Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

395 To reach, and feed at once both body and mind?' So saying, her rash hand in evil hour

Forth-reaching to the fruit, she plucked, she eat.
Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat,
Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe
400 That all was lost. Back to the thicket slunk
The guilty Serpent, and well might; for Eve,
Intent now only on her taste, naught else
Regarded; such delight till then, as seemed,
In fruit she never tasted, whether true,
405 Or fancied so through expectation high

Of knowledge; nor was Godhead from her thought.
Greedily she engorged without restraint,

And knew not eating death. Satiate at length And hightened as with wine, jocund and boon, 410 Thus to herself she pleasingly began:

[ocr errors]

'O sovran, virtuous, precious of all trees In Paradise! of operation blest

To sapience, hitherto obscured, infamed, And thy fair fruit let hang, as to no end 415 Created! but henceforth my early care,

Not without song, each morning, and due praise,
Shall tend thee, and the fertile burden ease
Of thy full branches, offered free to all;
Till, dieted by thee, I grow mature

420 In knowledge, as the Gods who all things know. Though others envy what they cannot give

[ocr errors]

For, had the gift been theirs, it had not here Thus grown! Experience, next to thee I owe, Best guide: not following thee, I had remained 425 In ignorance; thou open'st Wisdom's way,

And giv'st access, though secret she retire.
And I perhaps am secret: Heaven is high-
High, and remote to see from thence distinct
Each thing on Earth; and other care perhaps
430 May have diverted from continual watch

Our great Forbidder, safe with all his spies
About him. But to Adam in what sort
Shall I appear? Shall I to him make known
As yet my change, and give him to partake
435 Full happiness with me, or rather not,

But keep the odds of knowledge in my power
Without copartner? so to add what wants
In female sex, the more to draw his love,
And render me more equal, and perhaps
sometime

440 A thing not undesirable

Superior; for, inferior, who is free?

--

This may be well; but what if God have seen,
And death ensue? Then I shall be no more;

And Adam, wedded to another Eve, 445 Shall live with her enjoying, I extinct!

450

A death to think! Confirmed, then, I resolve
Adam shall share with me in bliss or woe.
So dear I love him that with him all deaths
I could endure, without him live no life.'

So saying, from the tree her step she turned,
But first low reverence done, as to the Power
That dwelt within, whose presence had infused
Into the plant sciential sap, derived

From nectar, drink of Gods. Adam the while, 455 Waiting desirous her return, had wove

Of choicest flowers a garland, to adorn
Her tresses, and her rural labours crown,
A's reapers oft are wont their harvest-queen.
Great joy he promised to his thoughts, and new
460 Solace in her return, so long delayed;

Yet oft his heart, divine of something ill,
Misgave him. He the faltering measure felt,
And forth to meet her went, the way she took
That morn when first they parted. By the Tree
465 Of Knowledge he must pass; there he her met,
Scarce from the tree returning; in her hand
A bough of fairest fruit, that downy smiled,
New gathered, and ambrosial smell diffused.
To him she hasted; in her face excuse

470 Came prologue, and apology to prompt,

Which, with bland words at will, she thus addressed: 'Hast thou not wondered, Adam, at my stay? Thee I have missed, and thought it long, deprived agony of love till now

Thy presence

475 Not felt, nor shall be twice; for never more

Mean I to try, what rash untried I sought,
The pain of absence from thy sight. But strange
Hath been the cause, and wonderful to hear.
This tree is not, as we are told, a tree

480 Of danger tasted, nor to evil unknown
Opening the way, but of divine effect

To open eyes, and make them Gods who taste;
And hath been tasted such. The Serpent wise,
Or not restrained as we, or not obeying,

485 Hath eaten of the fruit, and is become

Not dead, as we are threatened, but thenceforth
Endued with human voice and human sense,
Reasoning to admiration, and with me.
Persuasively hath so prevailed that I

490 Have also tasted, and have also found
The effects to correspond

[ocr errors]

opener mine eyes,

Dim erst, dilated spirits, ampler heart,

[ocr errors]

And growing up to Godhead; which for thee Chiefly I sought, without thee can despise. 495 For bliss, as thou hast part, to me is bliss; Tedious, unshared with thee, and odious soon. Thou, therefore, also taste, that equal lot May join us, equal joy, as equal love; Lest, thou not tasting, different degree 500 Disjoin us, and I then too late renounce Deity for thee, when fate will not permit.' Thus Eve with countenance blithe her story told; But in her cheek distemper flushing glowed. On the other side, Adam, soon as he heard 505 The fatal trespass done by Eve, amazed,

Astonied stood and blank, while horror chill Ran through his veins, and all his joints relaxed. From his slack hand the garland wreathed for Eve Down dropt, and all the faded roses shed. 510 Speechless he stood and pale, till thus at length First to himself he inward silence broke:

'O fairest of Creation, last and best

Of all God's works, creature in whom excelled
Whatever can to sight or thought be formed,

515 Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet!

How art thou lost! how on a sudden lost,
Defaced, deflowered, and now to death devote!
Rather, how hast thou yielded to transgress
The strict forbiddance, how to violate

520 The sacred fruit forbidden? Some cursed fraud
Of enemy hath beguiled thee, yet unknown,
And me with thee hath ruined; for with thee
Certain my resolution is to die.

How can I live without thee? how forgo

525 Thy sweet converse, and love so dearly joined,
To live again in these wild woods forlorn?
Should Gold create another Eve, and I
Another rib afford, yet loss of thee

Would never from my heart. No, no! I feel
530 The link of nature draw me: flesh of flesh,
Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state
Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe.'

