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Me jacto; mando has aliis, qui talis egentes
Auxilii fuerint & quando popofcerit hora,
Tentandas. Studia hæc timidi dum vana fovebunt,
Totne alii quos arma juvant, qui figna repofcunt
Arrecti, cœlo profugi fic turpibus antris
Claudentur, diras Domino mandante catenas,
Cui noftra immeritum permittit Inertia fceptrum?
Non ita: fed flammis Erebi furialibus aucti
Turritas cœli fimul irrumpamus in arces,

Siqua viam vis inveniat; pro fortibus armis
Vindictam pœnafque ipfas vertamus in Hostem :
Continuò armorum clangoribus omnipotentum
Rauco refpondere inferna tonitrua cantu
Audiet; horrificas contra fua fulgura flammas
Telaque cæligenæ cernet metuenda juventæ,
Tela fuis æquanda, nec impare jacta lacerto.
Quin & Tartarei commiftum fulphuris igni
Sentiet attonitus folium fublime, fuifque

Contrive who need; or when they need, not now:
For while they fit contriving, fhall the rest,
Millions that ftand in arms, and longing wait
The fignal to afcend, fit ling'ring here
Heav'n's fugitives, and for their dwelling-place
Accept this dark opprobrious Den of fhame,
The Prison of His Tyranny, who reigns
By our delay? No! let us rather chufe,
Arm'd with Hell flames and fury, all at once

O'er Heav'n's high Tow'rs to force refiftlefs way,
Turning our Tortures into horrid arms
Against the Torturer: when to meet the noife
Of His Almighty Engin He fhall hear
Infernal Thunder; and for Lightning fee
Black fire and horror fhot with equal rage
Among His Angels: and His Throne itself
Mix'd with Tartarean Sulphur, and ftrange fire,
His own invented Torments.
But perhaps

Turba

Turbatum inventis. Quod fi quibus ifta videtur
Difficilis via, nec pennis nitentibus apta
Confcendi, turrim dum poffidet altior Hoftis;
Hi recolant, lentæ nifi pigra oblivia Lethes

Pectora adhuc hebetent, alacri nos impete fedes

Ad patrias ultrò efferri:

Et cadere adverfum eft.

Defcendere nobis

Quis non modò fenfit, ut Hoftis

A tergo infultans rueret fracta agmina sævâ

Calce terens, quâ vi impulfi, molimine quanto
Ceffimus huc? Ergo facile eft afcendere; at anceps
Exitus: ille novis victor fi ferveat iris,
Vindictâ nos fortè aliâ & majore fequetur
Excidio, fiquod fuperet fub Tartara majus.
Quid verò gravius, fævis quàm vincla tenebris
Dura pati, & pulfos cœli felicibus arvis

Ducere perpetuos horrendo in gurgite luctus :
Quà ftrident flammæ æternum, indomitifque rotantur
Vorticibus rapide; fuga nec datur ulla, tyranni

The way feems difficult and fteep, to scale
With upright wing against a higher foe.-
Let fuch bethink them, (if the fleepy drench
Of that forgetful Lake benumb not still)
That in our proper motion we ascend
Up to our native feat: defcent and fall
To us is adverfe. Who but felt of late,
When the fierce Foe hung on our broken Rere
Infulting, and purfu'd us thro' the Deep,

With what compulfion and laborious flight
We funk thus low? Th' afcent is eafie then;
Th' event is fear'd: fhould we again provoke
Our stronger, fome worse way His wrath may find
To our deftruction: if there be in Hell
Fear to be worse destroy'd. What can be worse
Than to dwell here, driv'n out from Blifs, condemn'd
In this abhorred Deep to utter woe;

Where pain of inextinguishable fire

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Cum triftis jubet hora, & inexorabile flagrum
Evocat ad pœnas? Ultra fi perdere vellet,
Eripiat vitam penitùs perimatque neceffe eft.
Ergo timemus adhuc Hoftem irritare? Furoris
Utcunque ardefcant flammæ, vel funditùs acri
Interiment æstu, nostrumque hoc omne resolvent
In nihilum (quod maluerim quam tristia sæcla
Protrahere æterno in luctu, vitæque recufem
Tœdia) vel nobis fi fit cœleftis origo
Nefciaque extingui, fi leti attingere fines

Non datur, extrema attigimus. Quin otia cœli
Conturbare ferena (hæc noftrûm cognita Virtus)
Ipfius & folium æternum quaffare frequenti
Fas erit affultu. Quid fi non vincimus? at nec
Pœniteat vinci, fi victi ulcifcimur Hoftem.
Defierat frontem rugis contractus, & ipfo
Vindictam vultu fpirans metuendaque bella,

Si metus in Divos caderet.

