Affultus conftanti animo fuperare potentem:
Infelix! neque enim novi, quàm vana niteres
Virtutis fpecie falsâ; quàmque improba costa,
Quàm curvata fores, naturæ errore labantis,
(Namque patet) deducta meî de parte finiftrâ.
O utinam hæc primo periiffet cofta fub ortu!
Heu quianam magni prudentia fumma Parentis,
Quæ cœlum aribus decrevit prima colendum,
Deinde novum hoc terris animal, labemque venustam
Naturæ, intulerit? quidni, velut ardua divûm
Sæcula, condiderit fexûs fimul unius omne
Humanum genus, aut alio generaverit ortu
Quolibet? hæc adeò abfuerat sæviffima peftis,
Quafque orbi innumeras funeftis fraudibus olim
Triftia fœminei parient commercia fexûs.
Rarò vir uxori pofthac fociabitur aptæ;
Sed qualem mala fors dederit, vel fævior error.
And understood not all was but a fhew,
Rather than folid virtue; all but a rib,
Crooked by nature, bent, as now appears,
More to the part finifter from me drawn ;
Well if thrown out, as fupernumerary
To my just number found! O! why did God,
Creator wife, that peopl'd higheft heav'n
With fpirits mafculine, create at last
This novelty on earth, this fair defect
Of nature? and not fill the world at once
With men as angels, without feminine?
Or find fome other way to generate
Mankind? this mischief had not then befall'n,
And more that fhall befal: innumerable
Disturbances on earth thro' female fnares,
And ftrait conjunction with this fex! for either
He never fhall find out fit mate; but fuch
As fome misfortune brings him or mistake:
Sæpe avidis, toto ardebit quam pectore, votis
Pugnantem inveniet; duri renuentve parentes,
Si virgo annuerit: rapietque indignior alter.
Aut quam prætulerit reliquis quacunque puellis,
Seriùs heu mæfto tabefcens corde videbit,
Ante viri propriam alterius; fors hoftis acerbi:
Torquebunt miferam furiis pudor iraque mentem.
Hinc mala millia provenient; hinc fœdera vitæ
Diffolventur amica, quiefque domestica cedet.
Nec plura his; feque indignans avertit at illa
Uberibus fupplex lacrimis, nec paffa repulsam,
Vexatos diffufa humeris fine lege capillos,
Procubuit, complexa pedes; genubusque prehensum
Implorans, tales fundebat pectore questus :
Ah ne me, conjux, ne defere! conscia testor
Sidera, te quanto fervens complectar amore,
Quo veneror ftudio. Funeftum errore finiftro
Admifi male cauta nefas: en fupplice voce
Or whom he wishes moft, fhall feldom gain
Thro' her perverfenefs; but shall fee her gain'd
By a far worse or if she love, with-held
By parents; or his happiest choice too late
Shall meet, already link'd, and wedlock-bound
To a fell adverfary, his hate or shame:
Which infinite calamity shall caufe
To human life, and houfhold peace confound.
He added not, and from her turn'd. But Eve,
VOL. II.
Not fo repuls'd, with tears that ceas'd not flowing,
And treffes all dif-order'd at his feet
Fell humble; and embracing them, befought
His peace, and thus proceeded in her plaint:
Forfake me not thus Adam! Witness heav'n
What love fincere, and reverence in my heart
I bear thee, and un-weeting have offended,
Unhappily deceiv'd. Thy fuppliant
I beg and clafp thy knees: bereave me not
Solli-
Sollicitans genua amplector: ne rebus in arctis
Confilii jucunda tui jam furripe durus
Munera; ne placidos vultus mihi furripe, folas
Delicias vitæ, & curarum dulce levamen.
O ubi, te viduata, ferar, quæ denique quæram
Auxilia? at faltem dum vivimus, (et brevis ævum
Fors hora abfolvet) pacem foveamus amicam.
Conjungant animi, quos fæva injuria junxit;
Et nobis decretum aftris crudelibus hoftem
Ambo infectemur focio fimul impete, dirum
Serpentem. Ne deinde tuis, ob tristia damna,
Exerceto odiis nimiâ me clade gravatam,
Me luctu oppreffam gemino: peccavimus ambo:
At folum tibi noxa Deum, mihi teque Deumque
Reddidit infenfos. Quin protinus ipfa tremendas
Judicii repetam fedes, precibufque laceffam
Perpetuis cœlum, gravis ut te fofpite pœna
In me adeò caufamque tui fontemque doloris
Whereon I live, thy gentle looks, thy aid,
Thy counsel in this uttermoft distress,
My only strength and stay. Forlorn of thee,
Whither fhall I betake me, where fubfift?
