fpeech
Wanted not long, though to this fhape retain'd.
Thenceforth to fpeculations high or deep

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I turn'd my thoughts; and, with capacious mind, Confider'd all things visible in Heav'n,

Or Earth, or Middle, all things fair and good;

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But all that fair and good in thy divine

Semblance, and in thy beauty's heav'nly ray,
United I beheld; no fair to thine

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Equivalent or fecond, which compell'di
Me thus, though importune perhaps, to come
And gaze, and worship thee, of right declar'd cal
Sov'reign of creatures, univerfal dame.

So talk'd the spirited fly Snake; and Eve

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Yet more amaz'd unwary thus reply'd.
Serpent, thy overpraifing leaves in doubt.
The virtue of that fruit, in thee first prov'd;

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But fay, where grows the tree, from hence how far?
For many are the trees of Gov that grow
In Paradife, and various, yet unknown

To us: in fuch abundance lies our choice,
As leaves a greater store of fruit untouch'd,
Still hanging incorruptible, till men
Grow up to their provifion, and more hands
Help to disburden Nature of her birth.

To whom the wily adder, blithe and glad..
Emprefs, the way is ready, and not long;
Beyond a row of myrtles, on a flat,

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Faft by a fountain, one fmail thicket paft
Of blowing myrrh and balm: if thou accept
My conduct, I can bring thee thither foon.
Lead theu, faid Eve. He leading fwiftly roll'd
In angles, and made intricate feem ftraight,
To mifchief fwift. Hope elevates, and joy
Brightens his creft; as when a wand'ring fire,
Compact of unctuous vapour, which the night
Condenfes, and the cold environs round,
Kindled through agitation to a flame,
Which oft they fay, fome evil Spirit attends,
Hovering, and blazing with delufive light

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Misleads th' amaz'd night wand'rer from his way, 640
To bogs and mires, and oft through pond or pool,
There swallow'd up and loft, from fuccour far.
So glifter'd the dire Snake, and into fraud
Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the tree
Of prohibition, root of all our woe:

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Which when the faw, thus to her guide the fpake.
Serpent, we might have fpar'd our coming hither,
Fruitless to me, though fruit be here t' excefs;
The credit of whofe virtue reft with thee,
Wond'rous indeed, if caufe of fuch effects.
But of this tree we may not tafte nor touch;
GOD so commanded, and left that command
Sole daughter of his voice; the reft, we live
Law to ourselves, our reason is our law.

To whom the tempter guilefully reply'd.
Indeed hath God then faid that of the fruit

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Of all these garden-trees ye fhall not eat?

Yet lords declar'd of all in earth or air.

To whom thus Eve, yet finlefs. Of the fruit Of each tree in the garden we may cat;

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Your fear itself of death removes the fear. :
Why then was this forbid? Why but to awe,
Why but to keep ye low and ignorant,”
His worthippers? he knows, that in the day-
Ye eat thereof, your eyes that feem so clear,
Yet are but dim, fhall perfectly be then
Open'd and clear'd, and ye fhall be as gods,
Knowing both good and evil as they know.
That ye fhall be as gods, fince I as Man,
Internal man, is but proportion meet;
I of brute, human; ye of human, gods.
So ye fhall die perhaps, by putting off

Human, to put on gods; death to be wifh'd,

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Though threaten'd, which no worfe than this can bring.
And what are gods, that Man may not become
As they, participating god-like food?

The gods are firft, and that advantage ufe
On our belief, that all from them proceeds:
I question it; for this fair earth I fee,

Warm'd by the fun, producing every kind,
Them nothing if they all things, who inclos'd
Knowledge of good and evil in this tree, mi
That whofo eats thereof, forthwith attains

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Wifdom without their leave? and wherein lies 725 Th' offence, that man fhould thus attain to know? What can your knowledge hurt him, or this tree

Impart against his will, if all be his?

Or is it envy? and can envy dwell

In heav'nly breafts? thefe, thefe, and many more 730 Caufes, import your need of this fair fruit.

Goddefs human, reach then, and freely tafte....
He ended; and his words replete with guile
Into her heart too eafy entrance won:
Fix'd on the fruit fhe gaz'd, which to behold
Might tempt alone; and in her ears the found
Yet rung of his perfuafive words, impregn'd
With reafon, to her feeming, and with truth;
Mean while the hour of noon drew on, and wak'd

An eager appetite, rais'd by the smell

So favoury of that fruit, which with desire,
Inclinable now grown to touch and tafte,

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