Familiar the fierce heat, and void of pain,

This horror will grow mild, this darkness light;
Besides what hope the never-ending flight

Of future days may bring, what chance, what change
Worth waiting, since our present lot appears
For happy though but ill, for ill not worst,
If we procure not to ourselves more wo.

Thus Belial with words cloth'd in reason's garb,
Counsel'd ignoble ease, and peaceful sloth,
Not peace : and after him, thus Mammon spake:
Either to disenthrone the king of heav'n
We war, if war we best, or to regain

Our own right lost him to unthrone we then
May hope, when everlasting fate shall yield
To fickle chance, and Chaos judge the strife;
The former vain to hope argues as vain

The latter for what place can be for us

:

Within heav'ns bound, unless heav'n's lord supreme
We overpow'r? Suppose he should relent,
And publish grace to all, on promise made
Of new subjection; with what eyes could we
Stand in his presence humble, and receive
Strict laws impos'd, to celebrate his throne
With warbled hymns, and to his godhead sing
Forc'd hallelujahs; while he lordly sits
Our envied Sov'reign, and his altar breathes
Ambrosial odours, and ambrosial flow'rs,
Our servile off'rings? This must be our task
In heav'n, this our delight; how wearisome
Eternity so spent in worship paid

To whom we hate! Let us not then pursue
By force impossible, by leave obtain❜d,
Unacceptable, though in heav'n, our state
Of splendid vassalage; but rather seek

Our own good from ourselves, and from our own
Live to ourselves, though in this vast recess,
Free and to none accountable, preferring
Hard liberty before the easy yoke

Of servile pomp. Our greatness will appear

Then most conspicuous, when great things of small,
Useful of hurtful, prosp'rous of adverse
We can create, and in what place soe'er
Thrive under evil, and work ease out of pain
Through labour and endurance. This deep world
Of darkness do we dread? How oft amidst
Thick clouds and dark, doth heav'n's all-ruling Sire
Choose to reside, his glory unobscur'd,

And with the majesty of darkness round
Covers his throne; from whence deep thunders roar
Must'ring their rage, and heav'n resembles hell?
As he our darkness, cannot we his light
Imitate when we please? This desert soil
Wants not her hidden lustre, gems and gold;
Nor want we skill or art, from whence to raise
Magnificence; and what can heav'n show more?
Our torments also may in length of time
Become our elements, these piercing fires
As soft as now severe, our temper chang'd
Into their temper; which must needs remove
The sensible of pain.* All things invite
To peaceful counsels, and the settled state
Of order, how in safety best we may
Compose our present evils, with regard
Of what we are and were, dismissing quite
All thoughts of war. Ye have what I advise.

He scarce had finish'd, when such murmur fill'd Th' assembly, as when hollow rocks retain

The sound of blust'ring winds, which all night long
Had rous'd the seas, now with hoarse cadence lull
Sea-faring men o'er-watch'd, whose bark by chance,
Or pinnace, anchors in a craggy bay

After the tempest: such applause was heard
As Mammon ended, and his sentence pleas'd,
Advising peace: for such another field

They dreaded worse than hell: so much the fear
Of thunder and the sword of Michael

* "The sensible of pain :" the sensibility or faculty of feeling.

Wrought still within them; and no less desire
To found this nether empire, which might rise
By policy and long process of time,
In emulation opposite to heav'n.

Which when Beelzebub perceiv'd, than whom,
Satan except, none higher sat, with grave
Aspect he rose, and in his rising seem'd
A pillar of state, deep on his front engraven
Deliberation sat, and public care;

And princely counsel in his face yet shone,
Majestic though in ruin: sage he stood,
With Atlantean shoulders, fit to bear

The weight of mightiest monarchies; his look
Drew audience and attention still as night,

Or summers noontide air, while thus he spake :
Thrones and Imperial Pow'rs, offspring of heav'n,
Ethereal Virtues; or these titles now

Must we renounce, and changing style be call'd
Princes of hell? for so the pop❜lar vote

