That this may be, turning to man he said
That he should die, and then to Eve he added,
That she with bitter anguish should bring forth.
Now this mysterious saying nothing means,
If not that man is meant

By death corporeal, and his frail companion
By death that strikes the soul;

Thus from mortality,

With loss reciprocal, the soul is taken :
And thus, when each has languish'd,
The body in its dying,

The soul in its departure,

Leaving at length its transient dear abode
So verified shall be the mighty sentence
From him, the mighty judge,

e;

Of bringing forth with dire excess of pain.
Lucifer. All you, that most sagacious

I reckon'd once in my infernal kingdoms,
I find now least sagacious;

To thee I turn, Arsiccio, tell me now

What means that mystery

The cursing of the earth!

Arsiccio. And to the blame of man I too return;

Can it be true this cursing of the earth?

What does the mys'try mean?

Means it indeed the earth?

Foolish is he, who thinks so! what offence

Has she committed? no twas not the earth

Was curs'd, but only man, who is of earth;
And human nature all is curs'd with him;
And that decree, it should no more bear fruit
Was utter'd for no purpose

But to proclaim to man,

That as a sinner, heav'n is shut against him.
Lucifer. Arion thou exalt thyself in air!
Do thou inform me why with skins of beasts
This man and his companion were array'd!
Arion. This clearly shews to us,

That God no longer makes account of man.
Hear me, unconquer'd sovʼreign,

This clothing Adam with the lifeless skins
Of fleeced animals to us imports,

That as with dying beast

The body, soul, and spirit, also die,

So death shall also prove

The dread destroying ravager of men

By the dread fruits effect.

Lucifer. Ondoso thou who art profest a diver,

Canst thou pervade the depth

Of these confus'd decrees? inform me now

What means the mystery

Of Cherubim with fiery falchions

Forbidding entrance to the gates of Eden!

Ondoso. No mystery, great king!

But the destruction of the human race,
Portended by these falchions!

They mean indeed the death
Of man's terrestrial form,

And their fierce blades of fire
Damnation to his soul:

So that when struck by death
The body shall be ashes, and the soul
Shall by eternal justice

Within the dark Avernus

Become a prisoner, lost to light, and heav'n.
Now blest are we, since we behold it clear,
That rising to the realms above, 'tis ours
To make Olympus joyful, since when we
Resign'd our seat in heav'n,

At those exalted gates

No armed cherubim was plac'd to guard;
Thus all is justly weigh'd,

And in an even balance;

For now the world's inhabitants shall be

The birds, the fish, the beasts:

Of the Tartarean gulph

Man, and his numerous race;

We only on gay wine shall soar to heav'n,

On this supreme condition,

That heav'n's great Lord shall pardon ask of thee

Repenting of his error, and that both

Shall rule the realm of heav'n,

Both Lucifer, and God.

Lucifer. Tarpalce, say what thinkest thou of man!

Tarpalce. Tis not my sentiment, man can be

sav'd;

In short this man has sinn'd;

And he who draws from man his flesh, and life,

He shall be called a sinner;

And he who is a sinner shall be damn'd;

And since it is denied,

That these the seats of heav'n, that once were ours,

Neglected shall be left, and void of glory,

Well may we re-ascend, with brave condition,
The heav'n once more returning to itself.
Sufficiently we know

It otherways would still be void of splendor,
Since God no longer knows

What to achieve, that may embellish heav'n.

Lucifer. Alas! 'tis fit that I

From a deep silence now

Loose this chill'd tongue, chill'd, tho' it seems to

burn

With cruel deadly rage!

My heart is bursting only at the thought

Of what I must relate:

Now with great efforts vanquishing myself,

Let that be heard, which anguish bids me utter!

The fear, he felt, to shew himself, when naked
Was from the mighty shame,

To see himself bespotted

With sin's deformity.

VOL. III.

His flight with rapid step towards the woods,
As to the sea the swollen torrent flies,
Denotes his great repentance of his sin.
That leafy screen, in which he hid himself,
Denotes his coarse and rustic penitence,
Till with long abstinence he shall atone
With punishment for sin :

The harsh and ample leaf
Of fig, still more expressive,
Tells it will be man's lot,
With coarse and hairy vest
To cover ev'ry fault;

And as upon the fig;

Among its harshest leaves, a dulcet fruit
Arises, thus at last shall man himself
Midst all his penitence enjoy the fruit

So sweet, and dear of heav'n, that he had lost :
The verdure of the leaf

Affords a certain hope,

That man may have of Gods returning grace; That he at length in heav'n

Shall know a blooming spring of highest glory :
The double summons, thus bestow'd on man,
Tells us, he shall have time

To weep, tho' sinning, his repented sin.
If he was pleas'd to execrate the serpent,
There, hell may understand,

That it was not the serpent,