450

So far the happier lot, enjoying thee
Præeminent by fo much odds, while thou
Like confort to thyself canft no where find.
That day I oft remember, when from fleep
I first awak'd, and found myself repos'd
Under a shade on flow'rs, much wond'ring where
And what I was, whence thither brought, and how.
Not distant far from thence a murm'ring found
Of waters iffued from a cave, and spread
Into a liquid plain, then stood unmov'd
Pure as th' expanse of Heav'n; I thither went
With unexperienc'd thought, and laid me down
On the green bank, to look into the clear

poem, as particularly in this fpeech of Eve, and the lines following it. The poet adds, that the Devil turned away at the fight of fo much happiness.

Addifon. That day I oft remember, From this as well as feveral other paffages in the poem it appears, that the poet fuppofes Adam and Eve to have been created, and to have lived many days in Paradife before the fall. See IV. 639, 680, &c. 712. V. 31.

450. I first awak'd,] As death is often compar'd to fleep, fo our coming into life may well be liken'd to waking: And Adam speaks in the fame figure, VIII. 253.

455

Smooth

As new wak'd from foundest sleep, &c.

If we compare his account of himfelf upon his creation with this here given by Eve, the beauty and propriety of each will appear to greater advantage.

451. Under a fhade on flow'rs,] The firft edition has under a fade on flow'rs, the fecond under a fhade of flow'rs; and the fubfequent editions vary in like manner, fome exhibiting on flow'rs, others of flow'rs; but repos'd on flow'rs under a fhade feems to be much better than a fade of flow'rs. to look into the clear 458. Smooth lake,] It has been afked, farcaftically

Smooth lake, that to me feem'd another fky.
As I bent down to look, juft oppofit

A shape within the watry gleam appear'd,
Bending to look on me: I started back,

It started back; but pleas'd I foon return'd,
Pleas'd it return'd as soon with anfw'ring looks
Of fympathy and love: there I had fix'd

460

465

Mine eyes till now, and pin'd with vain defire,
Had not a voice thus warn'd me, What thou feest,
What there thou feeft, fair Creature, is thyself;
With thee it came and goes: but follow me,

And I will bring thee where no fhadow stays

470

Thy coming, and thy foft embraces, he
Whose image thou art; him thou shalt enjoy
Infeparably thine, to him fhalt bear

farcaftically enough,(Spectator, Vol. 5. N° 325.) whether fome moral is not couch'd under this place, where the poet lets us know, that the first woman immediately after her creation ran to a looking-glafs, and became fo enamour'd of her own face, that fhe had never removed to view any of the other works of nature, had not fhe been led off to a man. However that be, this account that Eve gives of her coming to a lake, and there falling in love with her own image, when

Multitudes

fhe had feen no other human crea-
ture, is much more probable and
natural, as well as more delicate
and beautiful, than the famous
ftory of Narciffus in Ovid, from
whom our author manifeftly took
the hint, and has exprefly imitated
fome paffages, but has avoided all
his puerilities without lofing any of
his beauties, as the reader may
eafily obferve by comparing both
together, Met. III. 457.
Spem mihi nefcio quam vultu pro-
mittis amico:

Cumque

Multitudes like thyself, and thence be call'd
Mother of human race. What could I do,

But follow ftrait, invifibly thus led?

Till I efpy'd thee, fair indeed and tall,
Under a platan; yet methought less fair,
Lefs winning foft, lefs amiably mild,

475

Than that smooth watry image: back I turn'd; 480 Thou following cry'dft aloud, Return fair Eve, Whom fly'ft thou? whom thou fly'st, of him thou art, His flesh, his bone; to give thee be'ing I lent

heart

Out of my fide to thee, nearest my
Substantial life, to have thee by my fide
Henceforth an individual folace dear;
Part of my foul I feek thee, and thee clame
My other half: with that thy gentle hand

Cumque ego porrexi tibi brachia,

porrigis ultro:
Cum rifi, arrides: lacrymas quo-
que fæpe notavi
Me lacrymante tuas.

Ifta repercuffæ, quam cernis, ima-
ginis umbra eft:
Nil habet ifta fui: tecum venitque

manetque;
Tecum difcedet, fi tu difcedere
poffis.