Inclines us, here to continue, and build up here
A growing empire; doubtless, while we dream,
And know not that the King of heav'n hath doom'd
This place our dungeon, not our safe retreat
Beyond his potent arm, to live exempt

From heav'n's high jurisdiction, in new league
Banded against his throne, but to remain
In strictest bondage, though thus far remov'd
Under the inevitable curb, reserv'd

His captive multitude: for He, be sure,
In height or depth, still first and last will reign
Sole king, and of his kingdom lose no part
By our revolt, but over hell extend
His empire, and with iron sceptre rule
Us here, as with his golden those in heav'n.
What sit we then projecting peace and war?
War hath determin'd us, and foil'd with loss
Irreparable; terms of peace yet none

Vouchsaf'd or sought; for what peace will be giv'n
To us enslav'd, but custody severe,

And stripes, and arbitrary punishment
Inflicted? and what peace can we return,
But to our pow'r hostility and hate,

Untam'd reluctance, and revenge though slow,
Yet ever plotting how the Conqu❜ror least
May reap his conquest, and may least rejoice
In doing what we most in suff'ring feel?
Nor will occasion want, nor shall we need
With dang'rous expedition to invade

Heav'n, whose high walls fear no assault or seige,
Or ambush from the deep. What if we find
Some easier enterprise? There is a place,
(If ancient and prophetic fame in heav'n
Err not) another world, the happy seat
Of some new race call'd Man, about this time
To be created like to us, though less
In pow'r and excellence, but favour'd more
Of him who rules above; so was his will
Pronounc'd among the gods, and by an oath,
That shook heav'n's whole circumference, confirm'd
Thither let us bend all our thoughts, to learn
What creatures there inhabit, of what mould,
Or substance; how indu'd, and what their pow'r,
And where their weakness, how attempted best,
By force or subtlety. Though heav'n be shut,
And heav'n's high Arbitrator sit secure
In his own strength, this place may lie expos'd;
The utmost border of his kingdom, left,
To their defence who hold it here perhaps
Some advantageous act may be achiev'd
By sudden onset, either with hell fire
To waste his whole creation, or possess
All as our own, and drive, as we were driven,
The puny inhabitants, or if not drive,
Seduce them to our party, that their God
May prove their foe, and with repenting hand
Abolish his own works. This would surpass
Common revenge, and interrupt his joy
In our confusion, and our joy upraise

In his disturbance; when his darling sons,
Hurl'd headlong to partake with us, shall curse
Their frail original, and faded bliss,
Faded so soon. Advise if this be worth
Attempting, or to sit in darkness here,
Hatching vain empires. Thus Beelzebub
Pleaded his devilish counsel, first devis'd
By Satan, and in part propos'd: for whence,
But from the author of all ill, could spring
So deep a malice, to confound the race
Of mankind in one root, and earth with hell
To mingle and involve, done all to spite
The great Creator? But their spite still serves
His glory to augment. The bold design
Pleas'd highly those infernal States, and joy
Sparkled in all their eyes; with full assent
They vote; whereat his speech he thus renews.
Well have ye judg'd, well ended long debate,
Synod of gods, and like to what ye are,

Great things resolv'd, which from the lowest deep,
Will once more lift us up, in spite of fate,
Nearer our ancient seat; perhaps in view

Of those bright confines, whence with neighb'ring arms
And opportune excursion we may chance
Re-enter heav'n; or else in some mild zone
Dwell not unvisited of heav'n's fair light
Secure, and at the bright'ning orient beam
Purge off this gloom; the soft delicious air,
To heal the scar of these corrosive fires,

Shall breath her balm. But first whom shall we send
In search of this new world? whom shall we find
Sufficient? who shall tempt with wand'ring feet
The dark unbottom'd infinite abyss,

And through the palpable obscure find out
His uncouth way, to spread his airy flight
Upborne with indefatigable wings

Over the vast abrupt, ere he arrive

The happy isle? what strength, what ait can then Suffice, or what evasion bear him safe