Of ravenous fowl, though many a league remote, Against the day of battel, to a field,
Where armies lie incamp'd, come flying, lur'd
With fent of living carcaffes defign'd
For death, the following day, in bloody fight:
So fented 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 waste,
Wide anarchy of Chaos,damp and dark,
Flew diverse; and with pow'r (their pow'r was great) Hovering upon the waters, what they met
Solid or flimy, as in raging sea
Toft up and down, together crouded drove
From each side shoaling towards the mouth of Hell:
As when two polar winds, blowing adverse
Upon the Cronian fea, together drive
Mountains of ice, that stop th' imagin'd way
Beyond Petfora eastward, to the rich
Cathaian coaft. The aggregated foil
Death, with his mace petrific, cold and dry,
As with a trident smote, and fix'd as firm
As Delos floting once; the reft his look
Bound with Gorgonian rigor not to move;
And with Asphaltic flime, broad as the gate,
Deep to the roots of Hell the gather'd beach
They fasten'd, and the mole immense wrought on 300
Over the foaming deep, high arch'd; a bridge
Of length prodigious, joining to the wall
Immoveable of this, now fenceless, world,
Forfeit to Death; from hence a paffage broad,
Smooth, easy, inoffensive 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 sea; and over Hellespont
Bridging his way, Europe with Asia join'd,
And scourg'd,with many a ftroke,th' indignant waves.
Now had they brought the work by wondrous art Pontifical, a ridge of pendent rock,
Over the vex'd abyfs; following the track
Of Satan to the self same 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 fast; too fast 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 several ways
In fight, to each of these three places led.
And now their way to Earth they had descry'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 fun in Aries rose:
Disguis'd he came, but those his children dear 339
Their parent foon difcern'd, though in disguise.
He, after Eve seduc'd, unminded flunk
Into the wood faft by; and,changing shape
To observe the sequel; 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 escape, but shun
The present; fearing, guilty, what his wrath
Might fuddenly inflict; that past, return'd
By night, and lift'ning where the hapless pair
Sat in their fad difcourfe, 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 wondrous pontifice, unhop'd,
Met who to meet him came, his ofspring 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
Inchanting daughter, thus the filence broke.
O Parent, these are thy magnific deeds,
Thy trophies, which thou view'st as not thine own; Thou art their author and prime architect:
My heart, which by a secret harmony
Still moves with thine, join'd in connexion sweet, That thou on earth hadft profper'd, which thy looks Now alfo evidence, but ftrait I felt.
Though distant 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 obscure
Detain from following thy illuftrious track.
Thou hast 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 abyss.
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 aveng'd
Our foil in Heav'n; here thou shalt monarch reign,
There didft not; there let him,ftill victor,fway, 376
As battel hath adjudg'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, 380
His quadrature, from thy orbicular world,
Or try thee now more dange rous to his throne.
Whom thus the Prince of darkness answer'd glad.
Fair Daughter, and thou Son and Grandchild both,
High proof ye now have giv'n to be the race
Of Satan, (for I glory in the name,
Antagonist of Heav'n's almighty king)
Amply have merited of me, of all
Th' infernal empire, that so near Heav'n'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
Descend through darkness, on your road with ease, my afsociate Pow'rs, them to acquaint
With these fucceffes, and with them rejoice,
You two this way, among these numerous orbs,
All yours, right down to Paradise descend;
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 sure your thrall, and lastly kill.
My substitutes I send ye, and create
Plenipotent on earth, of matchless might
Iffuing from me: on your joint vigor now
My hold of this new kingdom all depends,
Through Sin to Death expos'd by my exploit.
If your joint pow'r prevail, th' affairs of Hell
No detriment need fear; go,and be ftrong.
So saying he dismiss'd them; they with speed 410 Their course through thickest constellations held, Spreading their bane; the blasted stars look'd wan; And planets, planet-struck, real eclipse
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