THE KING'S MIRROR 255 



At midday God went forth to view the beauties of 

 Paradise and Adam's stewardship; but as He did not 

 see Adam in the wide fields, He called him, asking where 

 he was. Adam replied: " I hid myself, Lord, because I 

 was ashamed to show myself naked before Thy face." 

 God answered, saying: " Why shouldst thou be more 

 ashamed of thy nakedness now than at our former meet- 

 ing, unless it be that thou hast broken the law and hast 

 eaten of the apples of knowledge, which I forbade thee 

 to eat." Adam replied as if defending himself: " The 

 woman that Thou gavest me led me into this fault; if 

 I had been alone about my affairs and if Thou hadst 

 not given me this wife to advise with me, I should have 

 kept the appointed law and should not have trans- 

 gressed Thy command." Then God said to Eve: " Why 

 didst thou give thy husband this evil counsel to break 

 the law ? " Eve replied as if defending her case: " The 

 crafty serpent gave me that evil advice; had he not been 

 created or appeared before me, I should not have come 

 upon this evil design." Then God said: " Since the law 

 has now been broken, I want those virgins whom I ap- 

 pointed keepers of our covenant to sit in judgment with 

 us. Then Truth spoke: " It is my duty and business to 

 show Adam's guilt, inasmuch as he has concealed with 

 a lie what most of all led him to transgress. For this was 

 the chief motive in your case, that the apples were fair 

 and pleasant and sweet to taste, and that you desired 

 greatly to be wiser than was promised you. You com- 

 mitted a theft in planning to take them secretly, cov- 

 etous robbery in taking them without permission, and 

 an act of insolent pride in wishing to become like unto 