While yet we live, scarce one short hour perhaps,
Between us two let there be peace; both joining
As join'd in injuries, one enmity
Against a foe by doom exprefs affign'd us,
That cruel ferpent. On me exercise not
Thy hatred, for this misery befall'n;
On me already loft, me than thy felf
More miferable! Both have fin'd: but thou
Againft God only; I against God and thee:
And to the place of judgment will return,
There with my cries importune heav'n, that all
The fentence, from thy head remov'd, may light
Tota cadat; me, me, dignam illius omnibus iris.
Finierat lacrimans. Illam conftantibus ufque
Orantem veniam votis, fua crimina faffam
Lamentis fletuque humili, commotus & imo
Corde remollefcens, ultro miferatur Adamus.
Illam, delicias nuper fupremaque vitæ
Gaudia, nunc genua amplexam flentemque, benignâ
Refpexit pietate dolens; nunc ore decoro
Ipfius auxilium, quem læferat, ipfius alma
Confilia implorantem: animum mentemque ferocem
Exuit, & trepidam dictis erexit amicis:
Ah præceps animi, & correpta cupidine cæcâ,
Ut priùs: an pœnis communibus una duorum
Sufficis? ipfa tuas difcas bene ferre; mariti
Vix iram pateris: cœli effufos-ne furores
Suftineas, quorum & minimâ jam parte gravaris?
Quòd fi fupremum flecti jus poffe precando
Sperarem, fedes peterem, mora nulla, facratas
On me; fole cause to thee of all this woe;
Me, me, only juft object of his ire.
She ended weeping; and her lowly plight
Immoveable, 'till peace obtain'd from fault
Acknowledg'd and deplor'd, in Adam wrought
Commiferation: foon his heart relented
Tow'rds her, his life fo late, and fole delight
Now at his feet fubmiffive in distress;
Creature fo fair his reconcilement seeking,
His counfel, whom she had difpleas'd, his aid:
As one difarm'd, his anger all he loft;
And thus with peaceful words up-rais'd her foon:
Unwary, and too defirous, as before,
So now, of what thou know'st not, thou defir'st
The punishment all on thy felf: alas!
Bear thine own firft; ill able to sustain
His full wrath, whofe thou feel'ft as yet leaft part;
And my displeasure bear'ft fo ill. If pray'rs
Cc 2
Te
Te prior, atque alto orarem vehementius ore
Ut caput hoc premeret folum quæcunque mali vis;
Tu culpam effugeres, fexu tam mollis inermi,
Cui neque fidus eram cuftos, nec debita curæ
Munera præstabam. Quin tandem mente receptâ
Erige te, conjux; finem difcordia nostra
Hinc capiat: nobis plus extera fufficit ira.
At blando interea certemus amore, benignifque
Officiis, onera ut gravium divifa laborum
Participes minùs inde premant: mors quippe, propinqua
Credita, ni veri vanus feror, huc pede tardo
Adventat, noftrum cunctando auctura dolorem;
Hinc ftirpi, ah miseræ ftirpi, tradenda futuræ.
Deinde olli, revocans animos, fic rettulit Eva:
Heu nimiùm, conjux, ufu monftrante magiftro
Jam patuit, mea quàm merito fpernantur inepta
Confilia, eventu dudum comitata finiftro.
At quoniam indignæ facili tam pace favorem
Could alter high decrees, I to that place
Would fpeed before thee and be louder heard,
That on my
head all might be visited;
Thy frailty, and infirmer fex, forgiv'n ;,
To me committed, and by me expos'd.
But rife; let us no more contend, nor blame
Each other, blam'd enough elsewhere; but ftrive
In offices of love, how we may light'n
Each other's burthen in our fhare of woe:
Since this day's death denounc'd, if ought I fee,
Will prove no fudden, but a flow-pac'd evil,
A long day's dying, to augment our pain;
And to our feed, o hapless feed, deriv'd.
To whom thus Eve, recovering heart, reply'd:
Adam, by fad experiment I know
How little weight my words with thee can find,
Found fo erroneous; thence by juft event
Found fo unfortunate: nevertheless
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