Oppress'd them, wearied with their amorous play. Soon as the force of that fallacious fruit,

That with exhilarating vapour bland

About their spirits had play'd, and inmost powers
Made err, was now exhal'd, and grosser sleep
Bred of unkindly fumes, with conscious dreams 1050
Encumber'd, now had left them, up they rose
As from unrest, and, each the other viewing,
Soon found their eyes how open'd, and their minds
How darken'd: innocence, that as a veil
Had shadow'd them from knowing ill, was gone,
Just confidence, and native righteousness,
And honour from about them; naked left
To guilty shame; he cover'd, but his robe
Uncover'd more. So rose the Danite strong
Herculean Samson from the harlot-lap
Of Philistean Dalilah, and wak'd

1060

1065

Shorn of his strength; they destitute and bare
Of all their virtue: silent, and in face
Confounded, long they sat, as strucken mute,
Till Adam, though not less than Eve abash'd,
At length gave utterance to these words constrain'd.
O Eve, in evil hour thou didst give ear
To that false worm, of whomsoever taught
To counterfeit man's voice, true in our fall,

False in our promis'd rising; since our eyes 1070

1058 shame] After 'shame' there is no stop even in Milton's own editions, and there should have been a semicolon at least. Shame covered Adam and Eve with his robe; but this robe of his uncovered them more.' v. S. Agon. 841. Newton. v. Psalm cix. 28. Bowle.

Open'd we find indeed, and find we know
Both good and evil; good lost, and evil got;
Bad fruit of knowledge, if this be to know,
Which leaves us naked thus, of honour void,
Of innocence, of faith, of purity,

1075

1080

Our wonted ornaments now soil'd and stain'd,
And in our faces evident the signs
Of foul concupiscence; whence evil store,
Even shame, the last of evils; of the first
Be sure then. How shall I behold the face
Henceforth of GoD or angel, erst with joy
And rapture so oft beheld? those heavenly shapes
Will dazzle now this earthly, with their blaze
Insufferably bright. O might I here

1085

In solitude live savage, in some glade
Obscur'd, where highest woods, impenetrable
To star or sun-light, spread their umbrage broad,
And brown as evening: cover me, ye pines!
Ye cedars, with innumerable boughs
Hide me, where I may never see them more!
But let us now, as in bad plight, devise
What best may for the present serve to hide
The parts of each from other, that seem most
To shame obnoxious, and unseemliest seen;
Some tree, whose broad smooth leaves together sew'd,

1086 impenetrable] v. Stat. Theb. x. 85.

nulli penetrabilis astro

Lucus iners.'

1092 for] These lines misprinted in the second edition:
'What best may from the present serve to hide
The parts of each for other.'

1090

Newton.

And girded on our loins, may cover round
Those middle parts; that this new comer, shame,
There sit not, and reproach us as unclean.

1100

1106

So counsel'd he, and both together went Into the thickest wood; there soon they chose The figtree, not that kind for fruit renown'd, But such as at this day to Indians known In Malabar or Decan spreads her arms Branching so broad and long, that in the ground The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow About the mother tree, a pillar'd shade High overarch'd, and echoing walks between ; There oft the Indian herdsman shunning heat Shelters in cool, and tends his pasturing herds At loopholes cut thro' thickest shade. Those leaves They gather'd broad, as Amazonian targe, And with what skill they had together sew'd, To gird their waist, vain covering, if to hide Their guilt and dreaded shame; O how unlike To that first naked glory! Such of late Columbus found th' American so girt With feather'd cincture, naked else and wild Among the trees on isles and woody shores. Thus fenc'd, and as they thought, their shame in part Cover'd, but not at rest or ease of mind,

1111

1115

1120

1103 Decan] The most celebrated specimen of this tree in India, is one that entirely covers an island in the Nerbudda, about twelve miles above Broach. It is called Kuveer-Bur. See Heber's Travels in India, iii. 67, and Forbes' Orient. Mem. i. 274, iii. 246, 543. It is two thousand feet round, and has thirteen hundred and fifty trunks. See plate, i. 37.

They sat them down to weep; nor only tears
Rain'd at their eyes, but high winds worse within
Began to rise, high passions, anger, hate,
Mistrust, suspicion, discord, and shook sore

Their inward state of mind, calm region once
And full of peace, now tost and turbulent:
For understanding rul'd not, and the will
Heard not her lore; both in subjection now
To sensual appetite, who from beneath
Usurping over sov'reign reason claim'd
Superior sway from thus distemper'd breast
Adam, estrang'd in look and alter'd style,
Speech intermitted thus to Eve renew'd.

1125

1130

Would thou hadst hearken'd to my words, and stay'd

With me, as I besought thee, when that strange 1135
Desire of wand'ring this unhappy morn

I know not whence possess'd thee; we had then
Remain'd still happy, not, as now, despoil'd

Of all our good, sham'd, naked, miserable.

Let none henceforth seek needless cause to approve The faith they owe; when earnestly they seek 1141 Such proof, conclude, they then begin to fail.

To whom, soon mov'd with touch of blame, thus Eve. What words have pass'd thy lips, Adam severe ! Imput'st thou that to my default, or will Of wandering, as thou call'st it, which who knows

1128 both] Fenton reads but in subjection.'

1144 words] Compare Hom. Il. xiv. 83.

Ατρέιδη, ποιόν σε έπος φύγεν ἕρκος οδόντων. Thyer.

1145

1150

1155

But might as ill have happen'd thou being by,
Or to thyself perhaps? hadst thou been there,
Or here th' attempt, thou couldst not have discern'd
Fraud in the serpent, speaking as he spake;
No ground of enmity between us known,
Why he should mean me ill, or seek to harm.
Was I to have never parted from thy side?
As good have grown there still a lifeless rib.
Being as I am, why didst not thou the head
Command me absolutely not to go,
Going into such danger, as thou said'st?
Too facil then thou didst not much gainsay;
Nay, didst permit, approve, and fair dismiss.
Hadst thou been firm and fix'd in thy dissent,
Neither had I transgress'd, nor thou with me.
To whom then first incens'd, Adam reply'd.
Is this the love, is this the recompence
Of mine to thee, ingrateful Eve! express'd
Immutable when thou wert lost, not I,

Who might have liv'd and joy'd immortal bliss,
Yet willingly chose rather death with thee?
And am I now upbraided, as the cause

Of thy transgressing, not enough severe,

1160

1165

It seems, in thy restraint? what could I more? 1170 I warn'd thee, I admonish'd thee, foretold

The danger, and the lurking enemy

1165 Immutable] Inimitable. Bentl. MS.

1170 thy] So in the early editions; in Tonson's, 1711, it is in my restraint,' which Tickell, Fenton, and Bentley have improperly followed.