More wife, more watchful, ftronger, if need were Of outward strength; while fhame, thou looking on, Shame to be overcome or over-reach'd

Would utmost vigor raife, and rais'd unite.

Why shouldst not thou like sense within thee feel 315 When I am present, and thy trial choose

With me, best witness of thy virtue try'd?

So spake domestic Adam in his care

And matrimonial love; but Eve, who thought

How are we happy, ftill in fear of harm?
But harm precedes not fin: only our foe
Tempting affronts us with his foul esteem
Of our integrity: his foul esteem

325

Sticks

thet feems to allude to what Adam Domeftic in his care, may fignify here had said in ver. 232.

nothing lovelier can be found In woman, than to study houfhold good,

And good works in her husband to promote.

one who has a careful regard to the good of his family; and all this fpeech of Adam's was intended for the fecurity of his wife. Pearce.

320. Lefs attributed] That is, too little; an elegant Latinifm.

K 4

Richardfon. 330. Sticks

Foul on himself; then wherefore fhunn'd or fear'd

Sticks no difhonor on our front, but turns

By us? who rather double honor gain

330

From his furmife prov'd falfe, find peace within,
Favor from Heav'n, our witness from th' event.

And what is faith, love, virtue unaffay'd

335

Alone, without exterior help fuftain'd?

Let us not then fufpect our happy state
Left fo imperfect by the Maker wife,
As not fecure to fingle or combin'd.
Frail is our happiness, if this be so,

330. Sticks no difhonor on our front,] Here is fuch a jingle and turn of the words, as we fometimes meet with in our author; He affronts us with bis foul esteem, but his foul esteem flicks no difhonor on our front: but our author alludes to the etymology of of the word affront: adfrontare, i. e. frontem fronti committere, as Skinner fays. And I find Shakespear ufing the word in its original fignification. Cymbeline, Act. IV.

Good my liege
Your preparation can affront no less
Than what you hear of.
And afterwards, A& V.
There was a fourth man
That gave th' affront with them.
And in Hamlet, A&t III.

That he, as 'twere by accident, may here

Affrant Ophelia.

340 And

And Eden were no Eden thus expos'd.

To whom thus Adam fervently reply'd.
O Woman, best are all things as the will
Of God ordain'd them; his creating hand
Nothing imperfect or deficient left

Of all that he created, much lefs Man,
Or ought that might his happy state secure,
Secure from outward force; within himself
The danger lies, yet lies within his power:
Against his will he can receive no harm.
But God left free the will, for what obeys

describe him as in fome degree difpleas'd; but what extreme delicacy has our author shown in choosing the word fervently to exprefs it by? a term which tho' it implies fome emotion, yet carries nothing in its idea inconfiftent with that fubferviency of the paffions, which fubfifted before the fall. In the two foregoing fpeeches he had made Adam addrefs himself to her in the affectionate terms of Sole Eve, affociate fole, and Daughter of God and Man, immortal Eve; but here with great judgment he changes thofe indearing words for thefe more authoritative, O Woman. I should think that Milton in this expreflion alluded to what our Saviour faid to the Virgin Mary, Woman what have I to do with thee, was not I fatisfied, that he could not with his learning take these words in the vulgar miltaken fenfe, which

345

350

Reason,

our tranflation naturally leads ignorant readers into, and muft very well know that Turn amongst the Greeks is a term of great refpect. Indeed throughout this whole converfation. which the poet has in every respec worked up to a faultless perfection, there is the most exact obfervance of juftnefs and propriety of character. With what ffrength is the fuperior excellency of man's understanding here pointed out, and how nicely does our author here sketch out the defects peculiar in general to the female mind? and after all what great art has he fhown in making Adam contrary to his better reafon grant his fpoufe's requeft, beautifully verifying what he had made our general ancestor a little before obferve to the Angel? VIII. 546. &c.

Thyer.

353. But

Reason, is free, and reason he made right,
But bid her well be ware, and still erect,
Left by fome fair appearing good furpris'd
She dictate false, and misinform the will

355

To do what God exprefly hath forbid.

Not then miftruft, but tender love injoins,
That I fhould mind thee oft, and mind thou me.
Firm we fubfift, yet poffible to fwerve,
Since reafon not impoffibly may meet
Some fpecious object by the foe fuborn'd,

And fall into deception unaware,

360

Not keeping stricteft watch, as she was warn'd.

Seek not temptation then, which to avoid

365

Were better, and most likely if from me
Thou fever not: trial will come unfought.
Wouldst thou approve thy conftancy, approve
First thy obedience; th' other who can know,

353. But bid her well be ware, and

fill erect,] It is very true, as Dr. Bentley obferves, that erect requires the preceding word to be adjective like itfelf: but fo is ware or wary, and fo it is used Matth. XXIV. 50. The Lord of that fervant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not ware of, and 2 Tim. IV. 15. Of whom be thou ware also; and by our author himself in the Mask, Silence

Not

was took ere she was ware. And therefore be ware should not have been printed as one word, but as two; and then there could have been no mistake about it.

372. Go; for thy ftay, not free, abfents thee more;] It is related in the Life of Milton, that he went into the country in the Whitfuntide vacation, and married his first wife Mary the daughter of Juftice Powell of Oxfordshire. She had not coha

bited

Not seeing thee attempted, who attest?
But if thou think, trial unfought may find

Us both fecurer than thus warn'd thou feem'ft,
Go; for thy stay, not free, absents thee more;
Go in thy native innocence, rely

On what thou haft of virtue, fummon all,

370

For God tow'ards thee hath done his part, do thine.

So fpake the patriarch of mankind; but Eve 376
Perfifted, yet submiss, though last, reply'd.

With thy permiffion then, and thus forewarn'd
Chiefly by what thy own laft reasoning words
Touch'd only, that our trial, when least fought, 380
May find us both perhaps far lefs prepar'd,
The willinger I go, nor much expect

A foe fo proud will first the weaker seek;

So bent, the more shall shame him his repulfe. 384
Thus faying, from her husband's hand her hand