230

Sole Eve, associate sole, to me beyond
Compare above all living creatures dear,
Well hast thou motion'd, well thy thoughts employ'd
How we might best fulfil the work which here
God hath assign’d us, nor of me shalt pass
Unprais'd; for nothing lovelier can be found
In woman, than to study household good,
And good works in her husband to promote.
Yet not so strictly hath our Lord impos’d
Labour, as to debar us when we need
Refreshment, whether food, or talk between,

235

uses

wove

finely describes in the eighth account of her being the mother book, shows itself here in many of all living, Gen. iii. 20. the epifine instances: as in those fond thet sole is as properly applied regards he cast towards Eve at to Eve as to associale. Pearce. her parting from him, ver. 397. 227. -beyond

- Compare]

I think we took notice before, Her long with ardent look his eye pursued

that Milton sometimes Delighted, &c.

the substantive for an adjec

tive, and an adjective for a in his impatience and amuse

substantive. And here we may ment during her absence, ver.

observe, that sometimes he makes 838.

a verb of a noun, and again a -Adam the while,

noun of a verb. A noun of a Waiting desirous her return, had

verb as here, beyond compare, Of choicest flow'rs a garland &c.

and vi. 549.'

Instant without disturb they took but particularly in that passionate

alarm. speech, where seeing her irre- And a verb of a noun, as in vii. coverably lost, he resolves to

412. perish with her rather than to live without her, ver. 904.

Tempest the ocean.

And in like manner he makes -some cursed fraud Of enemy hath beguild thee &c.

the adjective a verb, as in vi.

440. The beginning of this speech,

to better us, and worse our foes; and the preparation to it, are animated with the same spirit and again the verb an adjective, as the conclusion which I have as in viii. 576. here quoted. Addison.

Made so adorn. 227. Sole Eve, associale sole,] Several other instances in each As she had her name Eve upon kind might be cited.

245

Food of the mind, or this sweet intercourse
Of looks and smiles, for smiles from reason flow,
To brute denied, and are of love the food,

240
Love not the lowest end of human life.
For not to irksome toil, but to delight
He made us, and delight to reason join'd.
These paths and bow’rs doubt not but our joint hands
Will keep from wilderness with ease, as wide
As we need walk, till younger hands ere long
Assist us: but if much converse perhaps
Thee satiate, to short absence I could yield :
For solitude sometimes is best society,
And short retirement urges sweet return.
But other doubt possesses me, lest harm
Befall thee sever'd from me; for thou know'st
What hath been warn'd us, what malicious foe
Envying our happiness, and of his own
Despairing, seeks to work us woe and shame
By sly assault; and somewhere nigh at hand
Watches, no doubt, with greedy hope to find
His wish and best advantage, us asunder,

250

255

239. —smiles from reason flow,] 249. is best society,] As SciSmiling is so great an indication pio said, Never less alone than of reason, that some philosophers when alone. Nunquam minus have altered the definition of solus quam cum solus. man from animal rationale to ri 250. And short relirement urges sibile, affirming man to be the sweet return.) Retirement, though only creature endowed with the but short, makes the return power of laughter. Hume.

sweet: the word urges is to be 244. These paths and bow'rs] referred to retirement only, and So it is in the first and best edi- not to the epithet, which Adam tions, and not The paths and seems to annex to it, only be bow'rs, as both Dr. Bentley and cause he could not bear to think Mr. Fenton have by mistake of a long one. Pearce. printed it.

Hopeless to circumvent us join’d, where each
To other speedy aid might lend at need ;

260
Whether his first design be to withdraw
Our feälty from God, or to disturb
Conjugal love, than which perhaps no bliss
Enjoy'd by us excites his envy more;
Or this, or worse, leave not the faithful side

265
That gave thee be’ing, still shades thee and protects.
The wife, where danger or dishonour lurks,
Safest and seemliest by her husband stays,
Who guards her, or with her the worst endures.

To whom the virgin majesty of Eve,
As one who loves, and some unkindness meets,
With sweet austere composure this replied.

Offspring of heav'n and earth, and all earth's lord,
That such an enemy we have, who seeks
Our ruin, both by thee inform’d I learn,

875 And from the parting angel over-heard, As in a shady nook I stood behind, Just then return'd at shut of evening flowers.

