The high injunction not to taste that fruit,
Whoever tempted; which they not obeying
Incurred (what could they less?) the penalty,
And, manifold in sin, deserved to fall.
Up into Heaven from Paradise in haste
The Angelic guards ascended, mute and sad
For Man; for of his state by this they knew,
Much wondering how the subtle Fiend had stolen
Entrance unseen. Soon as the unwelcome news
From Earth arrived at Heaven-gate, displeased
All were who heard; dim sadness did not spare
That time celestial visages, yet, mixed
With pity, violated not their bliss.
About the new-arrived, in multitudes,

The Ethereal people ran, to hear and know

How all befell. They towards the throne supreme,
Accountable, made haste, to make appear,
With righteous plea, their utmost vigilance,
And easily approved; when the Most High,
Eternal Father, from his secret cloud
Amidst, in thunder uttered thus his voice :-
"Assembled Angels, and ye Powers returned
From unsuccessful charge, be not dismayed
Nor troubled at these tidings from the Earth,
Which your sincerest care could not prevent,
Foretold so lately what would come to pass,

20

30

When first this Tempter crossed the gulf from Hell.

I told ye then he should prevail, and speed

40

On his bad errand-Man should be seduced,
And flattered out of all, believing lies
Against his Maker; no decree of mine,
Concurring to necessitate his fall,

Or touch with lightest moment of impulse
His free will, to her own inclining left

In even scale. But fallen he is; and now

What rests, but that the mortal sentence pass

On his transgression, Death denounced that day?
Which he presumes already vain and void,
Because not yet inflicted, as he feared,

50

By some immediate stroke, but soon shall find
Forbearance no acquittance ere day end.
Justice shall not return, as bounty, scorned.

But whom send I to judge them? whom but thee,
Vicegerent Son? To thee I have transferred

All judgment, whether in Heaven, or Earth, or Hell.
Easy it may be seen that I intend

Mercy colleague with justice, sending thee,

Man's friend, his Mediator, his designed
Both ransom and Redeemer voluntary,

And destined Man himself to judge Man fallen."
So spake the Father; and, unfolding bright
Toward the right hand his glory, on the Son
Blazed forth unclouded deity. He full
Resplendent all his Father manifest

Expressed, and thus divinely answered mild :-
"Father Eternal, thine is to decree;

Mine both in Heaven and Earth to do thy will

Supreme, that thou in me, thy Son beloved,

May'st ever rest well pleased. I go to judge

On Earth these thy transgressors; but thou know'st,

Whoever judged, the worst on me must light,
When time shall be; for so I undertook
Before thee, and, not repenting, this obtain
Of right, that I may mitigate their doom
On me derived. Yet I shall temper so
Justice with mercy as may illustrate most
Them fully satisfied, and thee appease.

Attendance none shall need, nor train, where none
Are to behold the judgment but the judged,

Those two; the third best absent is condemned,
Convict by flight, and rebel to all law;
Conviction to the Serpent none belongs."

Thus saying, from his radiant seat he rose

Of high collateral glory. Him Thrones and Powers,
Princedoms, and Dominations ministrant,
Accompanied to Heaven-gate, from whence
Eden and all the coast in prospect lay.

60

70

80

Down he descended straight; the speed of Gods

90

Time counts not, though with swiftest minutes winged.

Now was the Sun in western cadence low

From noon, and gentle airs due at their hour

To fan the Earth now waked, and usher in

The evening cool, when he, from wrath more cool,
Came, the mild judge and intercessor both,

To sentence Man. The voice of God they heard

Now walking in the Garden, by soft winds

Brought to their ears, while day declined; they heard,
And from his presence hid themselves among
The thickest trees, both man and wife, till God,
Approaching, thus to Adam called aloud:-

:

"Where art thou, Adam, wont with joy to meet
My coming, seen far off? I miss thee here,
Not pleased, thus entertained with solitude,
Where obvious duty erewhile appeared unsought.

100

Or come I less conspicuous, or what change
Absents thee, or what chance detains?

Come forth!"

He came, and with him Eve, more loth, though first
To offend, discountenanced both, and discomposed.
Love was not in their looks, either to God
Or to each other, but apparent guilt,
And shame, and perturbation, and despair,
Anger, and obstinacy, and hate, and guile.

Whence Adam, faltering long, thus answered brief:

“I heard thee in the Garden, and, of thy voice Afraid, being naked, hid myself." To whom The gracious Judge, without revile, replied:

"My voice thou oft hast heard, and hast not feared, But still rejoiced; how is it now become

So dreadful to thee? That thou art naked who
Hath told thee? Hast thou eaten of the tree

Whereof I gave thee charge thou shouldst not eat?"
To whom thus Adam, sore beset, replied:-

"O Heaven! in evil strait this day I stand
Before my Judge-either to undergo
Myself the total crime, or to accuse
My other self, the partner of my life,

Whose failing, while her faith to me remains,

I should conceal, and not expose to blame
By my complaint. But strict necessity
Subdues me, and calamitous constraint,
Lest on my head both sin and punishment,
However insupportable, be all

Devolved; though, should I hold my peace, yet thou

Wouldst easily detect what I conceal.

