Impulerit primos, cœli propiore beatos
Numine, tam blandi Genitoris fpernere juffa
Ingratos, unum ob Vetitum, cum cætera latè
Terrarum vaftâ foli ditione tenerent;
Tam fœdum miferis crimen quis fuaferit auctor.
Infernus Serpens: Ille improbus arte malignâ
Matrem hominum lufit, furiis ultricibus actus,
Ipfe exul jam tum cœli, faftumque nefandum
Efferaque ausa luens cum Tartareo comitatu ;
Quorum ope, præcelfum divini munus honoris
Ante Pares longè affectans, æquâffe Supremum
Sperabat, fi contra obfifteret; impiaque amens
Bella DEI Solio & pugnam intentabat atrocem.
Hunc adeò, effræni molitum vana tumultu,
Æthereis projectum oris per inane profundum
Flagrantem torfit DEUS, horrificâque ruinâ
Præcipitem dedit; æternæque voragine noctis
Inclusit demersum, ibi longum adamantina vincla
Mov'd our Grand Parents, in that happy State,
Favour'd of Heav'n fo highly, to fall off
From their Creator, and tranfgrefs his Will
For one Reftraint, Lords of the World befides:
Who firft feduc'd them to that foul revolt.
Th' infernal Serpent: He it was, whofe Guile,
Stirr'd up with Envy and Revenge, deceiv'd
The Mother of Mankind, what time his Pride
Had caft him out from Heav'n, with all his Hoft
Of Rebel Angels; by whose aid aspiring
To fet himself in Glory above his Peers,
He trufted to have equal'd the Moft High,
If He oppos'd; and with ambitious aim
Against the Throne and Monarchy of GoD
Rais'd impious war in Heav'n and battel proud
With vain Attempt. Him the Almighty Power
Hurl'd headlong flaming from th' Ethereal Skie
With hideous ruin and combustion down
Et meritos flammæ paffurum vindicis ignes,
Qui malefana palam Omnipotentem in bella vocârat.
Jam novies noctis fpatium noviesque diei
Fluxerat, ut terris numerantur tempora; ponto
Hic fuper ignivomo dirâ comitante catervâ
Attonitus jacet, atque Animæ ftupet obruta Virtus
Æthereæ. Cœlo vifum eft gravioribus iris
Hunc ultrà fupereffe; amiffa hinc gaudia luget,
Illinc immenfos horret fine fine dolores:
Lumina continuò feralia circumvolvit,
Lumina mororem immanem, formidine mixtâ,
Invictumque odium & faftum teftata ferocem.
Tum celerem torquens aciem, quantùm usque tuendo
Cœlicolûm penetrant oculi, loca lurida, vasto
Deformem tractu regionem afpectat: ubique
Horror erat; barathrumque ingens, ceu maxima fornax,
Undique jactabat flammas, fine lumine flammas:
Obscurâ tantùm fub lucis imagine tristes
To bottomlefs perdition; there to dwell
In adamantine Chains and penal Fire,
Who durft defie th' Omnipotent to arms.
Nine times the space that measures day and night
To mortal men, He with his horrid crew
Lay vanquish'd, rowling in the fiery Gulf,
Confounded, though immortal. But his Doom
Referv'd him to more wrath; for now the thought
Both of loft happiness and lafting pain
Torments him: round he throws his baleful eyes,
That witnefs'd huge affliction and difmay
Mix'd with obdurate pride and stedfast hate.
At once, as far as Angels ken, he views
The difmal fituation waste and wild.
A Dungeon horrible on all fides round,
As one great Furnace, flam'd; yet from those flames
No light, but rather darkness visible
Serv'd only to discover sights of woe,
Luftrabat Caligo plagas, folafque dolorum
Pandebat facies, umbras vallefque inamœnas;
Pax fugit inde, Quiefque; fugit, quæ fublevat omnes
Ultrò Spes placida; at torto Vindicta flagello
Inftat, Diluviumque perenni agit agmine flammas
Sulphuris indomitas. Iftos hâc fede Rebelles,
Hoc claudi Omnipotens æquus decreverat antro,
Heu quam diffimili Patriæ fedisque relictæ !
Ter tantùm ore fuo æthereâque à luce remotos,
Quantùm vel Medio diftat mundi ultimus Axis.