270

270. —the virgir majesty of the word virgin from the ItaEve,] The ancients used the lian virginale, which is an epithet word virgin with more latitude very frequent in their poets than we, as Virgil, Eclog. vi. when describing beauty, mo47. calls Pasiphae virgin after desty, &c. Thyer. she had had three children; and 278. Just then return'd at shut Ovid calls Medea adultera virgo. of evening flowers.] What a naOvid, Epist. Hypsip. Jas. 133. tural notation of evening is this! It is put here to denote beauty, and a proper time for her, who bloom, sweetness, modesty, and had gone forth among her fruits all the amiable characters which and flowers, viii. 44. to return. are usually found in a virgin, But we must not conceive that and these with matron majesty; Eve is speaking of the evening what a picture! Richardson. last past, for this was a week

It is probable that Milton ago. Satan was caught temptadopted this adjective sense of ing Eve in a dream, and filed

280

But that thou should'st my firmness therefore doubt
To God or thee, because we have a foe
May tempt it, I expected not to hear.
His violence thou fear'st not, being such
As we, not capable of death or pain,
Can either not receive, or can repel.
His fraud is then thy fear, which plain infers
Thy equal fear that my firm faith and love
Can by his fraud be shaken or seduc'd ;
Thoughts, which how found they harbour in thy beast,
Adam, misthought of her to thee so dear ?

To whom with healing words Adam replied. 290 Daughter of God and man, immortal Eve,

285

out of Paradise that night, and 289. Adam, misthought of her with this ends book the fourth. to thee so dear?] Dr. Bentley After he had fled out of Para- says that these words express dise he was ranging round the Adam's affection to her, and not world seven days: but we have her's to him, as the sense renot any account of Adam and quires : he therefore reads, to Eve excepting only on the first thee so true? But Milton gave of those days, which begins it dear, and made Eve here alwith the beginning of book the lude to what Adam had said of fifth, where Eve relates her her in ver. 227. dream; that day at noon the

to me beyond angel Raphael comes down from Compare above all living creatures heaven; the angel and Adam

dear. discourse together till evening, If I am so dear to you, as you and they part at the end of said, how can you thus think book the eighth. There are six amiss of me? This was a good days therefore past in silence, argument in Eve's mouth. and we hear no more of Adam Pearce. and Eve, till Satan had stolen 291. Daughter of God and again into Paradise.

man, immortal Eve,] As Eve 282. His violence thou fear'st had called Adam Offspring of not,] Adam had not said so heaven and earth, as made by expressly, but had implied as God out of the dust of the much in enlarging particularly earth ; so Adam calls Eve upon his sly assauli, ver. 256, Daughter of God and man, as &c.

made by God out of man; and

For such thou art, from sin and blame entire :
Not diffident of thee do I dissuade
Thy absence from my sight, but to avoid
Th’ attempt itself, intended by our foe.

295
For he who tempts, though' in vain, at least asperses
The tempted with dishonour foul, suppos’d
Not incorruptible of faith, not proof
Against temptation ; thou thyself with scorn
And anger would'st resent the offer'd wrong, 800
Though ineffectual found : misdeem not then,
If such affront I labour to avert
From thee alone, which on us both at once
The enemy, though bold, will hardly dare,
Or daring, first on me th' assault shall light.
Nor thou his malice and false guile contemn;
Subtle he needs must be, who could seduce
Angels ; nor think superfluous others aid.
I from the influence of thy looks receive
Access in every virtue, 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-reach'd
Would utmost vigour raise, and rais'd unite.

305

310

acknowledges her to be immortal, should be called a case absolute, as she had said herself, ver. 283. or an ellipsis, we leave to the that they were not capable of grammarians to determine. Jor. death or pain ; but only so long tin. as she was entire from sin and 314. -and rais'd unite.] blame : integer vitæ, scelerisque Would unite and add vigour purus. Hor. od. i. xxii. 1. to wisdom, watchfulness, and

312. -while shame, thou look- every virtue mentioned before. ing on,] Milton often uses the If this be not the meaning, it nominative case absolute, as the must be understood thus, Would Greeks do; which whether it raise the utmost vigour, and VOL. II.

K