Nor fhall I to the work thou enterprifeft
Be wanting, but afford thee equal aid.
So faying, with delight he fnuff'd the smell
Of mortal change on earth. As when a flock
Of ravenous fowl, tho' many a league remote,
Against the day of battle, to a field,
Where armies lie incamp'd, come flying, lur'd
With feent of living carcafes defign'd
For death, the following day, in bloody fight:"
So fcented the grim feature, and upturn'd
His noftril wide into the murky air,
Sagacious of his quarry from fo far.
Then both from out hell-gates, into the wafte
Wide anarchy of Chaos, damp and dark,
Flew diverse; and with power (their power was great)
Solid or flimy, as in raging fea
Hovering upon the waters, what they met.
Tot up and down; together crouded drove,
From each fide fhoaling towards the mouth of hell: As when two pofar winds, blowing adverfe
Upon the Cronian fea, together driveTM
Mountains of ice, that stop th' imagin'd way
Beyond Petfora eastward, to the rich
Cathanian coaft. The aggregated foil
Death with his mace petrific, cold and dry,
As with a trident smøte, and fix'd his firm
As Delos floating once; the reft his look
Bound with Gorgonian rigour not to move;
And with Afphaltic flime, broad as the gate,
Deep to the roots of hell the gather'd beach
They faften'd, and the mole immenfe wrought on, 360
Over the foaming deep high arch'd; a bridge.
Of length prodigious, joining to the wall
Immoveable of this new fenceless world
Forfeit to death; from hence a paffage broad,
Smooth, eafy, inoffenfive, down to hell.
So, if great things to fmall may be compar'd,
Xerxes, the liberty of Greece to yoke,
From Sufa his Memnonian palace high
Came to the fea, and over Hellefpont
Bridging his way, Europe with Afia join'd,
And scourge'd with many a stroke th' indignant waves.
Now had they brought the work by wond'rous art
Pontifical, a ridge of pendent rock,
Over the vex'd abyfs, following the track
Of Satan, to the self-fame place where he
First lighted from his wing, and landed fafe
From out of Chaos, to the outfide bare
Of this round world: with pins of adamant,
And chains, they made all faft; too faft they made,
And durable; and now in little space
The confines met of empyréan heaven,
And of this world, and on the left hand hell
With long reach interpos'd; three feveral ways
In fight, to each of these three places led.
And now their way to earth they had defery'd, 325
To Paradife first tending; when behold
Satan, in likeness of an angel bright,
Betwixt the Centaur and the Scorpion steering
His zenith, while the Sun in Aries rofe:
Difguis'd he came; but thofe his children dear 330
Their parent foon difcern'd, though in difguife,
He, after Eve feduce'd, unminded flunk
Into the wood faft by, and changing shape
To' obferve the fequel, faw his guileful act
By Eve, though all unweeting, feconded
Upon her husband, faw their fhame that fought
Vain covertures; but when he saw defcend
The Son of God to judge them, terrify'd
He fled, not hoping to efcape, but fhun
The prefent, fearing guilty what his wrath
Might fuddenly inflict; that pafs'd, return'd:
By night, and lift'ning where the hapless pair
Sat in their fad discourse, and various plaint,
Thence gather'd his own doom; which understood:
Not inftant, but of future time, with joy
And tidings fraught, to hell he now return'd;
And at the brink of Chaos, near the foot
Of this new wond'rous pontifice, unhop'd
Met, who to meet him came, his offspring dear.
Great joy was at their meeting, and at fight
Of that ftupendous bridge his joy increas'd;
Long he admiring ftood, till Sin, his fair
Enchanting daughter, thus the filence broke..
O parent, thefe are thy inagnific deeds,
Thy tophies, which thou view'ft as not thine own;
Thou art their author and prime architect:
For I no fooner in my heart divin'd,
My heart, which by a fecret harmony
Still moves with thine, join'd'in connection sweet,
That thou on earth hadft profper'd, which thy looks Now alfo evidence, but strait I felt
Tho' diftant from thee worlds between, yet felt
That I must after thee with this thy fon;
Such fatal confequence unites us three."
Hell could no longer hold us in her bounds,
Nor this unvoyageable gulf obfcure
Detain from following thy illuftrious track.
Thou haft: achiev'd our liberty, confin'd
Within hell-gates till now; thou us impower'd
To fortify thus far, and overlay
With this portentous bridge the dark abyfs.
Thine now is all this world; thy virtue hath wom What thy hands builded not, thy wisdom gain'd With odds, what war hath loft, and fully' avenge'ds
Our foil in heaven; here thou fhalt monarch reign,
There didft not; there let him ftill victor sway,
As battle hath adjudge'd, from this new world
Retiring, by his own doom alienated,
And henceforth monarchy with thee divide
Of all things parted by th' empyreal bounds,
His quadrature, from thy orbicular world,
Or try thee now more dangerous to his throne.
Whom thus the prince of darkness answer'd glad.
Fair daughter, and thou fon and grandchild both,
High proof ye now have given to be the race
Of Satan, (for I glory in the name,
Antagonist of heaven's Almighty King),
Amply have merited of me, of all
Th' infernal empire, that fo near heaven's door
Triumphal with triumphal act have met,
Mine with this glorious work, and made one realm
Hell and this world, one realm, one continent
Of eafy thorough-fare. Therefore while I
Defcend through darkness, on your road with eafe,
To my affociate powers, them to acquaint
With thefe fucceffes, and with them rejoice;
You two this way, among these numerous orbs,
All yours, right down to Paradife defcend;
There dwell, and reign in blifs; thence on the earth
Dominion exercife, and in the air
Chiefly on man, fole lord of all declar'd;
Him firft make fure your thrall, and lastly kill.
My fubftitutes I fend ye, and create
Plenipotent on earth, of matchless might
Iffuing from me: on your joint vigour now
My hold of this new kingdom all depends,
Thro' Sin to Death expos'd by my exploit.
If your joint power prevail, th' affairs of hell
No detriment need fear; go, and be ftrong
So faying, he difmifs'd them; they with speed 410 Their courfe thro' thickest conftellations held, Spreading their bane; the blasted ftars look'd wan, And planets, planet ftruck, real eclipse
Then fuffer'd. Th' other way Satan went down
The caufey to hell-gate; on either fide
Difparted Chaos over-built exclain'd,
And with rebounding furge the bars affail'd,
That fcorn'd his indignation: thro' the gate,
Wide open and unguarded, Satan pafs'd,
And all about found defolate; for those
Appointed to fit there, had left their charge,
Flown to the upper world; the reft were all
Far to th' inland retir'd, about the walls
Of Pandemonium, city and proud seat
Of Lucifer, fo by allufion call'd,
Of that bright ftar to Satan paragon'd.
There kept their watch the legions, while the grand
In council fat, folicitous what chance
Might intercept their empe'ror fent; fo he
Departing gave command, and they obferv'd.
As when the Tartar from his Ruffian foe,
By Aftracan, over the fnowy plains,
Retires; or Bactrian Sophi from the horns.
Of Turkish crefcent, leaves all wafte beyond
The realm of Aladule, in his retreat
To Tauris or Cafbeen: fo thefe, the late
Heaven-banifh'd hoft, left defert utmost hell.
Many a dark league, reduce'd in careful watch
Round their metropolis, and now expecting
Each hour their great advent'rer from the fearch 440
Of foreign worlds. He through the midst unmark'd,
In fhow plebeian angel militant
Of lowest order, pafs'd; and from the door
Of that Plutonian hall, invifible
|