En noftras dotes & aviti culmen honoris
Invafere induta novas Animalia formas
Altera; Terrigenæ forfan, neque enim ætheris alti
Sunt genus; at gente æthereâ vix luce minores.
Ut toto attonitus demiror pectore! Amori
Vix etiam abftineo; tam viva ardescit in ipfis
Forma DEI; penitufque omnes diffusa per artus
Arte Creatoris pulcherrima Gratia ridet.
Ah corda innocua, & venientis nescia fati,
Quæque vices rerum, & qualis fortuna propinquat!
Hæ citò deliciæ fugient, seriesque fubibit
Curarum; crefcetque Dolor, feu Gaudia crefcunt:
Magna fatis, fugitiva at Gaudia; fulgida cœli
Templa quidem, fed templa parum munita tenetis.
Hoftis amarus adeft, finefque invadit amœnos
Fortior; at neque vos odiis hoftilibus urget.
Quam vellem heu veftras ultro, immiserabilis ipse,
Fortunas mifereri! Hinc longo fœdere jungi
Into our room of bliss thus high advanc'd
Creatures of other mould; earth-born perhaps,
Not Spirits; yet to heav'nly Spirits bright
Little inferior; whom my thoughts pursue
With wonder, and could love: fo lively shines
In them Divine Refemblance, and fuch grace
The hand that form'd 'em on their fhape hath
pour'd.
Ah gentle pair! ye little think how nigh
Your change approaches; when all these delights
Will vanish, and deliver ye to woe;
More woe, the more your tafte is now of joy:
Happy; but for fo happy ill fecur'd
Long to continue; and this high seat your Heav'n,
Ill fenc'd for Heav'n, to keep out such a foe
As now is enter'd: yet no purpos'd foe
To You, whom I could pity thus forlorn,
Though I unpitied. League with you I feek,
Vobifcum eft animus: fociis nos fedibus unà,
Communi fub lege, æterno habitabimus ævo.
Noftra domus forfan minus hoc jucunda receffu est,
Efto, nec impellet tantâ dulcedine fenfus:
At capite, at læti fuccedite; condidit illam
Idem Opifex, ultroque mihi dedit.
En Ego vobis
Sponte dabo: Hofpitibus tantis referabitur omnis
Janua, collectofque effundent Tartara reges.
Magna ibi, non qualis claufos nunc arcta coercet,
Fundetur regio imperiis, natofque frequentes
Excipiet: fuerit fi forte inamœnior, Illum
Arguite, huc me odiis qui compulit; Illius ergô
Vos fequor immeritos haud fponte ultricibus iris.
Quin veftrum innocuis devictus moribus ultrò
Mollescam, ni dulcis Honos, ni publica Caufa,
Vindictæque Amor, atque augendi Gloria regni
Orbe novo, stimulent animos, infandaque cogant
Invitum moliri, aliter quæ pectore toto
And mutual amity, fo ftrait, fo close,
That I with you muft dwell, or you with me
Henceforth. My Dwelling haply may not please,
Like this fair Paradife, your sense; yet fuch
Accept, your Maker's work; He gave it me,
Which I as freely give. Hell fhall unfold,
To entertain you two, her widest Gates,
(Not like thefe narrow limits,) to receive
Your numerous offspring: If no better place,
Thank Him, who puts me loath to this revenge
On you, who wrong me not, for Him who wrong'd,
And should I at your harmless innocence
Melt, as I do, yet public Reason juft,
Honour, and Empire with Revenge enlarg'd
And send forth all her Kings. There will be room By conqu'ring this new World, compels me now
Ipfe etiam horruerim, diri damnatus Averni.
Sic Satanas fœdum fpecie prætexit inani
Flagitium, fatum fimulans fævumque Neceffe,
More tyrannorum folito: deinde arboris altæ
Defilit aeriâ præceps ftatione procaces
Quadrupedum in turmas, Huic affimilatus & Illi,
Ut libet; & varias formas, varia induit ora,
Explorans fiquâ celatus imagine prædam
Cerneret interiùs, morefque habitusque notando,
Quænam illis data fors, & quæ Natura, videret.
Jamque Leo incedit lento circum undique passu
Flammantes volvens oculos; nunc Tigrida torvam
Mentitur, geminos vidit quæ valle reductâ
Cervorum in tenero ludentes gramine fœtus:
Jam terram contracta fovet; jam deinde refurgens
Permutat fedem, fpeculamque huc fubdola & illuc
Sæpe movet, graviore ictu quo certius unguem
Exerat, atque ambos pedibus fimul auferat uncis.
