cquire it by
the sweat of thy face, and thus eat thy bread so long 935
as thou livest here,--until ungentle disease, which thou
didst recently take to thyself with the apple, strikes
thee cruelly to the heart: then shalt thou die."

Behold, we learn thus how bitter afflictions and uni- 940
versal miseries came upon us.

Thereupon the Guardian of Glory, our Creator, girded
them with clothing; the Lord bade them cover their
nakedness with some simple garments, and bade them
set forth and depart from paradise into a harder life.
Behind them, by God's command, a holy angel with a 945
fiery sword shut the gate of their blissful home of peace
and joy; nor may any guileful sin-stained man ever fare
thither again, for the warder has might and strength 950
who keeps for the Lord that greater life rich in glories.
Yet the Almighty, our First Father, would not take
away all comforts from Adam and Eve, though they had
fallen away from him: but he still let the lofty roof 955
studded with holy stars stand as a solace for them, and
gave them ample possessions, and bade the seas and
land bring forth for the pair multitudes of each of the
young-producing species [necessary] for the sustenance 960
of this life. So, after their sin, they inhabited a more
sorrowful land, a dwelling and country less fertile in
every kind of blessing than their former abode had
been, from which they had been driven out after their
misdeed.

Then they began, by God's command, to produce 965
children, as the Lord had charged them. To begin
with, by Adam and Eve were brought into the world
two fair first-born sons, Cain and Abel. The books
tell us how these first toilers, loving brothers, gained 970
their subsistence, riches and food: the one who was
elder born tilled the earth with his strength; the second
kept the flocks, helping his father, until a great number 975
of days passed. They both brought an offering to the
Lord: the Prince of the Angels, King of all things, looked
upon Abel's offering with [favorable] eyes, but would
not consider the sacrifice of Cain; that caused strong
indignation in the heart of the man: rage arose in the 980
youth's breast, livid hatred, and wrath by reason of
envy: then he wrought evil deeds with his hands, slew
his kinsman, his own brother, shed his blood,--yea,