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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 easy thorough-fare. 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'd,

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, th' affairs of Hell
No detriment need fear; go and be strong.

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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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Then suffer'd. Th' other way Satan went down
The causey 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 th' inland retir'd, about the walls
Of. Pandemonium, city and proud seat
Of Lucifer, so by allusion call'd

Of that bright star to Satan paragon'd.

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There kept their watch the legions, while the Grand
In council sat, solicitous what chance

Might intercept their empe'ror sent; so hé
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
Heav'n-banish'd host left desert utmost Hell
Many a dark league, reduc'd in careful watch
Round their metropolis, and now expecting

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Each hour their great adventurer from the search 440
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 th' 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: all amaz'd

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At that so sudden blaze the Stygian throng

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Bent their aspéct, and whom they wish'd beheld,
Their mighty Chief return'd: loud was the acclame :
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
Successful beyond hope, to lead ye forth
Triumphant out of this infernal pit
Abominable, accurs'd, the house of woe,
And dungeon of our Tyrant: now possess,
As lords, a spacious world, to' our native Heav'n
Little inferior, by my adventure hard

With peril great achiev'd. Long were to tell
What I have done, what suffer'd, with what pain
Voyag'd th' unreal, vast, unbounded deep

Of horrible confusion, over which

By Sin and Death a broad way now is pav'd
To expedite your glorious march; but I
Toil'd out my uncouth passage, forc'd to ride
Th' untractable abyss, plung'd in the womb
Of unorigi'nal Night and Chaos wild,

That jealous of their secrets fiercely' oppos'd

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My journey strange, with clamorous uproar
Protesting fate supreme; thence how I found
The new-created world, which fame in Heav'n
Long had foretold, a fabric wonderful

Of absolute perfection, therein Man
Plac'd in a Paradise, by our exile
Made happy: him by fraud I have seduc'd
From his Creator, and the more to' increase
Your wonder, with an apple; he thereat
Offended, worth your laughter, hath giv'n 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 rul'd.
True is, me also he hath judg'd, or rather
Me not, but the brute serpent in whose shape
Man I deceiv'd: that which to me belongs
Is enmity, which he will put between
Me and mankind; I am to bruise his heel;

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His seed, when is not set, shall bruise my head:
A world who would not purchase with a bruise, 500
Or much more grievous pain? Ye have th' 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

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Of public scorn; he wonder'd, but not long
Had leisure, wond'ring at himself now more ;
His visage drawn he felt to sharp and spare,
His arms clung to his ribs, his legs intwining
Each other, till supplanted down he fell
A monstrous serpent on his belly prone,
Reluctant, but in vain, a greater Power
Now rul'd 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

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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 in the midst,
Now Dragon grown, larger than whom the sun
Ingender'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 th' 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 croud :

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