to thee I have transferr'd All Judgement whether in Heav'n, or Earth, or Hell.
The system is rigged. God set's up man for failure, acts both as the judge, jury, and executioner. Who does he think he is? God. If anything, I've begun to realize just how ungodly God is, thanks to Milton.
Yet evil whence?
But how does Adam know what evil is? Or what evil is like? Is this explained in the bible or is this dogma?
why else set here?
Satan is seducing Eve through... rationality and logic?
More woe, the more your taste is now of joy;
The happier you are, the more capacity you have for suffering.
onely Supream In miserie
Empires of dust.
The first sort by thir own suggestion fell, Self-tempted, self-deprav'd: Man falls deceiv'd [ 130 ] By the other first: Man therefore shall find grace, The other none: in Mercy and Justice both, Through Heav'n and Earth, so shall my glorie excel, But Mercy first and last shall brightest shine.
Here is my pragmatic view: God gave Man the freedom of choice, mainly so that they can worship sincerely. However, the Rebel Angels had this free will to begin with, and made the same choice. Who is not to say that Man would have made that choice without Satan's intervention?
if I foreknew, Foreknowledge had no influence on their fault
Meta
And now Through all restraint broke loose he wings his way Not farr off Heav'n, in the Precincts of light, Directly towards the new created World, And Man there plac't, with purpose to assay [ 90 ] If him by force he can destroy, or worse, By some false guile pervert; and shall pervert For man will heark'n to his glozing lyes, And easily transgress the sole Command, Sole pledge of his obedience: So will fall, [ 95 ] Hee and his faithless Progenie: whose fault? Whose but his own?
God already know that Eve will be swayed by Satan to eat the forbidden fruit. Now he is watching Satan make his was towards the world, and he still blames man.
The only thing missing from this is another line where God would say "If only somebody could do something about this."
Celestial vertues rising, will appear [ 15 ] More glorious and more dread then from no fall,
This is Satan's version of "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger".
Satan exalted sat, by merit rais'd [ 5 ]
Heroic in allusion, as the in-text comment suggests the Messiah was also merit rais'd, but still not the same. Like a crown of thorns even.