To do, what else, though damn'd, I fhould abhor.
So fpake the Fiend, and with Neceffity,
The Tyrant's plea, excus'd his devilish deeds.
Then from his lofty stand on that high Tree
Down he alights, among the fportful Herd
Of thofe four-footed kinds; himself now one,
Now other, as their shape best serv'd his end
Nearer to view his prey, and unespy'd
To mark what of their state he more might learn,
By word or action mark'd. About them round
A Lion now he ftalks with fiery Glare ;
Then as a Tiger, who by chance hath spy'd
In fome purlieu two gentle Fawns at play,
Strait couches close, then rifing changes oft
His couchant watch, as one who chose his ground,
Whence rushing he might fureft feize them both,
Ecce autem attentâ totus convertitur aure
Perculfus mirâ Satanas novitate loquelæ,
Dum princeps Hominum Adamus primam ordinis Evam
Fœminei affatur, funditque has pectore voces:
Has ô delicias quæ dividis unica mecum,
Divifafque auges eadem, ô fuprema mariti
Gaudia; Qui nutu excelfo nos finxit, & istas
Conceffit facilis fedes dulcefque receffus,
Quanta Patris, quàm immenfa, fuî quàm prodiga Virtus!
Extulit ille luto è vili, loca læta colenda
Immeritis etiam indulfit; nihil indigus Ille
Noftræ opis, hæc ultro tribuit; folamque benignus
Dat legem, folum obfequii vult pignus, ut omni
Ex gente arboreâ fola illibata fit Arbos,
Per quam Scire datur, Vitali proxima Plantæ :
Ufque adeo Vitam Mortis vicinia tangit.
Sed Mors ifta quid eft? Res certè horrenda, severâ
Indixit quam voce DEUS (meminiffe neceffe eft
Grip'd in each paw. When Adam first of men
To first of women Eve thus moving speech,
Turn'd him all ear to hear new utterance flow.
Sole partner, and fole part of all these joys,
Dearer thy felf than all; needs must the Pow'r
That made us, and for us this ample World,
Be infinitely good, and of his good
As liberal and free, as infinite;
That rais'd us from the duft, and plac'd us here
In all this happiness, who at his hand
Have nothing merited, nor can perform
Ought whereof He hath need; He who requires
From us no other fervice than to keep
This one, this eafie Charge; of all the Trees
In Paradife that bear delicious fruit
So various, not to taste that only Tree
Of Knowledge, planted by the Tree of Life.
So near grows Death to Life, whate'er Death is;
Some dreadful thing no doubt: for well thou know'ft,
GOD hath pronounc'd it death to taste that Tree,
Heu nimiùm) vetitos audenti carpere fructus.
Obfequii hæc nobis Lex unica, figna tot inter
Imperii, quod nos latè fuper omnia, vastum
Quæ pelagus terrafque colunt, quæque aeris auras,
Evehit. Ergo unâ cohiberi lege dolebit
Tam facili, quibus uberior conceffa facultas
Cætera carpendi paffim, tot gaudia plenis
Luxuriant rivis? Quin jugi laude Parentem
Munificum canimus? Quin penfa revisimus ultro
Dulcia? Quin colimus flores plantafque putamus?
Si Labor hoc fuerit, Tecum Labor ipfe Voluptas.
Tum Sic Eva refert: O cui focianda marito,
Aufpice quo vitam accepi, Te carne lubenter
Sufficiente tuâ carnem mihi; Quo fine fruftra
Spirarem; Te læta colo Regemque Ducemque.
Certè digna mones: Olli nos folvere laudem
Affiduam, æternique decet vectigal honoris;
At Me apprimè decet, tantò, Te Conjuge, forte
The only fign of our obedience left,
Among fo many figns of pow'r and rule
Conferr'd upon us, and Dominion giv'n
Over all other Creatures that poffefs
Earth, Air, and Sea. Then let us not think hard
One eafie prohibition, who enjoy
Free leave fo large to all things elfe, and choice
Unlimited of manifold delights:
But let us ever praise Him, and extoll
His Bounty, following our delightful task
To prune thefe growing Plants, and tend thefe
Which were it toilfome, yet with Thee were fweet.
To whom thus Eve reply'd: O thou for whom
And from whom I was form'd, flesh of thy flesh,
And without whom am to no end; my Guide,
And Head: what thou haft faid is juft, and right.
For we to Him indeed all praises owe,
And daily thanks; I chiefly, who enjoy
So far the happier Lot, enjoying Thee
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