Bonaventure, on Gen 3:1

“Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman: Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?”

“When God had established man in the happiness of paradise in both sexes, namely male and female, the devil, envying man, having assumed the form of a serpent, attacked the woman—first by questioning: Why has God commanded you not to eat? Since the devil, who formerly was knowing and upright, by falling through pride became crafty and envious—and therefore through envy wished to tempt and through cunning knew how—he therefore tempted insofar as he was able, and God permitted it. That he assumed the serpentine form in tempting was of divine dispensation, so that not only could his craftiness be detected, but also from that figure the diabolical craftiness in tempting might become known to all the children of Adam. Again, that he tempted concerning the precept of discipline was likewise of divine dispensation, so that whether he conquered or was conquered, the merit of obedience or the demerit of disobedience might become known to all. But that he began with the woman was of his own craftiness, because it is easier to cast down the less strong; whence the cunning of the enemy attacks the city from its weaker side. Similarly, the manner in which he proceeded in the temptation was of great cunning, because he proceeded by testing, impelling, and enticing. For he conducted his test through questioning, he impelled through assurance, and he enticed through promise. For first he questioned about the reason for the commandment, so that he might lead reason into doubt.”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.