Cathaian coaft. The aggregated foil
Death with his mace petrific, cold and dry,
As with a trident fmote, 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 immenfe wrought on 300
Over the foaming deep high arch'd, a bridge
Of length prodigious, joining to the wall
Immoveable of this now fencelefs world
Forfeit to Death; from hence a passage broad,
Smooth, eafy, inoffenfive down to Hell.
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 fea, and over Hellefpont
Bridging his way, Europe with Afia join'd,
And fcourg'd with many a stroke 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 fafe
From out of Chaos, to the outfide bare
Of this round world: with pins of adamant
And chains they made all faft, 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 defcry'd,
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 :
Difguis'd he came, but those his children dear
Their parent foon difcern'd, though in difguife.
He after Eve feduc'd, unminded slunk
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 faw defcend
The Son of God to judge them, terrify'd
He fled, not hoping to escape, but shun
The prefent, fearing guilty what his wrath
Might fuddenly inflict; that paft, 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 wondrous 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 stood, 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:
For I no fooner in my heart divin'd,
My heart, which by a fecret harmony
Still moves with thine, join'd in connexion fweet, That thou on earth hadft prosper'd, which thy looks Now also evidence, but ftrait I felt
Though distant 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 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 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' aveng'd
Our foil in Heav'n; here thou shalt monarch reign, 375
There didft not; there let him still victor sway,
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,
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 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 fo 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,
To my affociate 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 blifs, 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 fubftitutes I send you, and create
Plenipotent on earth of matchlefs 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 strong.
So faying he difinifs'd them; they with speed Their course through thickest constellations held, Spreading their bane; the blasted stars look'd wan,
And planets, planet-ftruck, real eclipfe
Then fuffer'd. Th' other way Satan went down
The caufey to Hell gate; on either fide
Difparted Chaos over built exclam'd,
And with rebounding furge the bars affail'd,
That fcorn'd his indignation: through 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 rest 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 star to Satan paragon'd.
There kept their watch the legions, while the Grand
In council fat, folicitous what chance
Might intercept their emperor 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: So these the late
Heav'n-banish'd hoft, left desert utmost Hell
Many a dark league, reduc'd in careful watch
Round their metropolis, and now expecting
Each hour their great adventurer from the fearch 440
Of foreign worlds; he through the midst unmark'd,
In fhow plebeian Angel militant
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