Fell long before; nor aught avail'd him now To have built in heaven high towers; nor did he 'scape By all his engines, but was headlong sent, Meanwhile, the winged heralds, by command At Pandemonium, the high capital Of Satan and his peers: their summons call'd By place or choice the worthiest; they anon, To mortal combat or career with lance), In bigness to surpass earth's giant sons Now less than smallest dwarfs, in narrow room Wheels her pale course; they, on their mirth and dance Intent, with jocund music charm his ear; THE ARGUMENT. The consultation Degun, Satan debates whether another battle be to be hazarded for the recovery of heaven: some advise it, others dissuade; a third proposal is preferred, mentioned before by Satan, to search the truth of that prophecy or tradition in heaven concerning another world, and another kind of creature, equal, or not much inferior, to themselves, about this time to be created. Their doubt, who shall be sent on this difficult search; Satan, their chief, undertakes alone the voyage; is honoured and applauded. The council thus ended, the rest betake them several ways, and to several employments, as their inclinations lead them, to entertain the time till Satan return. He passes on his journey to hellgates: finds them shut, and who set there to guard them; by whom at length they are opened, and discover to him the great gulf between hell, and heaven; with what difficulty he passes through, directed by Chaos, the power of that place, to the sight of this new world which he sought. |