Page:The Complete Poetical Works of John Milton.djvu/244

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��PARADISE LOST

��Thenceforth to speculations high or deep I turned my thoughts, and with capacious

mind

Considered all things visible in Heaven, Or Earth, or Middle, all things fair and

good.

But all that fair and good in thy divine Semblance, and in thy beauty's heavenly

ray,

United I beheld no fair to thine Equivalent or second; which compelled 609 Me thus, though importune perhaps, to

come

And gaze, and worship thee of right de- clared

Sovran of creatures, universal Dame ! " So talked the spirited sly Snake; and

Eve,

Yet more amazed, unwary thus replied: "Serpent, thy overpraising leaves in

doubt The virtue of that Fruit, in thee first

proved. But say, where grows the Tree ? from

hence how far ?

For many are the trees of God that grow In Paradise, and various, yet unknown 619 To us ; in such abundance lies our choice As leaves a greater store of fruit untouched, Still hanging incorruptible, till men Grow up to their provision, and more hands Help to disburden Nature of her bearth." To whom the wily Adder, blithe and

glad;

" Empress, the way is ready, and not long Beyond a row of myrtles, on a flat, Fast by a fountain, one small thicket past Of blowing myrrh and balm. If thou ac- cept 629 My conduct, I can bring thee thither soon." "Lead, then," said Eve. He, leading,

swiftly rowled

In tangles, and made intricate seem straight, To mischief swift. Hope elevates, and joy Brightens his crest. As when a wandering

fire, Compact of unctuous vapour, which the

night

Condenses, and the cold invirons round, Kindled through agitation to a flame (Which oft, they say, some evil Spirit at- tends),

Hovering and blazing with delusive light, Misleads the amazed night-wanderer from bis way 640

��To bogs and mires, and oft through pond

or pool, There swallowed up and lost, from succour

far :

So glistered the dire Snake, and into fraud Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the Tree Of Prohibition, root of all our woe; Which when she saw, thus to her guide she

spake : " Serpent, we might have spared our

coming hither, Fruitless to me, though fruit be here to

excess,

The credit of whose virtue rest with thee Wondrous, indeed, if cause of such ef- fects ! 650 But of this tree we may not taste nor

touch;

God so commanded, and left that command Sole daughter of his voice : the rest, we live Law to ourselves; our Reason is our Law." To whom the Tempter guilefully re- plied: " Indeed ! Hath God then said that of the

fruit

Of all these garden-trees ye shall not eat, Yet lords declared of all in Earth or Air ? " To whom thus Eve, yet sinless : " Of

the fruit

Of each tree in the garden we may eat; 660 But of the fruit of this fair Tree, amidst The Garden, God hath said, ' Ye shall not

eat

Thereof, nor shall ye touch it, lest ye die.' " She scarce had said, though brief, when

now more bold The Tempter, but, with *shew of zeal and

love

To Man, and indignation at his wrong, New part puts on, and, as to passion moved, Fluctuates disturbed, yet comely, and in

act

Raised, as of some great matter to begin. As when of old some orator renowned 670 In Athens or free Rome, where eloquence Flourished, since mute, to some great cause

addressed,

Stood in himself collected, while each part, Motion, each act, won audience ere the

tongue

Sometimes in highth began, as no delay Of preface brooking through his zeal of

right:

So standing, moving, or to highth up- grown,

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