Nor shall I to the work thou enterpriseft

270 Be wanting, but afford thee equal aid,

So faying, with delight he snuff’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,

2-75
Where armies lie incamp’dy come flying, lur'd.
With scent of living carcases design di
For death, the following day, in bloody fight: *
So scented the grim feature, and upturn'd
His noftril wide into the murky air,

280
Sagacious of his quarry from so far:
Then both from out hell-gates, into the waste
Wide anarchy of Chaos, damp and dark,' s?,
Flew diverse ; and with power (their power was great)
Hovering upon the waters, what they met

285
Solid or flimy, as in raging fear
Toft up and down together crouded drove,
From each side shoaling tow’ards the mouth of hell :
As when two polar winds, blowing adverfe
Upon the Cronian fea, together drive

290
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 smote, and fix'd his firm: 295
As Delos floating once"; the rest his look
Bound with Gorgonian rigour not to move;
And with Afphaltie flime, broad as the gate;.
Deep to the roots of hell the gather'd beach
They faften'd, and the mole immense wrought on, 300-
Over the foaming deep high arch'd; a bridge
Of length prodigious, joining to the wall
linmoveable of this new fenceless world
Forfeit to death; from hence a paffage broad,

315

Smooth, easy, inoffensive, down to hell.

305
So, if great things to small may be compar'd,
Xerxes, the liberty of Greece to yoke,
From Sufa his Memnonian palace high
Came to the sea, and over Hellespont
Bridging his way, Europe with Alia join'd, 310
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 abyss, following the track
Of Satan, to the self-fame place where he
First lighted from his wing, and landed safe
From out of Chaos, to the outside bare
Of this round world: with pins of adamant,
And chains, they made all fait; too fast they made,
And durable ; and now in little fpage

320
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 Paradise 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 :
Disguis'd he came'; but thofe his children dear 330
Their parent foon difcern'd, though in disguise;
He, after Eve feduce'd, unminded funk
Into the wood fast by, and changing Thape
To'observe the sequel, saw his guideful act
By Eve, though all unweeting, fecondedi

335
Upon her husband, faw their shame that fought
Vain covertures ; but when he faw defcend
The Son of God to judge them, terrify'd
He fled, not hoping to escape, but lhun

1

350

The present, fearing guilty what his wrath

34.0 Might suddenly infiret ; that pass'd, return'd: By night, and lift'ning where the hapless pain Sat in their fad difcourse, and various plaint, Thence gather'd his own doom; which understood Not instant, but of future time, with joy

345 And tidings-fraught, to hell he now return d';: And at the brink of Chaos, near the foot Of this new wondrous pontifice, unhop'd Met, who to meet hiin came; his offspring dear: Great joy was at their meeting, and at figłrt Of that stupendous bridge his joy increasid: Long he admiring stood, till Sin, his fair: Enchanting daughter, thus the filence broke.

O parent, these are thy inagnific deeds, Thy tophies, which thou view'st 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 secret harmony Still moves with thine, join'd in connection sweet; That thou on earth hadft prosper'd, which thy looks Now also evidence, but strait. I felt

361 Tho' diftant from thee worlds between, yet felt That I must after thee with this thy fon; Such fatal consequence unites us three. Hell could no longer hold us in her bounds, Nor this unvoyageable gulf obscureDetain from following thy illustrious track, Thou haft: achiev'd our liberty; confind Within hell-gates-till now; thou us iinpower'd To fortify thus far, and overlay

370 With this portentous bridge the dark abyfs. Thine now is all this world ; thy virtue hath won What thy hands builded not, thy wisdom gain'd With odds what war hath loft, and fully' avenged

356

365

.

376

380

Our foil in heaven; here thou shalt monarch reign,
There didit dot; there let him ftill viétor 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 dange’rous to his throne.

Whom thus the prince of darkness anfwer'd glad. Fair daughter, and thou fon and grandchild both, High proof ye now have given to be the race

385 Of Satan, (for I glory in the name, Antagonist of heaven's Almighty King), Amply have merited of me, of all Th’infernal einpire, that so near heaven's door Triumphal with triumphal act have met, 390 Mine with this glorious work, and made one realm Hell and this world, one realm, one continent Of easy thorough-fare. Therefore while I Defcend through darkness, on your road with ease, To my associate powers, them to acquaint 395 With these fuccesses, and with them rejoice;. You two this way, among these numerous orbs, All yours, right dowa to Paradife defcend; There dwell, and 'reign in bliss; thence on the earth Dominion exercise, and in the air Chiefly on man, fole lord of all declar'd; Him first make fure your thrall, and lastly kill. My substitutes 1

ye,

and create
Plenipotent on earth, of matchless might
Illuing 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 strong

400

send

405

world ;

So saying, he dismiss’d them; they with speed 410 Their course thro' thickest constellations held, Spreading their bane; the blasted stars look'd wan, And planets, planet struck, real eclipse Then suffer'd. Th' other

way

r Satan went down The caufey to hell-gate; on either fide

415 Disparted 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 passid, And all about found defolaté ; for those

420 Appointed to fit there, had left their charge, Flown to the upper

the rest were all
Far to th’inland retir'd, about the walls
Of Pandemonium, city and proud seat
Of Lucifer, fo by allusion callid,

425
Of that bright star to Satan paragon'd.
There kept their watch the legions, while the grand
In council fat, solicitous what chance
Might intercept their empe'ror fent ; fo he
Departing gave command, and they observ'd.

430 As when the Tartar from his Russian foe, By Attracan, over the snowy plains, Retires; or Bactrian Sophi from the horns Of Turkish crescent, leaves all waste beyond The realm of Aladule, in his retreat

435 To Tauris or Calbeen : so there, the late Heaven-banith'd host, left defert utmoit hell Many a dark league, reduce'd in careful watch Round their metropolis, and now expecting Each hour their great advent'rer from the search

440 Of foreign worlds. He through the midst unmark'd, In show plebeian angel militant Of lowest order, pass’d; and from the door Of that Plutonian hall, invisible