EURUS, (q) and ZEPHYR; with their SideWinds SIROCco, (s) and LIBECCHIO. (t) Thus Outrage began from Things without Life: But DisCORD (the Daughter of SIN) first introduc'd DEATH among the irrational Creatures, through fierce Antipathy: Beaft now began to fight with Beast, Fowl with Fowl, and Fish with Fish, all leaving to graze upon the Grass devoured one another; nor did they stand much in Awe of MAN, but fled from him, or paffing by him, glar'd on him with a grim Counte

nance.

CHA P. IV.

Adam bewails his fallen Condition; Eve endea vours to appease him, but does not fucceed. He exhorts her to feek Peace by Repentance.

T

HESE were the growing Miseries from without, which ADAM in Part already faw, though hid in the gloomieft Shade, and abandon'd to Sorrow: But within himself he felt worse Misery, and his Mind was tofs'd and thrown up and down in a troubled Sea of disorder'd Paffions; which

Eaftern Countries, especially thofe on the Mediterranean Sea, where the Sun rifeth. The East Wind.

(p) Ponent; Lat. Fr. Milt. i. e. Laying down; because there the Sun fets down to our Appearance. Fr. Vent du Ponant, i. e. The Weft Wind, i. e. The Winds rifing and fetting; the Eaft and West Winds.

(q) Eurus; Lat. Gr. i. e.

Belonging to the Eaft. The
Eaft Wind.

(r) Sirocco; Ital. Span. Lat. Japyx, i. e. Blowing from Syria. The South-Eaft Wind; becaufe Syria lies South-Eaft from Italy and Spain.

(s) Libecchio; Span. Ital. i. e. Blowing from Lybia. The South-Welt Wind; because Lybia lies South-Weft from Italy and Spain.

which he endeavour'd thus to difburthen with fad Complaint:

How miferable am I become, who was once fo happy! Is this the End of this new glorious World, and of me, fo lately the Glory of that Glory, who from being blefs'd am now become accurs'd? Hide me from the Face of GoD, whom to behold was once the Height of my Happiness! -----Yet if the Mifery would end here, it were well; I deferv'd it, and would bear my own Defervings: But this will not ferve! all that I eat or drink, or fhall beget, is propagating and prolonging the Curfe. O Voice heard once with fo much Delight, INCREASE AND MULTIPLY; now it is DEATH to hear it! for what can I increase and multiply, except it be Curfes on my own Head? Who will there be of all fucceeding Ages, but, feeling the Evil brought upon him by me, will curfe my Head? He will cry, may our impure Anceftor fare ill! for this we may thank ADAM! but these his Thanks fhall be the Execration! So, befides my own Curfe that abides upon me, all from me fhall rebound fiercely back on me, and tend to me as their natural Center; there being light, as having reach'd that Center, and loft their Gravity, which in other Places they had! O fleeting Joys of PARADISE, dearly bought with lafting Mifery! Did I requeft Thee, O Thou who mad'ft me, to make me a MAN, when I was nothing but Clay? Did I follicit Thee to take me forth out of Darknefs? Or to place me here in this delicious Garden? As my Will did not concur to my Being, it were but right and juft to reduce me to what I was before, that is to Duft; being defirous to refign, and give back again all I have receiv'd; feeing I have been unable to perform thy too hard Terms, by which I was to hold the Good that I had not fought. To the Lofs of that Good, (which is fufficient Penalty!) why haft thou added the Senfe of

endless

endless Woes? In this, thy Juftice does not feem to appear. Yet, to fay the Truth, I conteft thus when it is too late; these Terms, whatever they might be, fhould then have been refus'd, when they were propos'd. I may be anfwer'd thus; thou didft accept them, wilt thou enjoy the Good, and then cavil at the Conditions? And, though GOD did make thee without thy Leave, what if thy Son prove difobedient, and being reprov'd, fhould anfwer and object to thee, wherefore didft thou beget me? I fought it not, nor defir'd it of thee! would'ft thou admit of that proud Excufe of his Contempt of thee? And yet it was not thy Election, but natural Neceffity that begot him. GOD made thee of Choice, his own, and of his own to serve him; thy Reward was of his Grace; then thy Punishment, for certain, is juftly at his Will. Then be it fo! for I fubmit; his Doom is righteous, that I am Duft and to Duft I fhall return again. O welcome Hour, come whenever it will! why does his Hand delay to execute, what his Decree fix'd upon this Day? Why do I live over it? Why am I mock'd with DEATH,, and yet preferv'd and prolong'd to deathlefs Pain? How gladly would I meet the Mortality that I was fentenc'd to, and become infenfible Earth! How gladly would I lay me down, as in my Mother's Lap! There I fhould reft, there I fhould fleep fecurely: His dreadful Voice would no more thunder in my Ears: I fhould not be tormented with Fears of worfe to me and my Offfpring, which now torment me with cruel Expectation! ----- Yet there is one Doubt purfues me ftill, lest I cannot wholly die; left that pure Breath of Life, the Spirit of MAN, which GOD breath'd into him, cannot perish together with this corporal Clay: Then who knows but in the Grave, or fome other difmal Place, I fhall die a living Death? O horrid Thought, if it be true! Yet why fhould it be fo? It was but Breath of Life that finn'd; and what dies but what

