1085

In folitude live favage, in some glade
Obfcur'd, where highest woods impenetrable
To ftar or fun-light, fpread their umbrage broad
And brown as evening: Cover me ye Pines,
Ye Cedars, with innumerable boughs

Hide me,
where I may never see them more. 1090
But let us now, as in bad plight, devise
What beft may for the prefent ferve to hide
The parts of each from other, that seem most
To fhame obnoxious, and unfeemlieft feen;
Some tree, whose broad smooth leaves together sow'd,
And girded on our loins, may cover round 1096
Those middle parts, that this new comer, shame,
There fit not, and reproach us as unclean.

So counsel'd he, and both together went

Into the thickeft wood; there foon they chose 1100

1106

The fig-tree, not that kind for fruit renown'd, But fuch as at this day to Indians known In Malabar or Decan spreads her arms Branching fo broad and long, that in the ground The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow About the mother tree, a pillar'd shade High overarch'd, and echoing walks between; There oft the Indian herdsman shunning heat Shelters in cool, and tends his pafturing herds At loopholes cut through thickest shade: Thofe leaves They gather'd, broad as Amazonian targe, And with what skill they had, together fow'd, To gird their waste, vain covering if to hide

IIII

Their

to the fneer, What could they do for needles and thred? But the original fignifes no more than that they twisted the young twigs of the figtree round about their waftes, in the manner of a Roman crown, for which purpose the fig-tree of all others, especially in thofe eaftern countries, was the most serviceable; because it hath, as Pliny fays Lib. 16. cap. 26. folium maximum umbrofiffimumque, the greatest and most author follows the beft commentators fhady leaf of all others. And our in fuppofing that this was the Indian fig-tree, the account of which he borrows from Pliny, Lib. 12. c. 5. as Pliny had done before from Theophraftus. It was not that kind for

Their guilt and dreaded shame; O how unlike
To that first naked glory! Such of late

1115

Columbus found th' American, fo girt
With feather'd cincture, naked elfe and wild
Among the trees on iles and woody fhores.
Thus fenc'd, and as they thought, their shame in
Cover'd, but not at reft or ease of mind,

part

1120

They fat them down to weep; nor only tears
Rain'd at their eyes, but high winds worse within
Began to rife, high paffions, anger, hate,

Miftruft, fufpicion, difcord, and fhook fore

Their inward state of mind, calm region once 1125 And full of peace, now toft and turbulent:

fruit renown'd, and Pliny fays that the largenefs of the leaves hinder'd the fruit from growing; hâc causâ fructum integens, crefcere prohibet; rarufque eft. It branches fo broad and long that in the ground the bended twigs take root, and daughters grow about the mother tree, a pillar'd hade bigh overarch'd: As Pliny fays, Ipfa fe femper ferens, vaftis diffunditur ramis; quorum imi adeo in terram curvantur, ut annuo fpatio infigantur, novamque fibi propaginem faciant circa parentem quodam opere topiario fornicato ambitu. There oft the Indian herdsman fhunning beat Shelters in cool &c: Intra fepem cam æftivant paftores &c. And its leaves are broad as Amazonian

For

targe: Foliorum latitudo peltæ effigiem Amazonicæ habet. Sir Walter Raleigh, upon his own knowledge, gives very much the fame account of this Ficus Indica in his Hiftory of the World. B. 1. C. 4. S. 2.

1103. In Malabar or Decan] Malabar is a vaft peninsula or promontary of the Eaft Indies, of which Decan is a confiderable kingdom.

Hume.

Columbus found the American, &c.] Columbus, who made the first dif covery of America about the Year 1492, found the Americans so girt about the wafte with feathers, as Adam and Eve were with fig-leaves.

1140. Let

For understanding rul'd not, and the will
Heard not her lore, both in subjection now
To fenfual appetite, who from beneath
Ufurping over fovran reafon clam'd

Superior fway: from thus diftemper'd breast,
Adam, eftrang'd in look and alter'd ftile,
Speech intermitted thus to Eve renew'd,

1130

Would thou hadst hearken'd to my words, and stay'd With me, as I befought thee, when that strange 1135 Defire of wand'ring this unhappy morn,

I know not whence poffefs'd thee; we had then
Remain'd still happy, not as now, defpoil'd

Of all our good, fham'd, naked, miserable.
Let none henceforth feek needlefs caufe to' approve
The faith they owe; when earnestly they seek 1141
Such proof, conclude, they then begin to fail.

To whom foon mov'd with touch of blame thus

Eve.

What words have pafs'd thy lips, Adam fevere!

1140. Let none henceforth feek needlefs caufe to approve The faith they owe;] As Eve had done when the faid ver. 335.

: And what is faith, love, virtue, unaffay'd, &c.

Imput'ft

1144. What words have pass'd thy tation of Homer, Iliad. XIV. 83. lips, Adam feverel] Inimi Ατρείδη, ποιον σε επι φυγεν έρκος οδόντων Thyer. 1162. Te

Imput'ft thou that to my default, or will

1145

Of wand'ring, as thou call'ft it, which who knows

But might as ill have happen'd thou being by,

1150

Or to thyself perhaps? hadft thou been there,
Or here th' attempt, thou couldft not have difcern'd
Fraud in the Serpent, fpeaking as he spake;
No ground of enmity between us known,
Why he should mean me ill, or seek to harm.
Was I to' have never parted from thy fide?
As good have grown there ftill a lifeless rib.

1155

Being as I am, why didst not thou the head
Command me abfolutely not to go,
Going into fuch danger as thou faidst?
Too facil then thou didst not much gainfay,
Nay didft permit, approve, and fair dismiss.
Hadft thou been firm and fix'd in thy diffent, 1160
Neither had I tranfgrefs'd, nor thou with me.
To whom then first incens'd Adam reply'd.
Is this the love, is this the recompenfe