LITMIR.BIZ

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too easie entrance won:

       Fixt on the Fruit she gaz’d, which to behold

       Might tempt alone, and in her ears the sound

       Yet rung of his perswasive words, impregn’d

       With Reason, to her seeming, and with Truth;

       Meanwhile the hour of Noon drew on, and wak’d

       An eager appetite, rais’d by the smell

       So savorie of that Fruit, which with desire,

       Inclinable now grown to touch or taste,

       Sollicited her longing eye; yet first

       Pausing a while, thus to her self she mus’d.

      Great are thy Vertues, doubtless, best of Fruits,

       Though kept from Man, & worthy to be admir’d,

       Whose taste, too long forborn, at first assay

       Gave elocution to the mute, and taught

       The Tongue not made for Speech to speak thy praise:

       Thy praise hee also who forbids thy use,

       Conceales not from us, naming thee the Tree

       Of Knowledge, knowledge both of good and evil;

       Forbids us then to taste, but his forbidding

       Commends thee more, while it inferrs the good

       By thee communicated, and our want:

       For good unknown, sure is not had, or had

       And yet unknown, is as not had at all.

       In plain then, what forbids he but to know,

       Forbids us good, forbids us to be wise?

       Such prohibitions binde not. But if Death

       Bind us with after-bands, what profits then

       Our inward freedom? In the day we eate

       Of this fair Fruit, our doom is, we shall die.

       How dies the Serpent? hee hath eat’n and lives,

       And knows, and speaks, and reasons, and discernes,

       Irrational till then. For us alone

       Was death invented? or to us deni’d

       This intellectual food, for beasts reserv’d?

       For Beasts it seems: yet that one Beast which first

       Hath tasted, envies not, but brings with joy

       The good befall’n him, Author unsuspect,

       Friendly to man, farr from deceit or guile.

       What fear I then, rather what know to feare

       Under this ignorance of Good and Evil,

       Of God or Death, of Law or Penaltie?

       Here grows the Cure of all, this Fruit Divine,

       Fair to the Eye, inviting to the Taste,

       Of vertue to make wise: what hinders then

       To reach, and feed at once both Bodie and Mind?

      So saying, her rash hand in evil hour

       Forth reaching to the Fruit, she pluck’d, she eat:

       Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat

       Sighing through all her Works gave signs of woe,

       That all was lost. Back to the Thicket slunk

       The guiltie Serpent, and well might, for Eve Intent now wholly on her taste, naught else Regarded, such delight till then, as seemd, In Fruit she never tasted, whether true Or fansied so, through expectation high Of knowledg, nor was God-head from her thought. Greedily she ingorg’d without restraint, And knew not eating Death: Satiate at length, And hight’nd as with Wine, jocond and boon, Thus to her self she pleasingly began.

      O Sovran, vertuous, precious of all Trees

       In Paradise, of operation blest

       To Sapience, hitherto obscur’d, infam’d,

       And thy fair Fruit let hang, as to no end

       Created; but henceforth my early care,

       Not without Song, each Morning, and due praise

       Shall tend thee, and the fertil burden ease

       Of thy full branches offer’d free to all;

       Till dieted by thee I grow mature

       In knowledge, as the Gods who all things know;

       Though others envie what they cannot give;

       For had the gift bin theirs, it had not here

       Thus grown. Experience, next to thee I owe,

       Best guide; not following thee, I had remaind

       In ignorance, thou op’nst Wisdoms way,

       And giv’st access, though secret she retire.

       And I perhaps am secret; Heav’n is high,

       High and remote to see from thence distinct

       Each thing on Earth; and other care perhaps

       May have diverted from continual watch

       Our great Forbidder, safe with all his Spies

       About him. But to Adam in what sort Shall I appeer? shall I to him make known As yet my change, and give him to partake Full happiness with mee, or rather not, But keep the odds of Knowledge in my power Without Copartner? so to add what wants In Femal Sex, the more to draw his Love, And render me more equal, and perhaps A thing not undesireable, somtime Superior; for inferior who is free? This may be well: but what if God have seen, And Death ensue? then I shall be no more, And Adam wedded to another Eve, Shall live with her enjoying, I extinct; A death to think. Confirm’d then I resolve, Adam shall share with me in bliss or woe: So dear I love him, that with him all deaths I could endure; without him live no life.

      So saying, from the Tree her step she turnd,

       But first low Reverence don, as to the power

       That dwelt within, whose presence had infus’d

       Into the plant sciential sap, deriv’d

       From Nectar, drink of Gods. Adam the while Waiting desirous her return, had wove Of choicest Flours a Garland to adorne Her Tresses, and her rural labours crown As Reapers oft are wont thir Harvest Queen. Great joy he promis’d to his thoughts, and new Solace in her return, so long delay’d; Yet oft his heart, divine of somthing ill, Misgave him; hee the faultring measure felt; And forth to meet her went, the way she took That Morn when first they parted; by the Tree Of Knowledge he must pass, there he her met, Scarse from the Tree returning; in her hand A bough of fairest fruit that downie smil’d, New gatherd, and ambrosial smell diffus’d. To him she hasted, in her face excuse Came Prologue, and Apologie to prompt, Which with bland words at will she thus addrest.

      Hast thou not wonderd, Adam, at my stay? Thee I have misst, and thought it long, depriv’d Thy presence, agonie of love till now Not felt, nor shall be twice, for never more Mean I to trie, what rash untri’d I sought, The paine of absence from thy sight. But strange Hath bin the cause, and wonderful to heare: This Tree is not as we are told, a Tree Of danger tasted, nor to evil unknown Op’ning the way, but of Divine effect To open Eyes, and make them Gods who taste; And hath bin tasted such; the Serpent wise, Or not restraind as wee, or not obeying, Hath eat’n of the fruit, and is become, Not dead, as we are threatn’d, but thenceforth Endu’d with human voice and human sense, Reasoning to admiration, and with mee Perswasively hath so prevaild, that I Have also tasted, and have also found Th’ effects to correspond, opener mine Eyes, Dimm erst, dilated Spirits, ampler Heart, And growing up to Godhead; which for thee Chiefly I sought, without thee can despise. For bliss, as thou hast part, to me is bliss, Tedious, unshar’d with thee, and odious soon. Thou therefore also taste, that equal Lot May joyne

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