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? 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, And what is faith, love, virtue unaffay'd 335 Alone, without exterior help fuftain'd? Let us not then fufpect our happy state 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 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. Of all that he created, much lefs Man, 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, 355 To do what God exprefly hath forbid. Not then miftruft, but tender love injoins, 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 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? Us both fecurer than thus warn'd thou feem'ft, 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 With thy permiffion then, and thus forewarn'd A foe fo proud will first the weaker seek; So bent, the more shall shame him his repulfe. 384 |