THE ARGUMENT OF THE NINTH BOOK. SATAN having compafs'd the Earth, with meditated guile returns as a milt by night into Paradife, enters into the Serpent sleeping. Adam and Eve in the morning go forth to their labors, which Eve propofes to divide in feveral places, each laboring apart : Adam confents not, alledging the danger; lest that enemy, of whom they were forwarri'd, fhould attempt her found alone : Eve loath to be thought not circumfpeCt or firm enough, urges her going apart, the rather defirous to make trial of her strength ; Adam at laft yields : The Serpent finds her alone; his fubtle approach, first gazing, then (peaking, with much flattery extolling Eve above all other creatures. Eve wondering to hear the Serpent fpeak, asks how he attain'd to human fpeech and fuch underftanding not till now ; the Serpent an- fwers, that by tailing of a certain tree in the garden he attain'd both to fpeech and reafon, till then void of both: Eve requires him to bring her to that tree, and finds it to be the tree of knowledge forbidden : The Serpent now grown bolder, with many wiles and arguments in- duces her at length to eat; she pleas'd with the taste deliberates a while whether to impart thereof to Adam or not, at laft brings him of the fruit, relates what perfuaded her to eat thereof : Adam at first amaz'd, but perceiving her loft, refolves through vehemence of love to perifh with her ; and extenuating the trefpafs eats alfo of the fruit : The effeas thereof in them both ; they Peek to cover their nakednefs ; then fall to variance and accufation ofone another. MILTON's
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