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And gav'ft me as thy perfect gift, so good,
So fit, fo acceptable, fo divine,

That from her hand I could fufpect no ill; 140
And what she did, whatever in itself,

Her doing feem'd to justify the deed;

She gave me of the tree,

and I did eat.

To whom the Sov'reign Prefence thus re

ply'd.

Was fhe thy God, that her thou didst obey 145 Before his voice? Or was fhe made thy guide, Superior, or but equal; that to her

Thou didft refign thy manhood, and the place Wherein God fet thee above her, made of thee;

And for thee; whose perfection far excell'd 150 Her in all real dignity? Adorn'd

She whas indeed and lovely, to attract

Thy love; not thy fubjection: and her gifts Were fuch, as under government wellfeem'd;

Unfeemly to bear rule, which was thy part, 155 And perfon, hadft thou known thyfelf aright. So having faid, he thus to Eve in few:"

Say, woman, what is this, which thou haft

done?

To whom fad Eve, with fhame nigh overwhelm'd,

Confeffing foon; yet not before her Judge 160 Bold, or loquacious, thus abafh'd reply'd. The ferpent me beguil'd, and I did eat!

Which when the Lord God heard, without

delay

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To judgment He proceeded on th' accus'd
Serpent though brute unable to transfer
The guilt on him, who made him inftrument
Of mischief, and polluted from the end
Of his creation; justly then accurs'd, ́

As vitiated in nature.

More to know

Concern'd not man,

fince he no further knew,

Nor alter'd his offence: yet God at laft
To Satan firft in fin his doom apply'd,

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Though in myfterious terms, judg'd as then best:

And on the Serpent thus his curfe let, fall. Because thou haft done this, thou art ac

curft

Above all cattle, each beaft of the field;

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Upon thy belly groveling thou shalt go;
And duft fhalt eat, all the days of thy life:
Between thee and thee woman I will put
Enmity and between thine and her feed: 180

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Her feed fhall bruife thy head, thou bruise

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his heel.

So fpake this oracle, then verify'd,

When Jefus fon of Mary, fecond Eve,

Saw Satan fall, like lightning, down from
Heav'n,

Prince of the air: then rifing from his grave 185
Spoil'd Principalities and Pow'rs, triumph'd
In open fhew; and, with afcenfion bright,
Captivity led captive through the air,
The realm itself of Satan, long ufurp'd;
Whom He, fhall tread at laft under our feet; 190

Ev'n He who now foretold his fatal bruife;

And to the woman thus his fentence turn'd.
-Thy forrow I will greatly multiply
By thy conception; children thou shalt bring
In-forrow forth; and to thy husband's will 195
Thine fhall fubmit: he over thee fhall rule.

On Adam laft thus judgment he pronounc'd: Because thou haft hearken'd to the voice of thy wife,

And eaten of the tree, concerning which
I charg'd thee, faying, thou fhalt not eat the-

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Curs'd is the ground for thy fake: thou in forrow

Shalt eat thereof all the days of thy life: Thorns alfo and thistles it shall bring thee forth Unbid; and thou fhalt eat th' herb of the field,

In the sweat of thy face fhalt thou eat bread, 205 Till thou return unto the ground; for thou Out of the ground wast taken, know thy birth, For duft thou art, and shalt to dust return.

So judg'd he Man, both Judge and Saviour fent;

And th' inftant ftroke of Death, denounc'd that

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Remov'd far off: then, pitying how they stood
Before him naked to the air, that now
Muft fuffer change, difdain'd not to begin
Thenceforth the form of fervant to allume:
As when he wash'd his fervants feet; fo

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As father of his family he clad
Their nakedness with skins of beafts; or flain,
Or, as the snake, with youthful coat repaid:
And thought not much to clothe his enemies.
Nor he their outward only, with the skins 220
Of beafts, but inward nakedness, much more
Opprobrious! with his robe of righteousness
Arraying cover'd from his Father's fight.
To him with swift ascent he up return'd,
Into his blifsful bofom reaffum'd

In glory as of old; to him appeas'd

225

All, tho' allknowing, what had past with man Recounted, mixing interceffion sweet.

Mean while, ere thus was finn'd and judg'd on earth,

Within the gates of Hell fat Sin and Death, 230
In counterview within the gates, that now
Stood open wide, belching outrageous flame
Far into, Chaos, fince the Fiend paft through,
Sin opening: who thus now to Death began.
O fon! why fit we here each other view-
ing
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Idly, while Satan our great author thrives
In other worlds, and happier feat provides
For us his offspring dear? It cannot be
But that fuccefs attends him: if mifhap,
Ere this he had return'd, with fury driven 240
By his avengers, fince no place like this.
Can fit his punishment, or their revenge.
Methinks I feel new strength within me rise,
Wings growing, and dominion giv'n me large
Beyond this deep: whatever draws me on, 245
Or fympathy, or fome connatural force,
Pow'rful at greatest distance to unite
With fecret amity things of like kind
By fecreteft conveyance. Thou, my shade
Infeparable, must with me along:

For Death from Sin no pow'r can separate.

But left the difficulty of paffing back

Stay his return perhaps over this gulf

Impallable, impervious; let us try

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Advent'rous work, yet to thy pow'r and

mine

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Not unagreeable, to found a path

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