478. Under a platan;] The plane tree fo named from the breadth of

485

Seis'd

its leaves, AaTus, Greek, broad; a tree useful and delightful for its extraordinary fhade, Virg. Georg. IV. 146.

Jamque miniftrantem platanum potantibus umbram. Hume. 483. His flesh, his bone; ] The Scripture expreffion; bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, Gen. II. 23. as afterwards when he calls her Part of my foul-my other balf, it is from Horace,

Anime dimidium meæ. Od. I. III. 8.

Seis'd mine; I yielded, and from that time fee
How beauty is excell'd by manly grace
And wisdom, which alone is truly fair.

So fpake our general mother, and with eyes
Of conjugal attraction unreprov'd,
And meek furrender, half embracing lean'd
On our first father; half her fwelling breast
Naked met his under the flowing gold
Of her loose treffes hid: he in delight

492. So fpake our general mother,

and with eyes Of conjugal attraction unreprov'd, &c.] Spenfer, Fairy Queen,

B. 2. Cant. 7. St. 16.

But with glad thanks and unreproved truth.

What a charming picture of love and innocence has the poet given us in this paragraph! There is the greatest warmth of affection, and yet the moft exact delicacy and decorum. One would have thought that a scene of this nature could not with any confiftency have been introduced into a divine poem, and yet our author has fo nicely and judiciously cover'd the foft defcription with the veil of modefty, that the pureft and chafteft mind can find no room for offenfe. The meek furrender and the half-embracement are circumftances inimitable. An Italian's imagination would have hurried him the length of

490

495

Both

ten or a dozen ftanzas upon this occafion, and with its luxuriant wildnefs chang'd Adam and Eve into a Venus and Adonis. Thyer.

494. embracing] Milton fometimes fpells the word embrace after the French embraffer, and fometimes imbrace after the Italian imbracciare; but the former has now prevail'd univerfally.

499. as Jupiter &c.] As the Heaven fmiles upon the air, when it makes the clouds and every thing fruitful in the fpring. This feems to be the meaning of the allegory; for Jupiter is commonly taken for the Heaven or æther, and Juno for the air, tho' some underftand by them the air and earth. However that be, the congress of Jupiter and Juno was accounted the great caufe of fruitfulness. Homer in the fourteenth book of the Iliad inlarges much upon the ftory of their loves, more than enough to give occafion to this

fimile,

Both of her beauty and fubmiffive charms
Smil'd with fuperior love, as Jupiter

On Juno fmiles, when he impregns the clouds 500 That shed May flow'rs; and prefs'd her matron lip With kiffes pure: afide the Devil turn'd

For envy, yet with jealous leer malign

Ey'd them afkance, and to himself thus plain'd. Sight hateful, fight tormenting! thus these two 505 Imparadis'd in one another's arms,

fimile, and describes the earth put ting forth her faireft flowers as the immediate effect of them. And Virgil likewife in defcribing the fpring employs the fame kind of images, and reprefents Jupiter operating upon his fpoufe for the production of all things, Georg. II. 325.

Tum pater omnipotens fœcundis

imbribus æther

Conjagis in gremium lætæ defcen

dit, et omnes Magnus alit, magno commixtus corpore, fœtus. For then almighty Jove defcends,

and pours Into his buxom bride his fruitful

fhow'rs;

And mixing his large limbs with

hers, he feeds

Her births with kindly juice, and

fofters teeming feeds. Dryden. That expreffion of the clouds fhedding flow'rs is very poetical, and not unVOL. I.

Tho

like that fine one in the Pfalms of the clouds dropping fatnefs, Pfal. LXXV. 12. and it is faid May flow'r to fignify that this is done in the fpring, as Virgil defcribes it. And then follows and prefs'd her matron lip, where the construction is Adam fmil'd with fuperior love, and prefs'd her matron lip, the fimile being to be understood as included in a parenthefis. Her matron lip evidently fignifies her married lip, in diftinction from a maiden or a virgin lip, as Ovid Faft. II. 828. fpeaking of Lucretia then married, fays matron cheeks,

Et matronales erubuere genæ.

It implies that she was married to

him, and that therefore their kiffes were lawful and innocent. It was the innocence of their loves that made the Devil turn afide for envy. 506. Imparadis'd in one another's

arms,] Imparadis'd has been remark'd as a word first coin'd by

E e

Milton.