had

had Life and Sin? The Body, properly fpeaking, hath neither. Then all of me fhall die: Let this quiet the Doubt, fince human Understanding knows no further. For though the LORD of all be indeed infinite, is his Wrath fo to? Suppofe it! MAN is not fo, but declar'd and doom'd mortal. Then how can he exercise Wrath without End upon MAN, whom DEATH muft end? Can he make deathlefs DEATH? That were to make a strange Contradiction, which is held impoffible to GOD himfelf; as it would be an Argument of Weakness, not of Power. Will he, for Anger's Sake, draw out finite to infinite in punifh'd MAN, to fatisfy his Anger, which never will be fatisfy'd? That were to extend his Sentence beyond Duft, and the Law of Nature; by which all Causes elfe act, according to the Matter they have to work upon, and not to the Extent of their own Power. But say that DEATH be not, as I fuppos'd, one Stroke, bereaving the Senfes, but endless Misery from this Day forward; which I feel begun both within me and without me, and fo it is to laft perpetually. Ah me! that Fear comes thundering back dreadfully on my defencelefs Head: DEATH, as well as I, is found eternal, and both incorporated. Nor I fingle on my Part; in me all Pofterity stands curs'd! Ah my Sons! this is a fair Patrimony that I must leave you! O! that I were able to waste it all myself, and leave you none! Being fo difinherited, how would you then blefs me, who am now your Curfe! Ah! why fhould all MANKIND be thus, without Guilt, condemn'd for one MAN's Fault? MANKIND! and guiltlefs, can that be? For what can proceed from me but what is all corrupt, deprav'd both Mind and Will; not to do only, but to will the fame as me ? How then can they ftand acquitted in the Sight of GOD? After all Difputes, I am forc'd to abfolve him: All my vain Reasonings and Evafions, tho' through many Mazes, lead ftill but to my own Conviction :

First and last all the Blame juftly lights on me, and me only, as the Source and Spring of all Corruption: All the Blame! fo might the Wrath fall on me! Fond Wish! Could'st thou fupport that Burthen, heavier to bear than the Earth; much heavier than all the World, though divided with that bad WOMAN? Thus what thou defireft and what thou feareft, equally deftroys all Hope of Refuge, and concludes thee miferable, beyond all paft and future Example; and like to nothing but SATAN, both in Crime and Doom. O CONSCIENCE! into what an Abyfs of Fears and Horrors haft thou driven me? Out of which I can find no Way, but go plunging deeper and deeper!

THUS ADAM made loud Lamentation in the Stillness of the Night; which was not wholefome, cool, and mild, as it was before MAN fell; but accompanied with black Air, with dreadful Gloom and Dampnefs; which reprefented every Thing to his evil Conscience with double Terror. He lay out-stretch'd upon the cold Ground! and often curs'd his Creation: DEATH he accus'd as often, tardy of Execution, fince it was threaten'd to be on the Day that he offended. Why (faid he) does not DEATH Come, with one thrice-welcomed Stroke to end me? Shall Truth fail to keep her Word? Why does not divine Justice haften to be juft? But DEATH does not come at all, divine Juftice not the quicker for Prayers or Cries! O Woods! O Fountains, Hills, Valleys, and Bowers! lately I taught your Shades to answer with Ecchoes not like thefe, and to refound a Song far different! When fad Ev E, defolate where she fat, beheld ADAM thus afflicted; approaching near, fhe tried with foft Words to allay the Fiercenefs of his Paffion: But ADAM, with an angry Look, thus check'd and repell'd her: