Sole Eve, associate sole, to me beyond Compare above all living creatures dear, 230 Well hast thou motion'd, well thy thoughts employ'd finely describes in the eighth Her long with ardent look his eye in his impatience and amuse- 838. -Adam the while, Waiting desirous her return, had wove Of choicest flow'rs a garland &c. but particularly in that passionate 235 account of her being the mother of all living, Gen. iii. 20. the epithet sole is as properly applied to Eve as to associate. Pearce. 227. -beyond-Compare] I think we took notice before, that Milton sometimes uses the substantive for an adjective, and an adjective for a substantive. And here we may observe, that sometimes he makes a verb of a noun, and again a noun of a verb. A noun of a verb as here, beyond compare, and vi. 549.' Instant without disturb they took alarm. speech, where seeing her irre- And a verb of a noun, as in vii. coverably lost, he resolves to perish with her rather than to live without her, ver. 904. -some cursed fraud Of enemy hath beguil'd thee &c. The beginning of this speech, and the preparation to it, are animated with the same spirit as the conclusion which I have here quoted. Addison. 227. Sole Eve, associale sole,] As she had her name Eve upon 412. Tempest the ocean. And in like manner he makes the adjective a verb, as in vi. 440. -to better us, and worse our foes; and again the verb an adjective, as in viii. 576. Made so adorn. Several other instances in each kind might be cited. Food of the mind, or this sweet intercourse Of looks and smiles, for smiles from reason flow, 240 Love not the lowest end of human life. For not to irksome toil, but to delight He made us, and delight to reason join'd. These paths and bow'rs doubt not but our joint hands As we need walk, till younger hands ere long Befall thee sever'd from me; for thou know'st 239. -smiles from reason flow,] Smiling is so great an indication of reason, that some philosophers have altered the definition of man from animal rationale to risibile, affirming man to be the only creature endowed with the power of laughter. Hume. 244. These paths and bow'rs] So it is in the first and best editions, and not The paths and bow'rs, as both Dr. Bentley and Mr. Fenton have by mistake printed it. 245 250 255 249. is best society,] As Scipio said, Never less alone than when alone. Nunquam minus solus quam cum solus. 250. And short retirement urges sweet return.] Retirement, though but short, makes the return sweet: the word urges is to be referred to retirement only, and not to the epithet, which Adam seems to annex to it, only because he could not bear to think of a long one. Pearce. Hopeless to circumvent us join'd, where each Or this, or worse, leave not the faithful side That gave thee be'ing, still shades thee and protects. As one who loves, and some unkindness meets, Offspring of heav'n and earth, and all earth's lord, That such an enemy we have, who seeks Just then return'd at shut of evening flowers. 270.-the virgin majesty of Eve,] The ancients used the word virgin with more latitude than we, as Virgil, Eclog. vi. 47. calls Pasiphae virgin after she had had three children; and Ovid calls Medea adultera virgo. Ovid, Epist. Hypsip. Jas. 133. It is put here to denote beauty, bloom, sweetness, modesty, and all the amiable characters which are usually found in a virgin, and these with matron majesty; what a picture! Richardson. It is probable that Milton adopted this adjective sense of 260 265 270 275 the word virgin from the Italian virginale, which is an epithet very frequent in their poets when describing beauty, modesty, &c. Thyer. 278. Just then return'd at shut of evening flowers.] What a natural notation of evening is this! and a proper time for her, who had gone forth among her fruits and flowers, viii. 44. to return. But we must not conceive that Eve is speaking of the evening last past, for this was a week ago. Satan was caught tempting Eve in a dream, and fled But that thou should'st my firmness therefore doubt To God or thee, because we have a foe 280 285 Thoughts, which how found they harbour in thy beast, Adam, misthought of her to thee so dear? To whom with healing words Adam replied. Daughter of God and man, immortal Eve, out of Paradise that night, and with this ends book the fourth. After he had fled out of Paradise he was ranging round the world seven days: but we have not any account of Adam and Eve excepting only on the first of those days, which begins with the beginning of book the fifth, where Eve relates her dream; that day at noon the angel Raphael comes down from heaven; the angel and Adam discourse together till evening, and they part at the end of book the eighth. There are six days therefore past in silence, and we hear no more of Adam and Eve, till Satan had stolen again into Paradise. 282. His violence thou fear'st not,] Adam had not said so expressly, but had implied as much in enlarging particularly upon his sly assault, ver. 256, &c. 290 For such thou art, from sin and blame entire: Thy absence from my sight, but to avoid Th' attempt itself, intended by our foe. 295 For he who tempts, though' in vain, at least asperses Against temptation; thou thyself with scorn From thee alone, which on us both at once Or daring, first on me th' assault shall light. More wise, more watchful, stronger, if need were Of outward strength; while shame, thou looking on, Shame to be overcome or over-reach'd Would utmost vigour raise, and rais'd unite. acknowledges her to be immortal, as she had said herself, ver. 283. that they were not capable of death or pain; but only so long as she was entire from sin and blame: integer vitæ, scelerisque purus. Hor. od. i. xxii. 1. 312. while shame, thou looking on,] Milton often uses the nominative case absolute, as the Greeks do; which whether it VOL. II. 800 305 310 should be called a case absolute, or an ellipsis, we leave to the grammarians to determine. Jortin. 314. -and rais'd unite.] Would unite and add vigour to wisdom, watchfulness, and every virtue mentioned before. If this be not the meaning, it must be understood thus, Would raise the utmost vigour, and K |