THE KING'S MIRROR 265 



have this even without permission, though everything 

 else was in their power. They knew this one difference 

 between good and evil, that good was better than evil; 

 wherefore they feared the death that was assured them. 

 But having never tasted the bitterness of evil, they 

 could not know what great misery they would suffer 

 for transgression; but they thought it would be a great 

 distinction to be like God in knowledge, and to know 

 the difference between good and evil things. But when 

 the serpent urged Eve to eat of the apples of knowledge, 

 she began to fear death, and replied thus to the serpent: 

 " I fear that, if I eat, I shall die, for such is God's 

 threat. Now do you eat first while I look, and if you do 

 not die, I will eat, for if this fruit really does possess 

 death dealing powers, it will surely prove baneful to 

 other living beings besides me." Then the spirit that 

 was concealed in the serpent said to himself: " I may 

 indeed eat the apple, for it will make me no more guilty 

 or mortal, inasmuch as I am already in the full wrath 

 of God." But these words the woman did not hear. 

 Then Eve took an apple and placed it in the serpent's 

 mouth and he ate forthwith. And when she saw that 

 it did him no harm, she immediately picked another 

 apple and ate; and she found it very sweet, just as the 

 serpent had told her. 



Thereupon the serpent vanished from Eve's sight; 

 but she called Adam her husband and told him these 

 things. But because he, too, feared the death that God 

 had threatened, he would not eat, unless he should see 

 Eve eat first. So Eve took two more apples and boldly 

 ate the one forthwith, for she had already tasted the 



