Shall be deceived his glut, and with us two Be forced to satisfy his ravenous maw. But if thou judge it hard and difficult, Conversing, looking, loving, to abstain From love’s due rites, nuptial embraces sweet, And with desire to languish without hope, Before the present object languishing With like desire, which would be misery And torment less than none of what we dread; Then, both our selves and seed at once to free From what we fear for both, let us make short, Let us seek Death, or, he not found, supply With our own hands his office on ourselves. Why stand we longer shivering under fears That show no end but death, and have the power, Of many ways to die the shortest choosing, Destruction with destruction to destroy?”

She ended here, or vehement despair Broke off the rest; so much of death her thoughts Had entertained as dyed her cheeks with pale. But Adam, with such counsel nothing swayed, To better hopes his more attentive mind Labouring had raised, and thus to Eve replied: