The Complete Poetry of John Milton (106 page)

   260     
To other speedie aid might lend at need;

               
Whether his first design be to withdraw

               
Our fealtie from God, or to disturb

               
Conjugal Love, then which perhaps no bliss

               
Enjoy’d by us excites his envie more;

   265     
Or this, or worse, leave not the faithful side

               
That gave thee being, still shades thee and protects.

               
The Wife, where danger or dishonour lurks,

               
Safest and seemliest by her Husband staies,

               
Who guards her, or with her the worst endures.

    
             To whom the Virgin
²²
Majestie of
Eve
,

               
As one who loves, and some unkindness meets,

               
With sweet austeer composure thus reply’d.

           
      
       Ofspring of Heav’n and Earth, and all Earths Lord,

               
That such an Enemie we have, who seeks

   275     
Our ruin, both by thee informd I learn,

               
And from the parting Angel over-heard

               
As in a shadie nook I stood behind,

               
Just then returnd at shut of Evening Flowrs.

               
But that thou shouldst my firmness therfore doubt

   280     
To God or thee, because we have a foe

               
May tempt it, I expected not to hear.

               
His violence thou fearst not, being such,

               
As wee, not capable of death or pain,

               
Can either not receave, or can repell.

   285     
His fraud is then thy fear, which plain inferrs

               
Thy equal fear that my firm Faith and Love

               
Can by his fraud be shak’n or seduc’t;

               
Thoughts, which how found they harbour in thy brest,

               
Adam
, misthought of her to thee so dear?

    
             To whom with healing words
Adam
reply’d.

               
Daughter of God and Man, immortal
Eve
,

               
For such thou art, from sin and blame entire:
²³

               
Not diffident of thee do I dissuade

               
Thy absence from my sight, but to avoid

   295     
Th’ attempt it self, intended by our Foe.

               
For hee who tempts, though in vain, at least asperses

               
The tempted with dishonour foul, suppos’d

               
Not incorruptible of Faith, not prooff

               
Against temptation: thou thy self with scorn

   300     
And anger wouldst resent the offer’d wrong,

               
Though ineffectual found: misdeem not then,

               
If such affront I labour to avert

               
From thee alone, which on us both at once

               
The Enemie, though bold, will hardly dare,

   305     
Or daring, first on mee th’ assault shall light.

               
Nor thou his malice and false guile contemn;

               
Suttle he needs must be, who could seduce

               
Angels, nor think superfluous others aid.

               
I from the influence of thy looks receave

   310     
Access
²⁴
in every Vertue, in thy sight

               
More wise, more watchful, stronger, if need were

               
Of outward strength; while shame, thou looking on,

               
Shame to be overcome or over-reacht

               
Would utmost vigor raise, and rais’d unite.

   315     
Why shouldst not thou like sense within thee feel

               
When I am present, and thy trial choose

               
With me, best witness of thy Vertue tri’d.

           
      
       So spake domestick
Adam
in his care

               
And Matrimonial Love; but
Eve
, who thought

   320     
Less attributed to her Faith sincere,

               
Thus her reply with accent sweet renewd.

           
      
       If this be our condition, thus to dwell

               
In narrow circuit strait’n’d by a Foe,

               
Suttle or violent, we not endu’d

   325     
Single with like defence, wherever met,

               
How are we happie, still in fear of harm?

               
But harm precedes not sin: onely our Foe

               
Tempting affronts us with his foul esteem

               
Of our integritie: his foul esteem

   330     
Sticks no dishonor on our Front,
²⁵
but turns

               
Foul on himself; then wherfore shund or feard

               
By us? who rather double honour gain

               
From his surmise prov’d false, find peace within,

               
Favour from Heav’n, our witness from th’ event.

   335     
And what is Faith, Love, Vertue unassaid

               
Alone, without exterior help sustaind?

               
Let us not then suspect our happie State

               
Left so imperfet by the Maker wise,

               
As not secure to single or combin’d.

