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Morte carent; quoniam & belli gravis Exitus armis
Haudquaquam fractos ufu meliora magiftro
Edocuit: quin tandem alacres vi, fraude, tenaces
Propofiti, pacifque haud unquam in fœdus ituri,
Vexamus dirum æternis affultibus hoftem?
Qui jam fecurus lætos fine more triumphos
Toto agitat cœlo victor, fua nec capit amens
Gaudia, quòd fuperâ folus dominetur in arce.
Hæc Satanas altâ jactabat voce, fed acres
Cura gravis stimulos imo fub pectore versat;
Olli Balzebus fcelerato rettulit ore:

O Rex armipotens, ô qui celfiffimus omnes
Imperio exfuperas, fceptris quicunque fuperbi
Aufpicio duxere tuo metuenda minatas
Bella Seraphinas acies; quas fortibus aufis
Impavidas fenfit fuperæ Rex arduus aulæ,

Quærentes num vi fceptrum cafuve teneret,
An fato: Heu nimiùm memori mihi pectora tangit

Since through experience of this great Event
In Arms not worse, in Forefight much advanc'd,
We may with more fuccessful Hope refolve
To wage by force or guile eternal war,
Irreconcileable to our grand Foe,
Who now triumphs, and in th' excess of joy
Sole reigning holds the Tyranny of Heav'n.

So fpake th' Apoftate Angel, though in pain,
Vaunting aloud, but rack'd with deep despair:

And him thus answer'd foon his bold Compeer :

O Prince, O Chief of many throned Powers,
That led th' imbattell'd Seraphim to War
Under thy conduct, and in dreadful deeds
Fearless endanger'd Heav'n's perpetual King,
And put to proof his high Supremacy,
Whether upheld by ftrength, or chance, or fate::
Too well I fee and rue the dire Event,
That with fad overthrow and foul defeat

Exitus immanis, nos qui cæleftibus oris
Detrufit, tantâque ingentes clade cohortes,
Quantùm celfa Deûm potuit Natura perire,
Turbavit: Mens fpirat adhuc invicta, vigorque
Sponte redit, vitæ quanquam periere prioris
Gaudia, & æterno merfatur gloria luctu.

Sin fors Omnipotens (hoc tandem nomine cogor
Dignari; neque enim tales minor ulla potestas
Viciffet vires) noftrum hunc fupereffe vigorem
Paffus, ut æternos meliùs tolerare labores
Poffimus fine fine, & longum ultricibus iris
Sufficere; hìc imo ufque Erebo victoris iniqui
Ad nutum medios penfa exercere per ignes,
Aut denfis invisa sequi mandata sub umbris.
Quid juvat integras vires fervare, perenni
Quid fupereffe ævo, pœnas fi vita perennes
Horrorum fœcunda ferat? Quem deinde rebellis
Dux populi aggreditur præceps & talibus infit:

Hath loft us Heav'n; and all this mighty Hoft
In horrible Destruction laid thus low,
As far as Gods and Heav'nly Effences
Can perish For the Mind and Spirit remains.
Invincible, and Vigour foon returns,
Though all our Glory extinct, and happy State
Here swallow'd up in endless Mifery.
But what if He our Conqu'ror (whom I now
Of force believe Almighty, fince no less [ours)
Than fuch could have o'er-power'd fuch Force as

Have left us this our Spirit and Strength entire
Strongly to fuffer and fupport our Pains,
That we may fo fuffice his vengeful Ire,
Or do him mightier Service as his thralls
By Right of War, whate'er his Business be,
Here in the Heart of Hell to work in Fire,
Or do his Errands in the gloomy Deep?
What can it then avail, though yet we feel
Strength undiminish'd, or Eternal Being,
To undergo Eternal Punishment?

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Degener atque oblite Tui! Patiamur, Agamus,
Quicquid erit, miferum eft fracto cecidiffe vigore:
At Nos, quæ fors cunque ferat, perstabimus iidem,
Gens adverfa Bono æternùm, pravique quod ufquam est
Certa fequi; invifi quicquid fuprema tyranni
Vox prohibet, labor is nobis, ea fola voluptas.
Ille Mali de fonte Bonum deducere quærit;
Sit Noftrum fini quæfito obftare, Malumque
Extorquere Bono. Quoties cruciabitur Hoftis,
Confilia eludi dum fentiet intima, metâ
Propofitâ noftras penitùs deflexa per artes ?
En verò irarum referentes tela Miniftros

Ad cælum revocat Victor: cum fulphure grando
Jam pofuit; flammarum omnis defæviit æftus,
Æthereo qui nos dudum de culmine miffos
Excepit: quin fulguris alâ invecta rubenti
Iras effudere Tonitrua, laffaque ceffant

Per vastum immenfumque altè reboare Profundum.