This Woman, whom thou mad'st to be my help,

And gav'st me as thy perfect gift, so good,

So fit, so acceptable, so divine,

That from her hand I could suspect no ill,
And what she did, whatever in itself,
Her doing seemed to justify the deed-
She gave me of the tree, and I did eat."
To whom the Sovran Presence thus replied
"Was she thy God, that her thou didst obey
Before his voice? or was she made thy guide,
Superior, or but equal, that to her

:

Thou didst resign thy manhood, and the place
Wherein God set thee above her, made of thee
And for thee, whose perfection far excelled
Hers in all real dignity? Adorned
She was indeed, and lovely, to attract
Thy love, not thy subjection; and her gifts

Were such as under government well seemed-
Unseemly to bear rule; which was thy part
And person, hadst thou known thyself aright."

66

So having said, he thus to Eve in few :

Say, Woman, what is this which thou hast done?
To whom sad Eve, with shame nigh overwhelmed,
Confessing soon, yet not before her Judge
Bold or loquacious, thus abashed replied:
"The Serpent me beguiled, and I did eat.”

Which when the Lord God heard, without delay
To judgment he proceeded on the accused
Serpent, though brute, unable to transfer
The guilt on him who made him instrument
Of mischief, and polluted from the end
Of his creation-justly then accursed,
As vitiated in nature. More to know

Concerned not Man (since he no further knew),
Nor altered his offence; yet God at last
To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied,

Though in mysterious terms, judged as then best;
And on the Serpent thus his curse let fall :-

"Because thou hast done this, thou art accursed Above all cattle, each beast of the field; Upon thy belly grovelling thou shalt go,

160

170

And dust shalt eat all the days of thy life.
Between thee and the Woman I will put

Enmity, and between thine and her seed;

180

Her seed shall bruise thy head, thou bruise his heel."
So spake this oracle-then verified

When Jesus, son of Mary, second Eve,

Saw Satan fall like lightning down from Heaven,
Prince of the Air; then, rising from his grave,
Spoiled Principalities and Powers, triumphed
In open show, and, with ascension bright,
Captivity led captive through the Air,
The realm itself of Satan, long usurped,
Whom he shall tread at last under our feet,
Even he who now foretold his fatal bruise,
And to the Woman thus his sentence turned :-
"Thy sorrow I will greatly multiply

By thy conception; children thou shalt bring
In sorrow forth, and to thy husband's will
Thine shall submit; he over thee shall rule."

On Adam last thus judgment he pronounced :

"Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, And eaten of the tree concerning which

I charged thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat thereof,

190

200

Curs'd is the ground for thy sake; thou in sorrow
Shalt eat thereof all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles it shall bring thee forth
Unbid; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread,
Till thou return unto the ground; for thou
Out of the ground wast taken: know thy bìrth,
For dust thou art, and shalt to dust return."

So judged he Man, both Judge and Saviour sent,
And the instant stroke of death, denounced that day,
Removed far off; then, pitying how they stood
Before him naked to the air, that now
Must suffer change, disdained not to begin
Thenceforth the form of servant to assume.
As when he washed his servants' feet, so now,
As father of his family, he clad

Their nakedness with skins of beasts, or slain,
Or, as the snake, with youthful coat repaid;
And thought not much to clothe his enemies.
Nor he their outward only with the skins
Of beasts, but inward nakedness, much more
Opprobrious, with his robe of righteousness
Arraying, covered from his Father's sight.
To him with swift ascent he up returned,
Into his blissful bosom reassumed
In glory as of old; to him, appeased,

All, though all-knowing, what had passed with Man
Recounted, mixing intercession sweet.

Meanwhile, ere thus was sinned and judged on Earth,

Within the gates of Hell sat Sin and Death,

In counterview within the gates, that now

Stood open wide, belching outrageous flame

Far into Chaos, since the Fiend passed through,

Sin opening; who thus now to Death began :

66

"O Son, why sit we here, each other viewing
Idly, while Satan, our great author, thrives
In other worlds, and happier seat provides
For us, his offspring dear? It cannot be
But that success attends him; if mishap,
Ere this he had returned, with fury driven
By his avengers, since no place like this
Can fit his punishment, or their revenge.
Methinks I feel new strength within me rise,
Wings growing, and dominion given me large
Beyond this Deep-whatever draws me on,
Or sympathy, or some connatural force,
Powerful at greatest distance to unite
Q

210

220

230

240