Perfect within, no outward aid require; Thy condescension, and shall be honour'd ever END OF THR EIGHTH BOOK THE ARGUMENT. SATAN having compassed the Earth, with meditated guile returns as a mist by night into Paradise, enters into the serpent sleeping. Adam and Eve in the morning go forth to their labours, which Eve proposes to divide in several places, each labouring apart : Adam consents not, alleging the danger, least that enemy, of whom they were forewarned, should attempt her, found alone: Eve loath to be found not circumspect or firm enough, urges her going apart, the rather desirous to make trial of her strength; Adam at last yields: the serpent finds her alone; his subtle approach, first gazing, then speaking, with much flattery extolling Eve above all other creatures. Eve wondering to hear the ser pent speak, asks how he attained to human speech, and such ur.. derstanding not till now; the serpent answers, that by tasting of a certain tree in the garden, he attained both to speech and reason, till then void of both: Eve requires him to bring her to that tree, and finds it to be the tree of knowledge forbidden: the ser pent now grown bolder, with many wiles and arguments induces her at length to eat; she pleased with the taste, deliberates awhile whether to impart thereof to Adam or not, at last bring him of the fruit, relates what persuaded her to eat thereof Adam at first amazed, but perceiving her lost, resolves through vehemence of love to perish with her; and extenuating the trespass, eats also of the fruit; the effects thereof in them: both; they seek to cover their nakedness; then fall to variance and accusation of one another. PARADISE LOST. BOOK IX. No more of talk where God or angel guest And disobedience; on the part of heav'n Of my celestial patroness, who deigns Easy my unpremeditated verse: Since first this subject for heroic song Pleas'd me long choosing, and beginning late; Wars, hitherto the only argument Heroic deem'd, chief mast'ry to dissect Not that which justly gives heroic name. That name, unless an age too late, or cold The sun was sunk, and after him the star "Twixt day and night, and now from end to end In meditated fraud and malice, bent On man's destruction, maugre what might hap |