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Show &Ob The State of faw. Tho' no Conftraint from Heav'urJ or C Hav'n may prevent that 111 he does forefee: And, not preventing, tho'he docs not caufe, feems to will that Men fhould break his Laws. .'brief. Heav'n may permit, but not to III confent: For hind'ring ill, he would all Choice prevent. Twere to unmake, to take away the Will. 'am. Better conftrain'd to Good, than free to III. Raph. But what Reward or Punifhment could be, If Man to neither Good nor 111 were free? Th'Eternal Juftice could decree no Pain, To him whofe Sins it felf did firft ordain 3 And Good compell'd, could no Reward exact: His Pow'r would fhine in Goodnefs, not thy Aft. Our Task is done, obey, and in that Choice, [Raphael and Gabriel fly up i„ the. Thou fhalt be bleft, and Angels fhall rejoice. (loud; the other Amels looff. Adam. Hard State of Life ! Since Heav'n fore-knows m y Will W h y am I not ty'd up from doing 111? W;hy am I trufted with m y felf at large, W h e n he's more able to fuftain the Charge ? Since Angels fell, whofe Strength was more than mine, 'TwouId fhow more Grace m y Frailty to confine. Fore-knowing the Succefs, to leave me free, Excufes him, and yet fupporrs not me. V T h' P Eve. Behold, m y Heart's dear Lord, how high the Sun ' Is mounted, yet our Labour not begun. The Ground, unbid, gives more than we can ask • But Work is Pleafure when we chufe our Task. Nature, not bounteous now, but lavilh grows, Our Paths with Flow'rsfhe prodigally ftrows-' With Pain we lift up our intangled Feet, ' While crofs our Walks the mooting Branches meet. Adam. Well has thy C are advis'd 3 'tis fit we hafte: Nature's too kind, and follows us too faft- Leaves us no Room her Treafures to pofTefs But mocks our Induftry with her Excels • And wildly wanton wears by Ni°fit away The fign of all our Labours done&by Day Eve Since then the Work's fo great, the Hands fo few, This Day let each a fev ral Task purfue. By thee, m y Hands to labour will not move But round thy Neck employ themfelves in Love W h e n thou wouldft work, one tender Touch, one Smile C H o w can I hold ?) will all thy Task beguile ' Adam. So hard we are not to our Labour ty'd That Smiles and foft Endearments are deny'd ' Smiles, notallow'dtoBeaffs, from Reafon move And are the Privilege of humane Love • And if fometimes, each others Eyes we meet Ihote little Vacancies from Toil are fweet But you, by Abfence, would refrefh your'joys Becaufe perhaps, m y Converfation cloys ' F SXAVJ?Ult P r U d e n c C §rant' l cou,d' Permit. ALr^fX 1 Tkcs yfma11 Ke^ueft unfit? Adam. The fall n Archangel, envious of our State Purfues our Beings with immortal Hate And hopelefs to prevail by open Force, Seeks hid Advantage, to betray us worfe: Which when alTunder, will not prove fo hard • For both together are each others Guard Eve. Since he, by Force, is hopelefs to prevail He can by Fraud alone our Mindsaffi.il: P ' And FALL of MAN 609 And to believe his Wiles m y Truth can move, Is to mifdoubt m y Reafon or m y Love. Adam. Call it m y Care, and not Miftruft of Thee. Yet thou art weak, and full of Art is he: Elfe h o w could he that Hoftfeduce to Sin, Whofe Fall has left the Heavenly Nation thin? Eve. I grant him arm'd with Subtilty and Hate - But w h y fhould wefufpett our happy State? Is our Perfect ion of fo frail a Make, As ev'ry Plot can undermine and flhake? Think better both of Heav'n_ thy felf and m e - W h o always fears, at Eafe can never be. Poor State of Blifs, where fo much Care is fhown, As not to dare to truft our felves alone ! Adam. Such is our State, as not exempt from Fall 4 Yet firm, if Reafon to our Aid w e call": And that, in both, is ftronger than in one 3 I would not 3 w h y wouldft thou, then, be alone ? Eve. Becaufe thus warn'd, I know m y felf fecure, And long m y little Trial to endure 3 T'approve m y Faith, thy needlefs Fears remove, Gain thy Efteem, and fo deferve thy Love. If all this fhake not thy obdurate Will, Know that ev'n prefent, I a m abfent ftill : And then what Pleafure hop'ft thou in m y ftay, W h e n I'm conftrain'd, and wifh m y felf away. Adam. Conftraint does 111 with Love and Beauty fute $ I would perfwade, but not be abfolute. Better be much remifs than too fevere, If pleas'd in Abfence, thou wilt ftill be here: Go, in thy Native Innocence proceed, And fummon all thy Reafon at thy Need. Eve. M y Soul, m y Eyes Delight 3 in this I find Thou lov'ft, becaufe to love is to be kind, Seeking m y Trial, I a m ftill on Guard: Trials lefs fought, would find us lefs prepar'd. Our Foe's too proud the weaker to aflail, Or doubles his Difhonour if he fail. Adam. In Love, what Ufe of Prudence can there be ? More perfecT I, and yet more powerful She. Blame m e not, Heav'n, if thou Love's Pow'r haft try'd, < W h a t could be fo unjuft to be deny'd? One Look of hers m y Refolution breaks: Reafon it felf turns Folly when fhe fpeaks: And aw'd by her, w h o m it was made to fway, Flatters her Pow'r, and does its o w n betray. The middle part ofthe Garden is reprefented, where four Rivers meets, on the. tight fide of the Scene, is plac'd the Tree of Life; on the left, the Tree of Knowtedget Enter Lucifer. Lucif. Methinks the Beauties of this Place fhould mourn ; Th'immortal Fruits and Flow'rs at m y Return Should hang their wither'd Heads 3 for fure m y Breath Is n o w more poys'nous, and has gather'd Death Enough to blaft the whole Creation's Frame : Swoln with Defpite, with Sorrow, and with Shame, Thrice have I beat the W i n g , and rid with Night About the World, behind the Globe of Light, To fhun the Watch of Heav'n 3 fuch Care I ufe: (What Pains would Malice, rais'd like mine refufe? Not the moft abject. Form of Brutes to take.) 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