Cladis ibi comites flammarum in gurgite volvi
Dux cernit miser attonitos, multoque rotatos
Turbine; & adjunctum lateri, qui proximus Ipfi
Criminibus fceptrifque, infano agitarier æstu:
Ille Palaftind longo poft tempore notus,
Nomine Balzebus: quem cœli acerrimus Hoftis
(Cœlicolæ hinc Satanam memorant) audacibus ultro
Compellans dictis horrenda filentia rupit :
Regions of forrow, doleful fhades, where Peace
And Reft can never dwell, Hope never comes
That comes to all; but Torture without end
Still urges, and a fiery Deluge, fed
With ever-burning Sulphur unconfum'd.
Such Place Eternal Juftice had prepar'd
For thofe Rebellious, here their prifon ordain'd
In utter darkness, and their portion fet
As far remov'd from God and light of Heav'n,
As from the Center thrice to th' utmost Pole;
O how unlike the place from whence they fell!
There the companions of his fall, o'erwhelm'd
With Floods and Whirl-winds of tempeftuous fire,
He foon difcerns, and welt'ring by his fide
One next himself in power, and next in crime,
Long after known in Palestine, and nam'd
Beelzebub. To whom th' Arch-enemy,
And thence in Heav'n call'd Satan, with bold words
Si
Si fis Ille Idem! verùm ô quàm everfus, ab Illo
Quantùm ô mutatus, lætis qui lucis in oris
Tot rutilorum unus fuperabas millia longè
Cœlicolûm, eximio radiorum indutus amictu!
Si fis Ille, mihi focium quem fœdus idemque
Confilium, quem fpes eadem & commune periclum
Aufi participem ingentis junxere; ruinâ
Nunc Sors una pari junxit: de culmine quanto
Corruimus, fentis, quantâque voragine merfi.
Scilicet Hunc tantùm evexere Tonitrua, nulli
Nota priùs fera tela. At me, fi tota ruat vis
Telorum, & quodcunque aliud violentior Ira
Victoris quondam inveniet, non franget, atroxve
Mutabit mihi cor, fpecies licèt extera formæ
Mutetur; neque enim, quæ fpretæ injuria movit
Virtutis, generosa animo faftidia cedent.
Ergo ipfi haud veritus bellum intentare Tonanti
Calicolûm immenfas ducebam in prœlia turmas,
Breaking the horrid filence thus began:
If thou beeft He! but O how fall'n; how chang'd
From Him, who in the happy realms of light
Cloath'd with transcendent brightness didst out-shine
Myriads tho' bright! If He, whom mutual league,
United thoughts and counfels, equal hope
And hazard in the glorious Enterprize,
Join'd with me once, now mifery hath join'd
In equal ruin; Into what Pit thou feeft
From what Height fall'n: fo much the ftronger
prov'd
He with his Thunder: and 'till then who knew
The force of those dire Arms? Yet not for those,
Nor what the potent Victor in his rage
Can elfe inflict, do I repent or change,
Though chang'd in outward luftre, that fix'd mind
And high disdain, from fense of injur'd merit,
That with the Mightieft rais'd me to contend,
Quot juga detrectare aufi, dominumque volentes
Me potiùs, vires quas Ifte coegerat omnes
Per latos cœli dubio certamine campos
Viribus aggreffi adverfis, foliumque fupremum
Concuffere. Efto; palmam infelicibus Alter
Præripuit; fed Mens fupereft immota, nec ullis
Debellanda malis, fed flecti nefcia Virtus,
Immortale Odium, Vindictæ arrecta cupido,
Et Quodcunque ufquam vinci frangive recufat.
Hos mihi nunquam adimet, nunquam extorquebit honores,
Non rabie indomitâ, non vi. Victumne fuperbos
Me volvi ante pedes, & inertia flectere genua ?
Orabo veniam fupplex, & habebitur ultrò
Ifte mihi Deus, Ifte hujus terrore lacerti
Pallidus haudpridem, ac regno nutante tremiscens ?
Tunc effem fanè abjectus, tunc clade vel ipsâ
Fœdius opprobrium paterer. Quoniam aufpice fato
Igneus ille Deûm vigor & cœleftis origo
And to the fierce Contention brought along
Innumerable force of Spirits arm'd
That durft diflike His Reign; and me preferring
His utmost power with adverfe power oppos'd
In dubious battel on the plains of Heav'n,
And what is elfe not to be overcome.
That Glory never shall his wrath or might
Extort from me. To bow and fue for grace
With fuppliant knee, and deifie his Power,
Who from the terror of this Arm fo late
And shook his Throne. What tho' the field be loft? Doubted his Empire: That were low indeed;
All is not loft; th' unconquerable Will,
And study of Revenge, immortal Hate,
And Courage never to fubmit or yield,
That were an Ignominy and Shame beneath
This Downfal. Since by fate the strength of Gods
And this empyreal substance cannot fail,
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