At certain revolutions, all the damn'd
Are brought; and feel by turns the bitter change Of fierce extremes, extremes by change more fierce! From beds of raging fire to ftarve in ice
Their foft ethereal warmth, and there to pine Immoveable, infix'd, and frozen round, Periods of time; thence hurried back to fire. They ferry over this LETHEAN Sound Both to and fro, their forrow to augment, And wish, and ftruggle as they país, to reach The tempting stream, with one finall drop to lofe In fweet forgetfulnefs all pain and woe, All in one moment, and fo near the brink: But Fate withstands, and to oppose th' attempt MEDUSA with GORGONIAN terror guards The ford, and of itself the water flies All taste of living wight; as once it fled The lip of TANTALUS. Thus roving on
In confus'd march forlorn th' advent'rous bands, 615 With fhudd'ring horror pale, and eyes agaft, View'd first their lamentable lot, and found No reft through many a dark and dreary vale They pafs'd, and many a region dolorous, D'er many a frozen, many a fiery Alp,
Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens, and fhades of death; A universe of death! which GOD by curfe Created evil; for evil only good,
Where all life dies, death lives, and nature breeds
Perverse, all monftrous, all prodigious things,
Abominable, inutterable; and worle
Than fables yet have feign'd, or fear conceiv'd, GORGONS, and HYDRAS, and CHIMERAS dire.
MEAN while the adverfary of GoD and man, 629 SATAN, with thoughts inflain'd of highest design,
Puts on fwift wings, and tow'rds the gates of hell Explores his folitary flight: fometimes
He fcours the right-hand coaft, fometimes the left: Now fhaves with level wing the deep; then foars Up to the fiery concave tow'ring high. As when far off at fea a fleet defcry'd, Hangs in the clouds, by Equinoctial winds Close failing from BENGALA, or the ifles
Of TERNATE, and TIDORE, whence merchants bring Their fpicy drugs: they on the trading flood Through the wide ETHIOPIAN, to the cape Ply, ftemming nightly tow'rd the Pole: fo feem'd Far off the flying Fiend. At laft appear
Hell bounds, high-reaching to the horrid roof;
And thrice threefold the gates: three folds were brafs,
Three iron, three of adamantine rock;
Impenetrable, impal'd with circling fire,
Yet unconfum'd. Before the gates there fat
On either fide a formidable shape;
The one seem'd woman to the waist, and fair;
But ended foul in many a fcaly fold,
Voluminous and vast! a serpent arm'd
With mortal fting: about her middle round A cry of hell-hounds never ceafing bark'd
With wide CERBERIAN mouths full loud, and rung A hideous peal: yet, when they lift, would creep, If ought difturb'd their noife, into her womb, And kennel there; yet there ftill bark'd, and howl'd Within, unfeen. Far lefs abhor'd than these Vex'd SCYLLA, bathing in the sea that parts CALABRIA from the hoarfe TRINACRIAN fhore: Nor uglier follow the Night-hag, when call'd In fecret, riding through the air fhe comes Lur'd with the smell of infant-blood, to dance With LAPLAND witches, while the lab'ring Moon
Eclipfes at their charms. The other shape, If fhape it might be call'd, that fhape had none Diftinguishable in member, joint, or limb; Or fubftance might be call'd, that fhadow feem'd, For each feem'd either: black it stood as night, Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as hell, And shook a dreadful dart: what feem'd his head, The likeness of a kingly crown had on. SATAN was now at hand, and from his feat The monster moving, onward came as faft With horrid ftrides: hell trembled as he strode. Th' undaunted fiend what this might be admir'd; Admir'd, not fear'd: GoD and his Son except, Created thing not valued he, nor fhun'd; And with difdainful look, thus first began.
WHENCE, and what, art thou! execrable shape! That dar'ft, though grim and terrible, advance Thy mif-created front athwart my way
To yonder gates? through them I mean to pass, That be affur'd, without leave afk'd of thee. Retire, or tafte thy folly, and learn by proof, Hell-born! not to contend with spirits of heav'n.
To whom the Goblin, full of wrath, reply'd ; Art thou that Traitor-Angel, art thou he, Who first broke peace in heav'n, and faith, till then Unbroken; and in proud rebellious arms 691 Drew after him the third part of heav'n's fons, Conjur'd against the Higheft; for which both thou And they, outcaft from GOD, are here condemn'd To wafte eternal days in woe and pain? 695 And reckon't thou thy felf with fpirits of heav'n, Hell-doom'd! and breath'ft defiance here and fcorn, Where I reign King, and to enrage thee more, E 3
Thy King and Lord? Back to thy punishment, Falfe fugitive and to thy fpeed add wings; Left with a whip of fcorpions I purfue
Thy lingring; or with one ftroke of this dart Strange horror feize thee, and pangs unfelt before.
So fpake the griefly Terror, and in shape, So fpeaking, and fo threatning, grew tenfold More dreadful and deform. On th' other fide, Incens'd with indignation SATAN stood Unterrify'd; and like a comet burn'd, That fires the length of OPHIUCUS huge In th' artic fky, and from his horrid hair Shakes peftilence and war. Each at the head. Level'd his deadly aim ; their fatal hands No fecond stroke intend; and fuch a frown Each caft at th' other, as when two black clouds With heav'n's artill'ry fraught, come rattling on 7151 Over the CASPIAN; then stand front to front, Hov'ring a fpace, till winds the fignal blow
To join their dark encounter in mid air: So frown'd the nighty combatants, that hell
Grew darker at their frown: fo match'd they stood:
For never but once more was either like
To meet fo great a foe. And now great deeds
Had been atchiev'd, whereof all hell had
Had not the fnaky forcérefs that fat
Faft by hell-gate, and kept the fatal key,
Ris'n, and with hideous outcry, rush'd between.
O FATHER! what intends thy hand, she cry'd, Against thy only fon? What fury, O fon! Poffeffes thee, to bend that mortal dart Against thy father's head? and know'ft for whom? For him who fits above, and laughs the while
At thee, ordain'd his drudge, to execute Whate'er his wrath, which he calls juftice, bids; His wrath, which one day will deftroy ye both!
SHE fpake, and at her words the hellish peft 735 Forbore; then these to her SATAN return'd.
So ftrange thy outcry, and thy words fo ftrange Thou interpofeft, that my fudden hand Prevented, fpares to tell thee yet by deeds What it intends; till firft I know of thee, What thing thou art, thus double-form'd; In this infernal vale first met, thou call'st Me father, and that phantom call'ft my fon : I know thee not, nor ever faw till now Sight more deteftable than him, and thee.
T' whom thus the portress of hell-gate reply'd; Has thou forgot me then, and do I feem Now in thine eye fo foul? once deem'd fo fair In heav'n! when at th' affembly, and in fight Of all the Seraphim, with thee combin'd In bold confpiracy against heav'n's King, All on a fudden miferable pain
Surpriz'd thee, dim thine eyes, and dizzy fwum In darkness; while thy head flames thick and faft Threw forth; till on the left fide op'ning wide Likeft to thee in fhape, and count'nance bright, Then fhining heav'nly fair, a Goddess arm'd, Out of thy head I fprung: amazement seiz'd All th' holt of heav'n; back they recoil'd, afraid At first, and call'd me SIN; and for a fign Portentous held me: but familiar grown, I pleas'd, and with attractive graces won The moft averfe, thee chiefly, who full oft
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