By change of place: now confcience wakes despair
That flumber'd, wakes the bitter memory
Of what he was, what is, and what muft be
Worfe; of worie deeds worse fufferings mußt enfue.
Sometimes towards Eden, which now in his view
Lay pleasant, his griev'd look he fixes fad;
Sometimes towards Heav'n and the full-blazing fun,
Which now fat high in his meridian tower :
Then much revolving, thus in fighs began.
O thou that with furpaffing glory crown`d,
Look'ft from thy fele dominion like the God
Of this new world; at whofe fight all the ftars
Hide their diminish'd heads; to thee I call,
But with no friendly voice, and add thy name
O Sun, to tell thee how I hate thy beams,
That bring to my remembrance from what state
I fell, how glorious once above thy sphere;
Till pride and worse ambition threw me down
Warring in Heav'n against Heav'n's matchless king:
Ah wherefore! he deferv'd no such return
From me, whom he created what I was
In that bright eminence, and with his good
Upbraided none; nor was his fervice hard.
What could be less than to afford him praise,
The easiest recompense, and pay him thanks,
How due! yet all his good prov'd ill in me,
And wrought but malice; lifted up so high
I fdeind fubjection, and thought one step higher
Would fet me hig'heft, and in a moment quit
The debt immenfe of endless gratitude,
So burdenfome ftill paying, still to owe,
Forgetful what from him I still receiv'd,
And understood not that a grateful mind
By owing owes not, but still pays, at once
Indebted and discharg'd; what burden then?
O had his pow'rful destiny ordain'd
Me fome inferior Angel, I had stood
Then happy; no unbounded hope had rais'd
Ambition. Yet why not? fome other Power
As great might have afpir'd, and me though mean
Drawn to his part; but other Pow'rs as great
Fell not, but ftand unfhaken, from within
Or from without, to all temptations arm'd.
Hadft thou the fame free will and pow'r to stand?
Thou hadft: whom haft thou then or what t' accufe,
But Heav'n's free love dealt equally to all?
Be then his love accurs'd, fince love or hate,
To me alike, it deals eternal woe.
Nay curs'd be thou; fince against his thy will
Chofe freely what it now fo juftly rues.
Me miferable! which way fhall I fly
Infinite wrath, and infinite despair?
Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell;
And in the loweft deep a lower deep
Still threatning to devour me opens wide,
To which the Hell I fuffer feems a Heaven.
O then at last relent: is there no place
Left for repentance, none for pardon left?
None left but by fubmiffion; and that word
Difdain forbids me, and my dread of fhame
The fame whom John saw also in the fun :
His back was turn'd, but not his brightness hid;
Of beaming funny rays a golden tiar
Circled his head, nor less his locks behind
Illuftrious on his fhoulders fledge with wings
Lay waving round; on fome great charge employ'd
He feem'd, or fix'd in cogitation deep.
Glad was the Spi'rit impure, as now in hope
To find who might direct his wand'ring flight
To Paradife the happy feat of Man,
His journey's end and our beginning woe.
But first he cafts to change his proper shape,
Which elfe might work him danger or delay:
And now a ftripling Cherub he appears,
Not of the prime, yet fuch as in his face
Youth fmil'd celestial, and to every limb
Suitable grace diffus'd, so well he feign'd:
Under a coronet his flowing hair
In curls on either cheek play'd; wings he wore
Of many a color'd plume sprinkled with gold,
His habit fit for speed fuccinct, and held
Before his decent steps a filver wand.
He drew not nigh unheard; the Angel bright,
Ere he drew nigh, his radiant visage turn'd,
Admonish'd by his ear, and strait was known
'Th' Arch-Angel Uriel, one of the feven
Who in God's prefence, neareft to his throne,
Stand ready at command, and are his eyes
That run through all the Heav'ns, or down to th' Earth
Bear his swift errands over moift and dry,
O'er fea and land: him Satan thus accosts.
Uriel, for thou of those seven Spi'rits that stand
In fight of God's. high throne, gloriously bright, 655
The first art wont his great authentic will
Interpreter through highest Heav'n to bring,
Where all his fons thy embassy attend;
And here art likelieft by fupreme decree
Like honor to obtain, and as his eye
To vifit oft this new creation round;
Unspeakable defire to fee, and know
All these his wondrous works, but chiefly Man,
His chief delight and favor, him for whom
All these his works fo wondrous he ordain'd,
Hath brought me from the quires of Cherubim
Alone thus wand'ring. Brightest Seraph, tell
In which of all these shining orbs hath Man
His fixed feat, or fixed feat hath none,
But all these shining orbs his choice to dwell;
That I may find him, and with fecret
On whom the great Creator hath bestow'd
Worlds, and on whom hath all these graces pour'd;
That both in him and all things, as is meet,
The univerfal Maker we may praise;
Who justly hath driv'n out his rebel foes
To deepest Hell, and to repair that loss
Created this new happy race of Men
To ferve him better: wife are all his ways.
So spake the false diffèmbler unperceiv'd;
For neither Man nor Angel can difcern
Hypocrify, the only' evil that walks
Invisible, except to God alone,
By his permiffive will, through Heav'n and Earth : 685.
And oft, though wisdom wake, fufpicion fleeps
At wisdom's gate, and to fimplicity
Refigns her charge, while goodness thinks no ill
Where no ill seems: Which now for once beguil'd
Uriel, though regent of the fun, and held
The sharpeft-fighted Spirit of all in Heaven ;,
Who to the fraudulent impoftor foul
In his uprightness answer thus return'd.
Fair Angel, thy defire, which tends to know The works of God, thereby to glorify The great Work-master, leads to no excess That reaches blame, but rather merits praise The more it seems excefs, that led thee hither From thy empyreal mansion thus alone, To witness with thine eyes what fome perhaps Contented with report hear only' in Heaven : For wonderful indeed are all his works, Pleasant to know, and worthiest to be all' Had in remembrance always with delight; But, what created mind. can comprehendTheir number, or the wisdom infinite That brought them forth, but hid their caufes deep? I saw when at his word the formless mass, This world's material mold, came to a heap: Confufion heard his voice, and wild uproar Stood rul'd, ftood vast infinitude confin'd; Till at his fecond bidding darkness fled,
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