625

See with what heat these dogs of hell advance
To waste and havock yonder world, which I
So fair and good created, and had still
Kept in that state, had not the folly' of man
Let in these wasteful furies; who impute 620
Folly to me; fo doth the prince of hell,
And his adherents, that with so much ease
I suffer them to enter and possess
A place fo heavenly, and conniving feem
To gratify my scornful enemies,
That laugh, as if transported with some fit
Of paflion, I to them had quitted all,
At random yielded up to their misrule ;
And know not that I call d and drew them thither,
My hell-hounds, to lick up the draff and filth 630
Which man's polluting fin with taint hath shed
On what was pure, till cramm'd and gorge'd, nigh burst
With suck'd and glutted offal, at one fling
Of thy victorious arm, well-pleasing Son,
Both Sin, and Death, and yawning Grave at laft 635
Thro’ Choas hurl'd, obstruct the mouth of hell
For ever, and seal

up
his

ravenous jaws.
Then heaven and earth renew'd shall be made pure
To sanctity that shall receive no stain :
Till then the curse pronounce'd on both precedes. 640

He ended, and the heavenly audience loud
Sung Halleluiah, as the found of seas,
Through multitude that fung: Just are thy ways,
Righteous are thy decrees on all thy works ;
Who can extenuate thee?' Next, to the Son, 645
Destin'd restorer of mankind, by whom
New heaven and earth shall to the

ages rise,
Or down from heaven descend. Such was their fong,
While the Creator calling forth by name

His mighty angels, gave them several charge, 650
As forted best with present things. The sun
Had first his precept fo to move, fo shine,
As might affect the earth with cold and heat
Scarce tolerable ; and from the north to call
Decrepit winter ; from the south to bring 655
Solftitial summer's heat. To the blank moon
Her office they prescrib'd; to th' other five
Their planetary motions and aspécts,
In fextile, square, and trine, and opposite
Of noxious efficacy, and when to join

660
In fynod unbenign; and taught the fix'd
Their influence malignant when to shower; ,
Which of them rising with the sun, or falling,
Should prove tempestuous: to the winds they fet
Their corners, when with bluster to confound 665
Sea, air, and shore, the thunder when to roll
With terrour through the dark aëreal hall.
Some say he bid his angels turn ascanse
The poles of earth twice ten degrees and more
From the sun's axle; they with labour push'd 670
Oblique the centric globe : fome say the fun
Was bid turn reins from th'equinoctial road
Like distant breadth to Taurus with the seven
Atlanctic Sifters, and the Spartan Twins,
Up to the Tropic Crab; thence down amain 675
By Leo, and the Virgin, and the Scales,
As deep as Capricorn, to bring in change
Of seasons to each clime; else had the spring
Perpetual smild on earth with vernant flowers,
Equal in days and nights, except to thofe

680 Beyond the polar circles; to them day Had unbenighted shone, while the low fun To recompense his distance, in their fight

685

Had rounded still th' horizon, and not known
Or east or weit, which had forbid the snow
From cold Estotiland, and south as far
Beneath Magellan. At that tasted fruit
The Sun, as from Thyestean banquet, turn'd
His course intended; else how had the world
Inhabited, though finless, more than now, 690
Avoided pinching cold and scorching heat ?
These changes in the heavens, tho' low, produce'd
Like change on sea and land, sideral blast,
Vapour, and mist, and exhalation hot,
Corrupt and pestilent: now from the north

695
Of Norumbega, and the Samoed shore,
Barsting their brazen dungeon, arm'd with ice
And snow, and hail, and stormy gust and flaw,
Boreas, and Cæcias, and Argestes loud,
And Thracias, rend the woods, and seas upturn; 700
With adverse blast upturns them from the south
Notus and Afer black with thundrous clouds
From Sierraleon ; thwart of these as fierce
Forth rush the Levant and the Ponent winds,
Eurus and Zephyr, with their lateral noise,

70% Sirocco, and Libecchio. Thus began Outrage from lifeless things : but Discord first, Daughter of Sin, among th' irrational Death introduced through fierce antipathy:

709 Beast now with beast 'gan war,, and fowl with fowl, And fish with fish; to graze the herb all leaving, Devour'd each other; nor stood much in awe Of man, but fled him, or with count’nance grim Glar'd on him passing. These were from without The growing miseries, which Adam faw

715 Already' in part, though hid in gloomieß fhade, To forrow' abandon’d; but worse felt within,

730

And in a troubled fea of passion tost,
Thus to disburden fought with fad complaint.

O miserable of happy'! is this the end 720
Of this new glorious world, and me so late
The glory of that glory, who now become
Accurs'd of blessed ? hide me from the face
Of God, whom to behold was then my height
Of happiness ! yet well, if here would end

725 The misery; I defery'd it, and would bear My own defervings : but this will not serve ; All that I eat or drink, or shall beget, Is propagated curse. Ovoice once heard Delightfully, Increase and multiply, Now death to hear ! for what can I increase Or multiply, but curses on my head ? Who of all ages to succeed, but feeling The evil on him brought by me, will curse My head ?, Ill fare our ancestor impure,

735 For this we may thank Adam ; but his thanks Shall be the execration : fo besides Mine own that bide upon me, all from me Shall with a fierce reflux on me redound, On me as on their natural centre light

740 Heavy, though in their place. O fleeting joys Of Paradise, dear bought with lasting woes! Did I requelt thee, Maker, from my clay To mould me mản ? did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me, or here place 745 In this delicious garden? As my will Concurr'd not to my be'ing, it were but right And equal to reduce me to my dust, Defireous to resign and render back All I receiv'a, unable to perform

750 Thy terms too hard, by which I was to hold

The good I fought not. To the loss of that,
Sufficient penalty, why hast thou added
The fenfe of endless woes ? inexplicable
Thy justice seems; yet, to say truth, too late, 755
I thus contest; then should have been refus'd.
Those terms whatever, when they were propos'd :
Thou didit accept them; wilt thou' enjoy the good,
Then cavil the conditions? And though God
Made thee without thy leave, what if thy fon 760
Prove disobedient, and reprov'd, retort, }
Wherefore didst thou beget me'? I fought it not :
Wouldst thou admit for his contempt of thee
That proud excuse ? yet him not thy election,
But natural necessity, begot.

765
God made thee' of choice his own, and of his own
To serve him; thy reward was of his grace;
Thy punishment then justly' is at his will,
Be' it fo, for I fubmit; his doom is fair,
That duft I am, and shall to dust return.

770 O welcome hour whenever ! why delays His hand to execute what his decree, Fix'd on this day? why do I overlive? Why am I mock'd with death, and lengthen'd out To deathless pain? how gladly would I meet 775 Mortality my sentence, and be earth Insensible ? how glad would lay me down As in my mother's lap? there I should rest And sleep fecure; his dreadful voice no more Would thunder in my ears, no fear of worse To me and to my offspring would torment me With cruel expectation. Yet one doubt Pursues me still, lest all I cannot die ; Lest that pure breath of life, the spi'rit of man, Which God inspir'd, cannot together perilo 285 With this corporeal clod ; then in the grave,

780