GET out of my Sight, thou Serpent!-- --That Name is fitteft for thee, who art leagu'd with him; thyfelf as falfe as he, and as hateful! there's nothing wanting, but that thy Shape and ferpentine Colour, like his may fhow thy inward Fraud; to warn all Creatures henceforth to avoid thee, left that too heavenly Form, held to Sight to hide hellish Falfhood, enfnare them!---- Had it not been for thee, I had perfifted happy; had not thy Pride and wand'ring Vanity, when it was leaft fafe, rejected my Forewarning, and difḍain'd to be thought not fit to be trufted alone; longing to be feen, though it were by the Devil himfelf; vainly thinking to over-reach him: But meeting with the Serpent, art fool'd and beguil'd; thou by him, and I by thee, to trust thee from my Side; imagining thee to be wife, conftant, confiderate, and Proof against all Affaults; and did not understand that all was but a Show, rather than folid Virtue; all nothing but a Rib, crooked by Nature, beft thrown out, as found fupernumerary to my just Number! O why did GoD, the wife CREATOR! that peopled the highest Heaven with mafculine Spirits, at laft create this Novelty upon Earth, this fair Defect of Nature? And not fill the World at once with MEN, as Heaven with Angels, without any Female? Or find out fome other Way to generate MANKIND? Then this Mifchief had not happen'd, and more that fhall happen; numberlefs Difturbances upon Earth, through the Snares of Women, and a ftrait Conjunction with this Sex! for either a MAN fhall never find out a fit Mate, but fuch as fome Miftake or Misfortune brings him; or her, he wishes for moft, and loves beft, through her Perverfenefs fhall feldom gain, but fhall fee her gain'd by a far worfe than himfelf; or if fhe love him, with-held by Parents; or fhall meet her, who would be his happieft Choice, already bound in Wedlock to another, perhaps his Enemy, опе one that is his Hate or Shame; which fhall caufe infinite Calamities to human Life, and confound domeftick Peace! But HE faid no more, and turn'd from her. EVE, not repuls'd fo, with Tears that flow'd continually, and difhevell'd Hair, fell humbly at his Feet; and embracing them, entreated him to be at Peace, and proceeded thus in her Complaint: 111 ADAM! do not abandon me thus; witness Heaven, what fincere Love and Reverence in my Heart I bear thee, and have offended not knowingly; but being unhappily deceiv'd! with humbleft Supplication I beg to be forgiven, and clafp thy Knees. Do not bereave me of that, on which I live, thy gentle Looks, thy kind Affiftance and Counsel in this uttermoft Diftrefs, my only Strength and Support! Forfaken of thee, whither thall I betake me? - Where fhall I fubfift? While we yet live (which perhaps may be scarce one fhort Hour) let there be Peace between us two! both joining in one Enmity (as join'd in Injuries) againft a Foe, exprefly affign'd us by Fate, that cruel Serpent! ------ Do not exercife thy Hatred on me for this Mifery which is befallen us; upon me, who am already loft! me, more miserable than thyfelf! We both have finn'd! but thou only against GOD; I, both againft GoD and thee; and will return to the Place of Judgment, there to importune Heaven with my Cries, that all the Sentence remov'd from thy Head may light upon me, who am the fole Cause of all this Woe to thee: Yes! it is I alone, that am the juft Object of his Wrath! SHE ended weeping, and kept immoveable in her humble Pofture; 'till having obtain'd Peace from her Fault acknowledg'd, and repented, fhe wrought Commiferation in ADAM: His Heart foon relented to wards her, to fee her, who fo lately was his only Delight, and dear to him as Life, now in fuch Distress, fubmiflive at his Feet! to fee fo fair a Creature feeking his Reconcilement whom she had difpleas'd, and fuing for his Counfel and Affiftance! Difarm'd at once, he loft all his Anger, and thus with peaceful Words he foon rais'd her up from the Ground: UNWARY EVE! and too defirous (now as thou wert before) of what thou knoweft not, who defireft, that the Punishment of both our Crimes may all light upon thyfelf! Alas! bear thy own Part firft; thou art ill able to fuftain his full Wrath, of which as yet thou feel'ft but the leaft Part, and feeft how ill thou can'ft bear even my Difpleasure. If Prayers could alter the Decrees of Heaven, I would fpeed to the Place of Judgment before thee; and be heard louder requefting that upon my Head all might be vifited, and thy Frailty and infirmer Sex be forgiven; which was committed to my Care, and through my Permiffion