And durable; and now, in little space, The confines met of empyrean Heaven, And of this world; and on the left hand, Hell With long reach interposed; three several ways, In sight, to each of these three places led. And now their way to earth they had descry'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 sun in Aries rose: Disguis'd he came; but those, his children dear Their parent soon discern'd, though in disguise. He, after Eve seduced, unminded, slunk Into the wood fast by; and changing shape To observe the sequel, saw his guileful act, By Eve, though all unweeting, seconded Upon her husband; saw their shame that sought Vain covertures; but when he saw descend The Son of God to judge them, terrified He fled, not hoping to escape, but shun The present, fearing, guilty, what his wrath Might suddenly inflict: that past, return'd By night, and listening, where the hapless pair Sat in their sad discourse, and various plaint, Thence gather'd his own doom; which understood, Not instant, 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 wonderous pontifice, unhop'd, Met, who to meet him came, his offspring dear. Great joy was at their meeting; and, at sight Of that stupendous bridge, his joy increased. Long he admiring stood, till Sin, his fair Enchanting daughter, thus the silence 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 sooner in my heart divined (My heart, which, by a secret harmony, Still moves with thine, join'd in connection sweet,) That thou on earth hadst prosper'd, which thy looks Now also evidence, but straight I felt, Though distant from thee worlds between, yet felt That I must after thee, with this thy son, Such fatal consequence unites us three: Hell could no longer hold us in her bounds, Nor this unvoyageable gulf obscure
Detain from following thy illustrious track. Thou hast achieved our liberty, confined Within Hell-gates till now; thou us empower'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 lost, and fully avenged Our foil in Heaven: here thou shalt monarch reign, There didst not; there let Him still victor sway, As battle hath adjudged, from this new world Retiring, by his own doom alienated; And henceforth monarchy with thee divide Of all things parted by the 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 son 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
The infernal empire, that so 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 easy thoroughfare. Therefore, while I Descend through darkness, on your road with ease, To my associate powers, them to acquaint With these successes, 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 earthi Dominion exercise, and in the air, Chiefly on Man, sole lord of all declared, Him first make sure your thrall, and lastly, kill. My substitutes I send ye, and create Plenipotent on earth, of matchless might, Issuing from me; on your joint vigour now My hold of this new kingdom all depends, Through Sin to Death exposed by my exploit. If your joint power prevails, the affairs of Hell No detriment need fear; go, and be strong."
So saying, he dismiss'd them: they, with speed, Their course through thickest constellations held, Spreading their bane: the blasted stars looked wan: And planets, planet-struck, real eclipse
Then suffer'd. The other way Satan went down The cause-way to Hell-gate: on either side Disparted Chaos over-built, exclaim'd, And with rebounding surge the bars assail'd, That scorn'd his indignation: through the gate, Wide open and unguarded, Satan pass'd, And all about found desolate; for those Appointed to sit there, had left their charge, Flown to the upper world; the rest were all Far to the inland retired, about the walls Of Pandemonium, city and proud seat Of Lucifer, so by allusion called, Of that bright star to Satan paragon'd: There kept their watch the legions, while the grand In council sat, solicitous what chance Might intercept their emperor sent; so he Departing, gave command, and they observ'd. As when the Tartar from his Russian foe, By Astracan, 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
To Taurus or Casbin: so these, the late Heaven-banish'd host, left desert utmost Hell, Many a dark league, reduced in careful watch, Round their metropolis, and now, expecting Each hour their great adventurer, from the search 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, Ascended his high throne, which, under state Of richest texture spread, at the upper end Was placed in regal lustre. Down a while He sat, and round about him saw, unseen : At last, as from a cloud, his fulgent head And shape, star-bright, appear'd, or brighter, clad With what permissive glory, since his fall Was left him, or false glitter. All amazed, At that so sudden blaze, the Stygian throng Bent their aspect, and whom they wish'd, beheld, Their mighty chief return'd. Loud was the acclaim: Forth rush'd in haste the great consulting peers, Raised from the dark divan, and with like joy, Congratulant, approach'd him; who, with hand Silence, and with these words, attention won.
"Thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues, powers,
For in possession such, not only of right, I call ye, and declare ye now, return'd Successful, beyond hope, to lead ye forth, Triumphant, out of this infernal pit, Abominable, accursed, the house of woe, And dungeon of our Tyrant: now possess, As lords, a spacious world, to our native Heaven Little inferior, by my adventure hard,
With peril great achieved. Long were to tell What I have done, what suffer'd; with what pain Voyag'd the unreal, vast, unbounded deep Of horrible confusion; over which, By Sin and Death, a broad way now is paved, To expedite your glorious march; but I Toil'd out my uncouth passage, forc'd to ride The untractable abyss, plung'd in the womb Of unoriginal Night and Chaos wild, That, jealous of their secrets, fiercely oppos'd My journey strange, with clamorous uproar, Protesting Fate supreme; thence, how I found The new-created world, which fame in Heaven Long had foretold, a fabric wonderful, Of absolute perfection, therein Man Placed in a Paradise, by our exile Made happy him, by fraud, I have seduced From his Creator, and, the more to increase Your wonder, with an apple. He, thereat Offended, worth your laughter, hath given up Both his beloved man, and all his world, To Sin and Death a prey; and so to us, Without our hazard, labour, or alarm, To range in, and to dwell, and over man To rule, as over all he should have ruled. True is, me also he hath judged; or rather Me not, but the brute serpent, in whose shape Man I deceived: that which to me belongs Is enmity, which he will put between Me and mankind; I am to bruise his heel; His seed, when is not set, shall bruise my head : A world, who would not purchase with a bruise, Or much more grievous pain? Ye have the account Of my performance: what remains, ye gods, But up, and enter now into full bliss?"
So having said, a while he stood, expecting Their universal shout, and high applause To fill his ear; when contrary, he hears On all sides, from innumerable tongues,
A dismal universal hiss, the sound Of public scorn; he wondered, but not long Had leisure, wondering at himself now more: His visage drawn, he felt, to sharp and spare, His arms clung to his ribs, his legs entwining Each other, till supplanted, down he fell, A monstrous serpent on his belly prone, Reluctant, but in vain; a greater Power Now ruled him punish'd in the shape he sinn'd, According to his doom. He would have spoke, But hiss for hiss return'd, with forked tongue To forked tongue; for now were all transform'd Alike, to serpents; all, as accessories To his bold riot. Dreadful was the din Of hissing through the hall, thick swarming now With complicated monsters, head and tail, Scorpion and Asp, and Amphisbæna dire, Cerastes horn'd, Hydrus, and Elops, drear, And Dipsas (not so thick swarm'd once the soil Bedropt with blood of Gorgon, or the isle Ophiusa): but still greatest he the midst, Now dragon grown, larger than whom the sun Engender'd in the Pythian vale, on slime, Huge Python, and his power no less he seem'd Above the rest, still to retain; they all Him follow'd, issuing forth to the open field, Where all yet left of that revolted rout, Heav'n-fall'n, in station stood, or just array, Sublime with expectation, when to see, In triumph issuing forth, their glorious chief; They saw, but other sight instead, a crowd Of ugly serpents; horror on them fell, And horrid sympathy; for what they saw, [arms, They felt themselves now changing; down their Down fell both spear & shield, down they as fast, And the dire hiss renew'd, and the dire form Catch'd by contagion; like in punishment, As in their crime. Thus was th' applause they meant Turn'd to exploding hiss, triumph to shame, [stood
Cast on themselves from their own mouths. There
A grove hard by, sprung up with this their change, His will who reigns above, to aggravate Their penance, laden with fruit, like that Which grew in Paradise, the bait of Eve Used by the tempter. On that prospect strange Their earnest eyes they fix'd, imagining For one forbidden tree, a multitude
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