   340     
Frail is our happiness, if this be so,

               
And
Eden
were no
Eden
thus expos’d.

           
      
       To whom thus
Adam
fervently repli’d.

               
O Woman, best are all things as the will

               
Of God ordain’d them, his creating hand

   345     
Nothing imperfet or deficient left

               
Of all that he Created, much less Man,

               
Or aught that might his happie State secure,

               
Secure from outward force; within himself

               
The danger lies, yet lies within his power:

   350     
Against his will he can receave no harm.

               
But God left free the Will, for what obeys

               
Reason, is free, and Reason he made right,

               
But bid her well beware, and still erect,
²⁶

               
Least by some fair appeering good surpris’d

   355     
She dictate false, and misinform the Will

               
To do what God expresly hath forbid.

               
Not then mistrust, but tender love enjoyns,

               
That I should mind
²⁷
thee oft, and mind thou me.

               
Firm we subsist, yet possible to swerve,

   360     
Since Reason not impossibly may meet

               
Some specious object by the Foe subornd,

               
And fall into deception unaware,

               
Not keeping strictest watch, as she was warnd.

               
Seek not temptation then, which to avoid

   365     
Were better, and most likelie if from mee

               
Thou sever not: Trial will come unsought.

               
Wouldst thou approve
²⁸
thy constancie, approve

               
First thy obedience; th’ other who can know,

               
Not seeing thee attempted, who attest?

   370     
But if thou think, trial unsought may find

               
Us both securer
²⁹
then thus warnd thou seemst,

               
Go; for thy stay, not free, absents thee more;

               
Go in thy native innocence, relie

               
On what thou hast of vertue, summon all,

   375     
For God towards thee hath done his part, do thine.

           
      
       So spake the Patriarch of Mankind, but
Eve

               
Persisted, yet submiss, though last, repli’d.

           
      
       With thy permission then, and thus forewarnd

               
Chiefly by what thy own last reasoning words

   380     
Touch’d onely, that our trial, when least sought,

               
May find us both perhaps farr less prepar’d,

               
The willinger I goe, not much expect

               
A Foe so proud will first the weaker seek,

               
So bent, the more shall shame him his repulse.

   385     
Thus saying, from her Husbands hand her hand

               
Soft she withdrew, and like a Wood-Nymph light

               
Oread
or
Dryad
, or of
Delia
’s
³⁰
Train,

               
Betook her to the Groves, but
Delia
’s self

               
In gate surpass’d and Goddess-like deport,

   390     
Though not as shee with Bow and Quiver armd,

               
But with such Gardning Tools as Art yet rude,

               
Guiltless of fire had formd, or Angels brought.

               
To
Pales
, or
Pomona
³¹
thus adornd,

               
Likest she seemd,
Pomona
when she fled

   395     
Vertumnus
, or to
Ceres
in her Prime,

               
Yet Virgin of
Proserpina
from
Jove.

               
Her long with ardent look his Eye pursu’d

               
Delighted, but desiring more her stay.

               
Oft he to her his charge of quick return

   400     
Repeated, shee to him as oft engag’d

               
To be returnd by Noon amid the Bowr,

               
And all things in best order to invite

               
Noontide repast, or Afternoons repose.

               
O much deceav’d, much failing, hapless
Eve
,

   405     
Of thy presum’d return I event perverse!

               
Thou never from that hour in Paradise

               
Foundst either sweet repast, or sound repose;

               
Such ambush hid among sweet Flowrs and Shades

               
Waited with hellish rancour imminent

   410     
To intercept thy way, or send thee back

               
Despoild of Innocence, of Faith, of Bliss.

               
For now, and since first break of dawn the Fiend,

               
Meer Serpent in appearance, forth was come,

               
And on his Quest, where likeliest he might find

   415     
The onely two of Mankind, but in them

               
The whole included Race, his purpos’d prey.

               
In Bowr and Field he sought, where any tuft

               
Of Grove or Garden-Plot more pleasant lay,

               
Thir tendance or Plantation for delight,