she trod. 
  His gentle dumb expression turned at length
  The eye of Eve, to mark his play; he, glad
  Of her attention gained, with serpent-tongue
  Organic, or impulse of vocal air,
  His fraudulent temptation thus began. 
    “Wonder not, sovran mistress, if perhaps
  Thou canst who art sole wonder! much less arm
  Thy looks, the Heaven of mildness, with disdain,
  Displeased that I approach thee thus, and gaze
  Insatiate; I thus single; nor have feared
  Thy awful brow, more awful thus retired. 
  Fairest resemblance of thy Maker fair,
  Thee all things living gaze on all things thine
  By gift, and thy celestial beauty adore
  With ravishment beheld! there beat beheld,
  Where universally admired; but here
  In this inclosure wild, these beasts among,
  Beholders rude, and shallow to discern
  Half what in thee is fair, one man except,
  Who sees thee? (and what is one?) who should be seen
  A goddess among gods, adored and served
  By angels numberless, thy daily train.” 
     So glozed the tempter, and his proem tuned: 
  Into the heart of Eve his words made way.

* * * * *

  [After some discourse, the Tempter praises the Tree of Knowledge.]

  So standing, moving, or to height up grown,
  The tempter, all impassioned, thus began. 
     “O sacred, wise, and wisdom-giving plant,
  Mother of science! now I feel thy power
  Within me clear; not only to discern
  Things in their causes, but to trace the ways
  Of highest agents, deemed however wise. 
  Queen of this universe! do not believe
  Those rigid threats of death:  ye shall not die: 
  How should you? by the fruit? it gives you life
  To knowledge; by the threatener? look on me. 
  Me, who have touched and tasted; yet both live,
  And life more perfect have attained than Fate
  Meant me, by venturing higher than my lot. 
  Shall that be shut to man, which to the beast
  Is open? or will God incense his ire
  For such a petty trespass? and not praise
  Rather your dauntless virtue, whom the pain
  Of death denounced, whatever thing death be,
  Deterred not from achieving what might lead
  To happier life, knowledge of good and evil;
  Of good, how just? of evil, if what is evil
  Be real, why not known, since easier shunned? 
  God therefore cannot hurt ye, and be just;
  Not just, not God:  not feared then, nor obeyed: 
  Your fear itself of death removes the fear. 
  Why then was this forbid?  Why, but to awe;
  Why, but to keep ye low and ignorant,
  His worshippers?  He knows that in the day
  Ye eat thereof, your eyes, that seem so clear,
  Yet are but dim, shall perfectly be then
  Opened and cleared, and ye shall be as gods,
  Knowing both good and evil, as they know. 
  That ye shall be as gods, since I as Man,