Eve's Apology in Defense of Women | Aemilia Lanyer

From Salve Deus Rex Judæorum [Eves Apologie] Now Pontius Pilate is to judge the Cause  Of faultlesse Jesus, who before him stands;  Who neither hath offended Prince, nor Lawes,  Although he now be brought in woefull bands:  O noble Governour, make thou yet a pause,  Doe not in innocent blood imbrue thy hands;                       750       But heare the words of thy most worthy wife,       Who sends to thee, to beg her Saviours life.  Let barb'rous crueltie farre depart from thee,  And in true Justice take afflictions part;  Open thine eies, that thou the truth mai'st see,  Doe not the thing that goes against thy heart,  Condemne not him that must thy Saviour be;  But view his holy Life, his good desert.       Let not us Women glory in Mens fall,       Who had power given to over-rule us all.                      760  Till now your indiscretion sets us free,  And makes our former fault much lesse appeare;  Our Mother Eve, who tasted of the Tree,                 Eves  Giving to Adam what she held most deare,               Apologie Was simply good, and had no powre to see,  The after-comming harme did not appeare:       The subtile Serpent that our Sex betraide,       Before our fall so sure a plot had laide.  That undiscerning Ignorance perceav'd  No guile, or craft that was by him intended;                       770  For, had she knowne of what we were bereavid,  To his request she had not condiscended  But she (poore soule) by cunning was deceav'd,  No hurt therein her harmelesse Heart intended:       For she alleadg'd Gods word, which he denies,       That they should die, but even as Gods, be wise.  But surely Adam can not be excus'd,  Her fault, though great, yet hee was most too blame;  What Weaknesse offerd, Strength might have refus'd,  Being Lord of all, the greater was his shame:                     780  Although the Serpents craft had her abus'd,  Gods holy word ought all his actions frame:      For he was Lord and King of all the earth,      Before poore Eve had either life or breath.  Who being fram'd by Gods eternall hand,  The perfect'st man that ever breath'd on earth;  And from Gods mouth receiv'd that strait command,  The breach whereof he knew was present death:  Yea having powre to rule both Sea and Land,  Yet with one Apple wonne to loose that breath,                790       Which God hath breathed in his beauteous face,       Bringing us all in danger and disgrace.  And then to lay the fault on Patience backe,  That we (poore women) must endure it all;  We know right well he did discretion lacke,  Beeing not perswaded thereunto at all;  If Eve did erre, it was for knowledge sake,  The fruit beeing faire perswaded him to fall:       No subtill Serpents falshood did betray him,       If he would eate it, who had powre to stay him?           800  Not Eve, whose fault was onely too much love,  Which made her give this present to her Deare,  That what shee tasted, he likewise might prove,  Whereby his knowledge might become more cleare;  He never sought her weakenesse to reprove,  With those sharpe words, which he of God did heare:       Yet Men will boast of Knowledge, which he tooke       From Eves faire hand, as from a learned Booke.  If any Evill did in her remaine,  Beeing made of him, he was the ground of all;                   810  If one of many Worlds could lay a staine  Upon our Sexe, and worke so great a fall  To wretched Man, by Satans subtill traine;  What will so fowle a fault amongst you all?       Her weakenesse did the Serpents words obay;       But you in malice Gods deare Sonne betray.  Whom, if unjustly you condemne to die,  Her sinne was small, to what you doe commit;  All mortall sinnes that doe for vengeance crie,  Are not to be compared unto it:                                        820  If many worlds would altogether trie,  By all their sinnes the wrath of God to get;       This sinne of yours, surmounts them all as farre       As doth the Sunne, another little starre.  Then let us have our Libertie againe,  And challendge to your selves no Sov'raigntie;  You came not in the world without our paine,  Make that a barre against your crueltie;  Your fault beeing greater, why should you disdaine  Our beeing your equals, free from tyranny?                      830       If one weake woman simply did offend,       This sinne of yours, hath no excuse, nor end.  To which (poore soules) we never gave consent,  Witnesse thy wife (O Pilate) speakes for all;  Who did but dreame, and yet a message sent,  That thou should'st have nothing to doe at all  With that just man; which, if thy heart relent,  Why wilt thou be a reprobate with Saul?       To seeke the death of him that is so good,       For thy soules health to shed his dearest blood.          840  (http://www.usask.ca/english/phoenix/lanyerpoems1.htm)