127. But when Adam was infected from the lust
to eat of the knowledge of good and evil, and that
the spirit of this world pressed [or swayed] Adam,
where also the subtle devil (which in the spirit of
this world slipped in) shot mightily at Adam, so
that Adam became weary, and blind to the kingdom
of God ; [then] said God, It is not good for man
to be alone, for he will not now * bring forth the J generate or
paradisical virgin ; because he is infected from
the spirit of this world, so that the chastity of the
modesty is quite 2at an end; we will make a help2 gone,
for him, to be with him, out of whom he may build
his principality, and propagate himself, it cannot be
otherwise now ; and he let a deep sleep fall upon
man, and he slept.
28. Here it may be very properly and well
understood, how the virgin in Adam departed into
the ether, into her Principle ; for the text saith,
God let a deep sleep fall upon Adam ; now where
sleep is, there the virtue [or power] of God is
hidden in the centre ; for where that [virtue of
God] groweth, there is no sleep; for the Keeper
380 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 17
of Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth ; as it
is written.
If ikon askest, How long did Adam sleep ?
229. Then consider Christ's rest in the grave,
and thou shalt find the ground ; for the second
Adam must (with his resurrection out of the
grave) awaken [or raise] the first (out of his eternal
sleep of the darkness of hell) out of the grave of
this world again.
30. And so God, in * his sleep, made the woman
for him out of himself, by which he must now
generate his kingdom, for now it could not otherwise be. And when he awaked, he saw her, and
took her to him and said, This is flesh of my
flesh, and bone of my bone ; for Adam was (in his
sleep) become quite another image ; for God had
permitted the spirit of this world in him to make
his tincture weary unto sleep.
31. Adam was in an angelical form before the
sleep ; but after the sleep he had flesh and blood ;
'and he was (in his flesh) a lump of earth, and
he saw from a threefold spirit. With his eyes he
apprehended the light of the sun, and knew the
first image no more ; although the four elements
had not yet fallen upon him, nor touched him ; for
he was yet in innocency.
32. And there the devil bestirred himself, and
slipped into the serpent (which he himself is, in his
own proper form), and laid himself at the tree, and
Ch. 17] OF THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE 381
1 strewed sucrar upon it : for he saw well that Eve l Or set the
sweet light
was a woman, and that she was infected with the and pieasantness forth.
3four elements ; and although she did strive a little,
and objected God's command [against the devil],
yet she suffered herself very easily to be persuaded,
when the lying spirit said, That the fruit would
make her wise, and that her eyes should be opened,
and she be as God, knowing good and evil ; yet he
told her not, that (if she ate thereof) she must die ;
but [he said] she should be wise and fair ; which
disease [desire or lust] sticketh still in the brains of
the woman, that she would fain be the fairest beast.
33. So she pulled off an apple and did eat, and
gave to Adam also, and he ate of it likewise. That
was a bit at which the heavens might well have
blushed, and the paradise have trembled, as it was
indeed really done, as is to be seen at the death of
Christ, (when he entered into death, and wrestled
with hell), that the earth and the elements trembled,
and the light of the sun was darkened, when this
bit of the apple was to be 2 healed up. 2 Or cured.
The Gate of the great Affliction, and Misery
of Man.
34. Reason sticketh at the veil of Moses, and
seeth not through the Tables that were graven
through, which God gave him upon mount Sinai ;
as also reason cannot take off the veil from before
8 his eyes, and look him in the face, for he hath a 3 the eyes of
brightened [clarified or shining] countenance in
382 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 17
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.