To whom then, first incens'd, Adam reply'd.
"Is this the love, is this the recompense
Of mine to thee, ingrateful Eve, exprefs'd
Immutable when thou wert loft, 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 tranfgreffing? not enough fevere,
It feems, in thy reftraint: what could I more?
I warn'd thee, I admonish'd thee, foretold
The danger, and the lurking enemy

That lay in wait; beyond this had been force,
And force upon free-will hath here no place.
But confidence then bore thee on, fecure
Either to meet no danger, or to find
Matter of glorious trial; and perhaps
I alfo err'd in overmuch admiring

What feem'd in thee fo perfect, that I thought
No evil durft attempt thee; but I rue

That error now, which is become my crime,
And thou th' accufer. Thus it fhall befall
Him who to worth in women overtrusting
Lets her will rule; restraint she will not brook,
And left to' herself, if evil thence enfue,
She first his weak indulgence will accufe."
Thus they in mutual accusation spent

The fruitless hours, but neither felf-condemning,
And of their vain conteft appear'd no end.

THE END OF THE NINTH BOOK.

THE

TENTH BOOK

OF

PARADISE LOST.

THE ARGUMENT.

Man's tranfgreffion known, the guardian Angels forfake Paradise, and return up to Heaven to approve their vigilance; and are approved, God declaring that the entrance of Satan could not be by them prevented. He fends his Son to judge the tranfgreffors, who defcends and gives sentence accordingly; then in pity clothes them both, and reascends. Sin and Death, fitting till then at the gates of Hell, by wondrous fympathy, feeling the fuccess of Satan in this new world, and the fin by Man there committed, refolve to fit no longer confined in Hell, but to follow Satan their fire up to the place of Man. To make the way cafier from Hell to this world to and fro, they pave a broad highway or bridge over Chaos, according to the track that Satan first made; then, preparing for earth, they meet him, proud of his success, returning to Hell: their mutual gratulation. Satan arrives at Pandemonium; in full affembly relates, with boasting, his success against Man; instead of applause is entertained with a general hifs by all his audience, transform'd with himself alfo fuddenly into ferpents, according to his doom given in Paradise ; then, deluded with a fhew of the forbidden tree springing up before them, they, greedily reaching to take of the fruit, chew duft and bitter ashes. The proceedings of Sin and Death. God foretels the final victory of his Son over them, and the renewing of all things; but, for the present, commands his Angels to make several alterations in the Heavens and elements. Adam, more and more perceiving his fallen condition, heavily bewails; rejects the condolement of Eve; she perfifts, and at length appeases him: then, to evade the curfe likely to fall on their offspring, proposes to Adam violent ways, which he approves not, byt, conceiving better hope, puts her in mind of the late promise made them, that her seed fhould be revenged on the Serpent, and exhorts her, with him, to feck peace with the offended Deity by repentance and fupplication.

PARADISE LOST.

ВООК Х.

MEANWHILE the heinous and despiteful act

Of Satan done in Paradise, and how
He in the serpent had perverted Eve,

Her husband the, to taste the fatal fruit,

Was known in Heav'n; for what can 'scape the eye
Of God all-feeing, or deceive his heart
Omniscient? who, in all things wise and just,

Hinder'd not Satan to attempt the mind

Of Man, with ftrength entire, and free-will arm'd, Complete to have discover'd and repuls'd

Whatever wiles of foe or feeming friend.

For ftill they knew, and ought to have still remember'd,
The high injunction not to taste that fruit,
Whoever tempted; which they not obeying,
Incurr'd (what could they lefs?) the penalty,
And, manifold in fin, deserv'd to fall.
Up into Heav'n from Paradise in hafte
Th' angelic guards afcended, mute and fad

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