expos'd to Hazard. But rife! But rife! Let us contend no more, nor blame each other; we are blam'd enough elsewhere but let us ftrive in Offices of Love, how we may make each others Burthen lighter in our Share of Mifery; fince DEATH threaten'd us this Day, (if I judge right) will prove a flow-pac'd and not a fudden Evil; a long Day's dying, in Augmentation of our Pain; and be entail'd (Oh Mifery to think on!) upon our Posterity. ---- To whom Ev E, taking fresh Courage, replied thus: ADAM! I know by fad Experiment, how little Weight my Words ought to have with thee, having been found fo erroneous; thence (as is the just Event of Error) found fo unfortunate: Neverthelefs, being reftor'd by thee to a Place of new Acceptance, (vile as I am!) I am hopeful yet to regain thy Love, which is the only Contentment of my Heart, either living ог or dying; fo that I will not hide from thee what Thoughts are rifen in my unquiet Breaft, tending either to end our extreme Sorrow, or give fome Relief to it; which Means, though fharp and fad, yet are better to be chofe, and more tolerable than our prefent Evils. If the Care of those who are to defcend from us, be what perplexes us moft, as they must be born to certain Misery, and be at last devour'd by DEATH. (and it is a miferable Thing, to be the Caufe of Mifery to others, and thofe our own Begotten; out of our own Loins, to bring into this curs'd World a miferable Race, that, after bearing wretched Life, must be at laft Food for fo foul a Monfter!) It lies yet in thy Power, before Conception, to prevent the unbleft Race, to prevent being what is yet unbegot. Thou art yet childlefs, childless remain ftill: So DEATH fhall be deceiv'd of his Glut, and be forc'd to fatisfy his ravenous Maw with us two only. But if thou judge it difficult and too hard, converfing together, looking upon and loving one another, to abstain from fweet nuptial Embraces, the Rites due to Love; and without Hope to languish with Defire, before the Object that languifhes with like Defire; (which would be a Mifery and Torment as great as any that we dread) then, to free both ourselves and Seed at once from what we fear for both, let us make fhort Work, let us feek DEATH; ----- or if he is not to be found, let us ourselves with our own Hands fupply his Office. Why do we ftand any longer fhivering under Fears, that fhow no End but DEATH; and yet have the Power of many Ways to die? Why not chufing the shortest prevent the Deftruction of our Pofterity, by destroying ourselves? SHE ended here; or else vehement Defpair broke off the reft she had to fay: Her Thoughts had entertain'd fo much of DEATH, as made her Cheek quite pale: But ADA M, nothing fway'd by fuch Counfel, A a 3 had had rais'd his labouring and more attentive Mind to better Hopes; and thus he reply'd to EVE: EVE! thy Contempt of Life and Pleasure, feems to argue fomething in thee more fublime and excellent, than that which thy Mind contemns. But, therefore feeking Self-Deflruction refutes that Excellence, thought to be in thee; and implies not thy Contempt of Life, but Anguish and Regret for the Lofs of it, and Pleasure over-lov'd. Or if thou covet'ft DEATH, as the utmoft End of all Mifery, fo thinking to evade the Penalty pronounc'd; doubt not but GOD hath more wifely arm'd his angry Vengeance, than to be fore-ftail'd and difappointed fo: I am much more afraid, left DEATH, if we should fo fnatch it, will not exempt us from the Pain, which we are by Doom to pay. Rather fuch Acts of Contumacy will provoke GoD to make DEATH live in us! Then let us feek fome fafer Refolution, which methinks I have in my View; with Heed calling to Mind that Part of our Sentence, that THY SEED SHALL BRUISE THE SERPENT'S HEAD; a poor Amends! unlefs (which as I conjecture) our great Enemy SATAN be meant; who, in the Serpent, hath contriv'd this Deceit against us. To crush his Head would be Revenge indeed! which will be loft, if we were to bring DEATH upon ourfelves; or refolve, as thou haft propos'd, to live childlefs: So our Foe fhall efcape the Punishment ordain'd him, and we, instead of that, fhall double ours upon our own Heads. Then don't let any more be mention'd of Violence upon ourfelves, or willful Barrennefs, that cuts us off from Hope, and only favours of Rancour, Pride, Impatience, and Defpight, and Reluctance against GoD, and his juft Yoke laid upon our Necks. Let us remember, with what mild and gracious Temper he both heard and judg'd us; without Anger, and without Reproaches. We expected immediate Diffoluti |
