Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained: By John Milton – Illustrated

Wretched man! what food

Will he convey up thither, to sustain

Himself and his rash army; where thin air

Above the clouds will pine his entrails gross,

And famish him of breath, if not of bread?

works of law to works of faith.

Therefore, since he permits

Within himself unworthy powers to reign

Over free reason, God, in judgement just,

Subjects him from without to violent lords;

Who oft as undeservedly enthrall

His outward freedom: Tyranny must be;

Though to the tyrant thereby no excuse.

“O Sons, like one of us Man is become

To know both good and evil, since his taste

Of that defended fruit; but let him boast

His knowledge of good lost, and evil got;

Happier! had it sufficed him to have known

Good by itself, and evil not at all.

Ah, why should all mankind,

For one man’s fault, thus guiltless be condemned,

It guiltless?

both man and wife;

The Gods are first, and that advantage use

On our belief, that all from them proceeds:

I question it; for this fair earth I see,

Warmed by the sun, producing every kind;

Them, nothing: if they all things, who enclosed

Knowledge of good and evil in this tree,

That whoso eats thereof, forthwith attains

Wisdom without their leave? and wherein lies

The offence, that Man should thus attain to know?

What can your knowledge hurt him, or this tree

Impart against his will, if all be his?

Or is it envy? and can envy dwell

In heavenly breasts? These, these, and many more

Causes import your need of this fair fruit.

He, to be avenged,

And to repair his numbers thus impaired,

Whether such virtue spent of old now failed

More Angels to create, if they at least

Are his created, or, to spite us more,

Determined to advance into our room

A creature formed of earth, and him endow,

Exalted from so base original,

With heavenly spoils, our spoils:

Was I to have never parted from thy side?

As good have grown there still a lifeless rib.

Nor can I think that God, Creator wise,

Though threatening, will in earnest so destroy

Us his prime creatures, dignified so high,

Set over all his works; which in our fall,

For us created, needs with us must fail,

Dependant made; so God shall uncreate,

Be frustrate, do, undo, and labour lose;

Not well conceived of God, who, though his power

Creation could repeat, yet would be loth

Us to abolish, lest the Adversary

Triumph, and say; ‘Fickle their state whom God

Most favours; who can please him long? Me first

He ruined, now Mankind; whom will he next