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He added not, and from her turned. But Eve,

Not so repulsed, with tears that ceased not flowing,

And tresses all disordered, at his feet

Fell humble; and, embracing them, besought

His peace, and thus proceeded in her plaint:

Forsake me not thus, Adam! witness, Heaven,

What love sincere, and reverence in my heart,

I bear thee, and unweeting have offended,

Unhappily deceived! Thy suppliant,

I beg, and clasp thy knees; bereave me not,

Whereon I live, thy gentle looks, thy aid,

Thy counsel, in this uttermost distress

My only strength and stay; forlorn of thee,

Whither shall I betake me, where subsist?

While yet we live, scarce one short hour perhaps,

Between us two let there be peace; both joining, As joined in injuries, one enmity

Against a foe by doom express assigned us,

That cruel serpent. On me exercise not

Thy hatred for this misery befallen;

On me, already lost, me than thyself

More miserable. Both have sinned; but thou

Against God only, I against God and thee;

And to the place of judgment will return,

There with my cries importune Heaven, that all

The sentence, from thy head removed, may light

On me, sole cause to thee of all this woe;

Me—me only, just object of His ire!

PARADISE LOST.

She ended, weeping; and her lowly plight,

Immovable till peace obtained from fault

Acknowledged and deplored, in Adam wrought

Commiseration. Soon his heart relented,

Towards her, his life so late, and sole delight,

Now at his feet submissive in distress;

Creature so fair his reconcilement seeking,

His counsel, whom she had displeased, his aid.

As one disarmed, his anger all he lost,

And thus with peaceful words upraised her soon:

Unwary, and too desirous, as before,

So now, of what thou knowest not, who desirest

The punishment all on thyself; alas!

Bear thine own first, ill able to sustain

His full wrath, whose thou feelest as yet least part.

And my displeasure bearest so ill. If prayers

Could alter high decrees, I to that place

Would speed before thee, and be louder heard,

That on my head all might be visited;

Thy frailty and infirmer sex forgiven;

To me committed, and by me exposed.

But rise; let us no more contend, nor blame

Each other, blamed enough elsewhere; but strive,