So saying, she embraced him, and for joy 535 Tenderly wept, much won that he his love Had so ennobled as of choice to incur Divine displeasure for her sake, or death. In recompense (for such compliance bad Such recompense best merits), from the bough 540 She gave him of that fair enticing fruit.

With liberal hand. He scrupled not to eat,

Against his better knowledge, not deceived,
But fondly overcome with female charm.
Earth trembled from her entrails, as again
545 In pangs, and Nature gave a second groan;

Sky loured, and, muttering thunder, some sad drops
Wept at completing of the mortal Sin

Original; while Adam took no thought,
Eating his fill, nor Eve to iterate

550 Her former trespass feared, the more to soothe
Him with her loved society; that now,

As with new wine intoxicated both,

They swim in mirth, and fancy that they feel
Divinity within them breeding wings

555 Wherewith to scorn the Earth.

ED

LORD CLARENDON.

DWARD HYDE, Earl of Clarendon (1609--1674), a great statesman and historical writer, was born at Dinton, Wiltshire, in 1609. He was brought up for the bar, but entered on a political career and became one of the confidential advisers of Charles I. On the decline of the Royal cause, he went to Jersey (1646), where he began his great history of the civil war. At the Restoration (1660), after a 14 years' residence abroad, he returned to England as chief minister of Charles II. To avoid an impeachment for high treason, he retired to France in 1667, and died an exile at Rouen in 1674, his life being therefore

exactly contemporary with Milton's. His chief work, the History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England (3 vols.), at which he worked at various times during his life abroad, was not published till after his death, 1702-1704. Though written with a strong royalistic bias and somewhat marred by an involved and long-winded prose style, it is still justly considered an historical masterpiece for its vivid descriptions of the events and its splendid character-sketches of the leading men of the time. It will, moreover, never lose its value as the personal memoirs of an eyewitness of that eventful time.

CHARACTER OF CHARLES I.

It will not be unnecessary to add the short character of his person, that posterity may know the inestimable loss which the nation then un5 derwent, in being deprived of a prince whose example would have had a greater influence upon the manners and piety of the nation than the most strict laws can have. To speak first 10 of his private qualifications as a man, before the mention of his princely and royal virtues; he was, if ever any, the most worthy of the title of an honest man; so great a lover of justice,

that no temptation could dispose him 15
to a wrongful action, except it were
so disguised to him that he believed
it to be just. He had a tenderness
and compassion of nature which re-
strained him from ever doing a hard- 20
hearted thing; and therefore he was
so apt to grant pardon to malefactors,
that his judges represented to him
the damage and insecurity to the
public that flowed from such his in- 25
dulgence; and then he restrained him-
self from pardoning either murders
or highway robberies, and quickly

discerned the fruits of his severity | be. He saw and observed men long 30 by a wonderful reformation of those before he received any about his enormities. person, and did not love strangers, 80 nor very confident men. He was a patient hearer of causes, which he frequently accustomed himself to at the Council Board; and judged very well, and was dexterous in the mediat- 85 ing part; so that he often put an end to causes by persuasion, which the stubbornness of men's humours made dilatory in courts of justice.

He was very punctual and regular in his devotions; so that he was never known to enter upon his recreations or sports, though never 35 so early in the morning, before he had been at public prayers; so that on hunting-days his chaplains were bound to a very early attendance. And he was likewise very strict in ob40 serving the hours of his private cabinet devotions, and was so severe an exactor of gravity and reverence in all mention of religion, that he could never endure any light or profane 45 word in religion, with what sharpness of wit soever it was covered: though he was well pleased and delighted with reading verses made upon any occasion, no man durst bring before 50 him any thing that was profane or unclean; that kind of wit had never any countenance then. He was so great an example of conjugal affection, that they who did not imitate 55 him in that particular did not brag of their liberty: and he did not only permit, but direct his bishops to prosecute those scandalous vices in the ecclesiastical courts against persons 60 of eminence and near relation to his service.

His kingly virtues had some mixture and allay that hindered them from shining in full lustre, and from 65 producing those fruits they should

have been attended with. He was not in his nature bountiful, though he gave very much: which appeared more after the Duke of Buck70 ingham's death, after which those showers fell very rarely; and he paused too long in giving, which made those to whom he gave less sensible of the benefit. He kept state to the full, 75 which made his Court very orderly, no man presuming to be seen in a place where he had no pretence to

He was very fearless in his person, 90 but not enterprising; and had an excellent understanding, but was not confident enough of it: which made him oftentimes change his own opinion for a worse, and follow the advice 95 of a man that did not judge so well as himself. And this made him more irresolute than the conjuncture of his affairs would admit. If he had been of a rougher and more imperious 100 nature, he would have found more respect and duty; and his not applying some severe cures to approaching evils, proceeded from the lenity of his nature and the tenderness of his 105 conscience, which in all cases of blood made him choose the softer way, and not hearken to severe counsels, how reasonably soever urged. This only restrained him from pursuing his ad- 110 vantage in the first Scots expedition, when, humanly speaking, he might have reduced that nation to the most slavish obedience that could have been wished. But no man can say he 115 had then many who advised him to it, but to the contrary; by a wonderful indisposition all his Council had had to fighting or any other fatigue. He was always an immoderate lover 120 of the Scottish nation, having not only been born there, but educated by that people, and besieged by them always, having few English about him until he was King; and the 125 major number of his servants being

« FöregåendeFortsätt »