Muft exercise us, without hope of end,
The Vaffals of His anger, when the scourge
Inexorable, and the torturing hour,

Calls us to Penance? More deftroy'd than thus,
We should be quite abolish'd, and expire.
What fear we then? what doubt we to incenfe
His utmost Ire? which to the height enrag'd,
Will either quite confume us, and reduce
To nothing this Effential; happier far,
Than miferable to have eternal Being:

Contrarius olli,

Or if our substance be indeed divine,
And cannot cease to be, we are at worst
On this fide nothing: and by proof we feel
Our pow'r fufficient to difturb His Heav'n,
And with perpetual inrodes to alarm,
Though inacceffible, His fatal Throne:
Which, if not Victory, is yet Revenge.

He ended frowning, and his look denounc'd
Defperate revenge, and Battle dangerous
To less than Gods. On th' other fide up rofe
Sed

Sed grato magis ore habituque venuftius apto
Surrexit Belus, qui formofiffimus unus

Exciderat cœlo. Facies præclara minantis,

Et vultus virtutis erat: tamen heu! folidum nil,

Nil fincerum inerat. Nam quanquam nectare Lingua
Stillaret, turbare potens Confulta Senatûs,

Et fpecies alias veris & nomina rebus

Sciret falfa dare; at Mens illi fordida, in omne
Curva malum, at femper magnos ignavus ad aufus
Spiritus; utcunque arrectas fermonibus aures
Blandus demulcere, loquelis fuavibus infit:

Bella mihi pariter, Proceres, manifesta placerent,
(Quippe eadem me vofque tenent odia & furor idem)
Ni mihi caufa, alios cingi quæ jufferit armis,
Suadeat his diverfa, & terreat omine lævo.
Ille etenim, belli primos qui pofcit honores,
Confilio incertus proprio armorumque saluti
Diffidit; folâ hac fretus virtute, quòd omnem

Belial, in act more graceful and humane :
A fairer person loft not heaven; he seem'd
For dignity compos'd, and high exploit:

But all was falfe and hollow: though his Tongue
Drop'd Manna, and cou'd make the worse appear
The better Reason, to perplex and dash
Matureft Counfels: for his Thoughts were low;
To Vice induftrious, but to nobler deeds
Timorous and flothful: yet he pleas'd the Ear,

And with perfuafive accent thus began:

I should be much for open War, O Peers,
As not behind in hate, if what was urg'd
Main reason to persuade immediate War,
Did not diffuade me moft, and seem to caft
Ominous conjecture on the whole fuccefs;
When he who most excells in fact of Arms,
In what he counsels and in what excells,
Miftruftful, grounds his courage on despair

G 2

Spem

Spem dudum exuerit, fatoque extinguier optet,
Expletus vindictâ animos ultusque dolores.

Quæ vindicta, vel unde? Poli ftant turribus altis
Armatæ Vigilum excubiæ & circum undique celfos
Defendunt aditus. Sed & oris fæpe Profundi
Caftra locant turma, cautave nigrantibus alis
Explorant noctis feralia regna, dolofque

Contemnunt. Sin vi irrueremus, & omnia latè
Tartara conjicerent piceas jurata tenebras
Ætheream in lucem; celsâ tamen arce sederet
Omnipotens decore illæfo; puriffima cœli
Temperies fecura nitens incendia fœda
Sperneret infernafque faces: hâc clade repulfis
Una falus miferis nullam fperare falutem.
Continuò Omnipotens Victor dans tota furori
Fræna ferox domitos immani extinxerit irâ:
Non Effe ulteriùs, fuerint folatia tandem
Unica; dura nimis folatia! Nam quis iniquis

And utter diffolution, as the scope

Of all his aim, after fome dire revenge. [fill'd
Firft, what revenge? The Tow'rs of Heav'n are
With armed Watch, that render all access
Impregnable: oft on the bordering Deep
Encamp their Legions; or with obfcure wing
Scout far and wide into the realm of night,
Scorning furprize. Or could we break our way
By force, and at our heels all Hell should rife
With blackest Infurrection, to confound

Heav'n's pureft Light; yet our great Enemy,
All incorruptible would on His Throne
Sit unpolluted; and th' Ethereal mould
Incapable of ftain, would foon expel
Her mifchief, and purge off the bafer fire,
Victorious. Thus repuls'd, our final hope
Is flat despair; we must exasperate
Th' Almighty Victor to spend all His rage,
And that must end us; that must be our cure,
To be no more. --- Sad cure! for who would lose,

Ut

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