So saying, with delight he snuff'd the smell Of mortal change on earth. As when a flock
Of ravenous fowl, though many a league remote, Against the day of battle, to a field,
Where armies lie encamp'd, come flying, lur'd With scent of living carcases design'd
For death, the following day, in bloody fight: So scented the grim feature, and upturn'd His nostril wide into the murky air; Sagacious of his quarry from so far,
Then both from out hell-gates, into the waste Wide anarchy of chaos, damp and dark,
[great, Flew diverse; and with power, (their power was Hovering upon the waters, what they met Solid or slimy, as in raging sea
Tost up and down, together crowded drove, From each side shoaling towards the mouth of hell, As when two polar winds, blowing adverse Upon the Cronian sea, together drive Mountains of ice, that stop the imagin'd way Beyond Petsora eastward, to the rich Cathaian coast. The aggregated soil Death with his mace petrific, cold and dry, As with a trident smote, and fix'd as firm As Delos, floating once; the rest his look Bound with Gorgonian rigour not to move; And with asphaltic slime broad as the gate, Deep to the roots of hell the gather'd beach They fasten'd, and the mole immense wrought on- 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 passage broad, Smooth, easy, inoffensive, down to hell. So, if great things to small may be compar'd, Xerxes, the liberty of Greece to yoke, From Susa, 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 stroke the indigna
Now had they brought the work by wondrous ar Pontifical, a ridge of pendant rock,
Over the vex'd abyss, 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 fas, 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 sight, to each of these three places led. And now their way to earth they had descried 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 seduc'd, 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'á 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 wondrous pontifice, urlop'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 increas'd. 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
Thou art their author, and prime architect: For I no sooner in my heart divin'd, (My heart, which by a secret harmony
Still moves with thine, join’d in connexion sweet,) That thou on earth hadst prosper'd, which thy Now also evidence, but straight I felt, [looks 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 our bounds, Nor this unvoyageable gulf obscure
Detain from following thy illustrious track: Thou hast achiev'd our liberty, confin'd Within hell gates till now; thou us empower' 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 aveng'd Our foil in heaven; here thou shalt monarch reign, There didst not; there let him still victor sway As battle hath adjudg'd; 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 grandezila. 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, [realm, Mine, with this glorious work; and made one 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 earth Dominion exercise and in the air,
Chiefly on man, sole lord of all declar'a ; 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. expos'd by my exploit. If your joint power prevail, 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 look d And planets, planet-struck, real eclipse [wan, Then suffer'd. The other way Satan went down The causey to hell-gate: on either side Disparted chaos overbuilt 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 call'd 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 Tauris or Casbeen so these, the late Heaven-banish'd host, 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 searct Of foreign worlds: he through the midst unmark'ų, 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 plac'd 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: ail amaz'd 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 ac- claim :
Forth rush'd in haste the great consulting peers Rais'd from their 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
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