Harmony to behold in wedded pair More grateful than harmonious sound to th' ear, Approve the best, and follow what I approve. 605 610 Love not the heav'nly Spirits, and how their love 615 Express they, by looks only', or do they mix To whom the Angel, with a smile that glow'd Celestial rosy red, love's proper hue, Answer'd. "Let it suffice thee that thou know'st Us happy,' and without love no happiness. 621 Whatever pure thou in the body' enjoy'st (And pure thou wert created) we enjoy 625 630 Be strong, live happy', and love, but first of all Him whom to love is to obey, and keep His great command; take heed lest passion sway 635 Thy judgment to do ought, which else free will Would not admit: thine and all thy sons' The weal or woe in thee is plac'd; beware. And all the Blest: stand fast; to stand or fall 640 Perfect within, no outward aid require ; BOOK VL So saying, be arose; whom Adam thus Thy condescension, and shall be' honour'd ever 645 650 END OF THE EIGHTH BOOK. ARGUMENT. Satan, having compassed the Earth, with meditated guile returns as a mist, by night, into Paradise; enters into the serpent sleeping. Adam and Eve in the morning go forth to their labours, which Eve proposes to divide in several places, each labouring apart. Adam consents not, alleging the danger, lest that enemy, of whom they were forewarned, should attempt her found alone. Eve, loth to be thought not circumspect or firm enough, urges her going apart, the rather desirous to make trial of her strength: Adam at last yields. The serpent finds her alone; his subtle approach, first gazing, then speaking, with much flattery extolling Eve above all other creatures. Eve, wondering to hear the Serpent speak, asks how he attained to human speech and such understanding not till now: The serpent answer, that by tasting of a certain tree in the garden he attained both to speech and reason, till then void of both. Eve requires him to bring her to that tree, and finds it to be the tree of knowledge forbidden. The Serpent, now grown bolder, with many wiles and arguments induces her at length to eat : she, pleased with the taste, deliberates a while whether to impart thereof to Adam or not; at last brings him of the fruit, relates what persuaded her to eat thereof. at first, amazed, put perceiving her lost, resolves, through vehemence of love, to perish with her; and, extenuating the trespass, eats also of the fruit. The effects thereof in them both: they seek to cover their nakedness; then fall to variance and accusation of one another. Adam, PARADISE LOST. BOOK IX. No more of talk, where God or Angel guest Venial discourse unblam'd: I now must change And disobedience ; on the part of Heaven, Of my celestial patroness, who deigns And dictates to me slumb'ring, or inspires Easy my unpremeditated verse: Since first this subject for heroic song Pleas'd me, long choosing, and beginning late; Wars, hitherto the only argument BOOK IX. S 2 |