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"That show no end but death, and have the power,
"Of many ways to die the shortest choosing,
"Destruction with destruction to destroy?"

She ended here, or vehement despair

Broke off the rest: so much of death her thoughts
Had entertained, as dyed her cheeks with pale.
But Adam, with such counsel nothing swayed,
To better hopes his more attentive mind
Labouring had raised; and thus to Eve replied:

"Eve! thy contempt of life and pleasure seems
"To argue in thee something more sublime
"And excellent, than what thy mind contemns:
"But self-destruction therefore sought, refutes
"That excellence thought in thee; and implies,
"Not thy contempt, but anguish and regret
"For loss of life and pleasure overloved.
"Or if thou covet death, as utmost end
"Of misery, so thinking to evade

"The penalty pronounced, doubt not but God
"Hath wiselier armed his vengeful ire, than so
"To be forestalled; much more I fear lest death,
"So snatched, will not exempt us from the pain
"We are by doom to pay; rather, such acts
“Of contumacy will provoke the Highest
"To make death in us live. Then let us seek
"Some safer resolution, which methinks

"I have in view, calling to mind with heed
"Part of our sentence, that Thy seed shall bruise
"The serpent's head.' Piteous amends! unless
"Be meant, whom I conjecture, our grand foe,
"Satan; who, in the serpent, hath contrived

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Against us this deceit : to crush his head

"Would be revenge indeed! which will be lost
"By death brought on ourselves, or childless days
Resolved, as thou proposest; so our foe

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"Shall scape his punishment ordained, and we,

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Instead, shall double ours upon our heads.

"No more be mentioned then of violence

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Against ourselves; and wilful barrenness,

"That cuts us off from hope; and savours only

ΙΔΙΟ

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"Rancour and pride, impatience and despite,
"Reluctance against God and his just yoke
"Laid on our necks. Remember with what mild
"And gracious temper he both heard, and judged,
"Without wrath or reviling: we expected
"Immediate dissolution, which we thought

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"Was meant by death that day; when, lo! to thee
"Pains only in child-bearing were foretold,
"And bringing forth; soon recompensed with joy,
"Fruit of thy womb: on me the curse aslope
"Glanced on the ground; with labour I must earn
My bread; what harm? Idleness had been worse:
"My labour will sustain me. And, lest cold
"Or heat should injure us, his timely care
"Hath, unbesought, provided; and his hands
"Clothed us unworthy, pitying while he judged;
"How much more, if we pray him, will his ear
"Be open, and his heart to pity incline,
"And teach us, farther by what means to shun
"The inclement seasons, rain, ice, hail, and snow?
"Which now the sky, with various face, begins
"To show us in this mountain; while the winds
"Blow moist and keen, shattering the graceful locks
"Of these fair-spreading trees; which bids us seek
"Some better shroud, some better warmth, to cherish
"Our limbs benumbed; ere this diurnal star

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"Leave cold the night, how we his gathered beams 1070 "Reflected may with matter sere foment:

"Or, by collision of two bodies, grind

"The air attrite to fire; as late the clouds

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Justling, or pushed with winds, rude in their shock,

"Tine the slant lightning; whose thwart flame driven down

"Kindles the gummy bark of fir or pine,

"And sends a comfortable heat from far,

"Which might supply the sun. Such fire to use,
"And what may else be remedy or cure
"To evils which our own misdeeds have wrought,
"He will instruct us praying, and of grace
"Beseeching him: so as we need not fear
"To pass commodiously this life, sustained

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"By him with many comforts till we end
“In dust-our final rest and native home!
"What better can we do, than, to the place
Repairing where he judged us, prostrate fall
"Before him reverent; and there confess

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"Humbly our faults, and pardon beg, with tears
“Watering the ground, and with our sighs the air
Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite, in sign
"Of sorrow unfeigned, and humiliation meek?
"Undoubtedly he will relent, and turn
"From his displeasure; in whose look serene,
"When angry most he seemed, and most severe,
"What else but favour, grace, and mercy shone?"
So spake our father penitent; nor Eve

Felt less remorse: they, forthwith to the place
Repairing where he judged them, prostrate fell
Before him reverent; and both confessed

Humbly their faults, and pardon begged; with tears
Watering the ground, and with their sighs the air
Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite, in sign
Of sorrow unfeigned, and humiliation meek.

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THE Son of God presents to his Father the prayers of our first parents now repenting, and intercedes for them: God accepts them, but declares that they must no longer abide in Paradise; sends Michael with a band of Cherubim to dispossess them; but first to reveal to Adam future things: Michael's coming down. Adam shows to Eve certain ominous signs; he discerns Michael's approach; goes out to meet him; the Angel denounces their departure. Eve's lamentation. Adam pleads, but submits: the Angel leads him up to a high hill; sets before him in vision what shall happen till the flood.

THUS they, in lowliest plight, repentant stood,
Praying; for from the mercy-seat above
Prevenient grace descending had removed

The stony from their hearts, and made new flesh
Regenerate grow instead; that sighs now breathed
Unutterable; which the Spirit of prayer

Inspired, and winged for Heaven with speedier flight
Than loudest oratory: yet their port

Not of mean suitors; nor important less

Seemed their petition, than when the ancient pair
In fables old (less ancient yet than these),
Deucalion, and chaste Pyrrha, to restore
The race of mankind drowned, before the shrine
Of Themis stood devout. To Heaven their prayers
Flew up, nor missed the way, by envious winds
Blown vagabond, or frustrate: in they passed
Dimensionless through heavenly doors; then, clad
With incense, where the golden altar fumed,
By their great Intercessor, came in sight
Before the Father's throne: them the glad Son

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Presenting, thus to intercede began:

"See, Father, what first-fruits on Earth are sprung "From thy implanted grace in Man! these sighs "And prayers, which, in this golden censer, mixed "With incense, I thy priest before thee bring-"Fruits of more pleasing savour, from thy seed "Sown with contrition in his heart, than those "Which, his own hand manuring, all the trees "Of Paradise could have produced, ere fallen "From innocence. Now therefore bend thine ear "To supplication; hear his sighs, though mute; "Unskilful with what words to pray, let me 66 Interpret for him; me, his Advocate "And propitiation; all his works on me, "Good or not good, ingraft; my merit those

"Shall perfect, and for these my death shall pay.

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Accept me; and, in me, from these receive

"The smell of peace toward mankind: let him live

"Before thee reconciled,- —at least his days

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"Numbered, though sad; till death, his doom, (which I 40 "To mitigate thus plead, not to reverse,)

"To better life shall yield him; where with me
"All my redeemed may dwell in joy and bliss;
"Made one with me, as I with thee am one."
To whom the Father, without cloud, serene:
"All thy request for Man, accepted Son!
"Obtain; all thy request was my decree.
"But, longer in that Paradise to dwell,
"The law I gave to nature him forbids:
"Those pure immortal elements, that know
"No gross, no unharmonious mixture foul,
"Eject him, tainted now; and purge him off,
"As a distemper, gross to air as gross,
"And mortal food; as may dispose him best
"For dissolution, wrought by sin that first
Distempered all things, and of incorrupt

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Corrupted. I, at first, with two fair gifts "Created him endowed-with happiness "And immortality: that fondly lost,

"This other served but to eternize woe;

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