Whereto with speedy Words th' Arch-Fiend reply'd:
Fall'n Cherub! To be weak is miferable,
Doing or Suffering: But of this be fure,
To do ought good never will be our task,
But ever to do ill our fole delight,
As being contrary to his high will
Whom we refift. If then his Providence
Out of our evil feek to bring forth good,
Our labour must be to pervert that end,
And out of good still to find Means of evil:

Which oft times may fucceed, so as perhaps
Shall grieve him, if I fail not, and disturb
His inmoft Counfels from their deftin'd aim.
But fee the angry Victor hath recall'd

His Minifters of vengeance and pursuit

Back to the Gates of Heav'n: The fulphurous Hail,
Shot after us in Storm, o'er-blown hath laid
The fiery Surge, that from the Precipice
Of Heav'n receiv'd us falling; and the Thunder,
Wing'd with red Lightning and impetuous rage,

Dextrum igitur tempus (feu nos jam fpreverit Hoftis
Securus, feu tandem acres fatiaverit iras)

Captemus. Viden' abruptum diffundier æquor,

Incultos latè campos, omnique carentes
Luce plagas, nifi quæ liventibus edita flammis
Exilit, incertoque tremifcit pallida motu ?
Illic igniti fugientes gurgitis æftum

Quæramus tandem fpatium requiemque dolori,
Siqua ibi fit requies; cogentefque agmina fracta
Tentemus quæ fit potior Sententia; quid nos
Reftituat; dirum irritet quid atrociùs Hostem;
Quo mala vincamus ftudio; quas vivida vires
Spes dederit: fin Spes abfit, quin mittimus ultrò
Sperare? Hoc animos, ipfum Hoc fera pectora firmet.
His comitem affatus, fublimi vertice fluctus
Exfuperans, oculifque procul flammantibus ardens
Exstabat Satanas; vafto dum flumine proni
Immanes membrorum artus per jugera multa

Perhaps hath spent his shafts, and ceases now
To bellow through the vaft and boundless Deep.
Let us not flip th' occafion, whether scorn,
Or fatiate fury yield it from our Foc.

Seeft thou yon dreary Plain, forlorn and wild,
The Seat of defolation, void of light,
Save what the glimmering of these livid flames
Cafts pale and dreadful? Thither let us tend
From off the toffing of these fiery Waves;
There reft, if any Reft can harbour there,

And re-affembling our affiicted Powers,
Confult how we may henceforth most offend
Our Enemy, our own Lofs how repair,
How overcome this dire Calamity,
What reinforcement we may gain from Hope,
If not, what refolution from despair.

Thus Satan talking to his nearest Mate
With Head up lift above the wave, and Eyes
That fparkling blaz'd; his other Parts befides
Prone on the Flood, extended long and large,

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Undabant. Non illum ingenti mole minaces
Vincebant (quos fama canit) telluris Alumni
Aufi inferre Jovi bellum, Briareufque tremendus
Et Typhon, magnus magno exporrectus in antro
Antiquam ad Tarson: non Illum ipfa horrida ponti
Bellua, quæ fluctus inter mirabile Monftrum
Navigat, æquoreæque exultat maxima gentis.
Olim Hæc noctivagæ rectori visa biremis,
Norvegii falis in fpumâ dum fortè quiescit,
(Sic perhibent nautæ) vasta Infula creditur, amplo
Immenfum porrecta finu; latus anchora prensat
Squamofum, & tutâ fruitur ftatione Magister,

Dum pontum obvelant tenebræ, luxque alma moratur.
Talem cernere erat flammantes vincta per undas
Membra exporrectum Satanam: nec membra levâffet
Ex alto rurfum emergens, ni fponte fupremo
Omnipotens nutu paffus malefana patrare
Aufa animi effrænis, diros explere furores,

Lay floating many a rood; in bulk as huge
As whom the Fables name of monstrous fize,
Titanian, or Earth-born, that warr'd on Jove,
Briareos or Typhon, whom the Den
By ancient Tarfus held: or that Sea-beaft
Leviathan, which God of all his works
Created hugeft that fwim th' Ocean ftream:
Him haply flumb'ring on the Norway foam,
The Pilot of fome fmall night-founder'd Skiff,

Deeming fome Ifland, oft (as Sea-men tell,)
With fixed Anchor in his skaly rind,
Moors by his Side under the Lee, while Night
Invests the Sea, and wished Morn delays:

So ftretch'd out huge in length the Arch-fiend lay,
Chain'd on the burning Lake; nor ever thence
Had ris'n or heav'd his head, but that the will
And high permiffion of all-ruling Heav'n
Left him at large to his own dark designs,

Et

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