Utcunque afflictam pœnis projecerit ultro

Hanc animam, hos fenfus, per quos in fæcula longè
Tendimus? Aut ita cuiquam aurai fimplicis ignis
Sordet, ut immoto lethi torpere veterno

Malit iners, noctifque perire absorptus in alvo?
Sin foret optandum, nobif-ne indulferit Hoftis?
Incertum poffit-ne; at certum eft nolle.
Scilicet effundet totum Prudentia magni

Furorem

Numinis? Aut amens delirat fortè, vel iras

Non capit impatiens? An præcipitante, quod optent,
Extinguat dextrâ, quos deftinat ipfe perenni

Supplicio?

Et quianam tandem ceffamus inertes,
Exclamant, queis bella placent? Nos ferrea dudum
Lex manet, æterno damnat fervatque dolori :
Atque adeò, quæcunque olim tentabimus ausa,
Quid majus, quæve afperior fortuna fuperfit ?
Hæc ergo, hæc nobis asperrima pœna, fovere
Has fedes, his confiliis armifque potiri?

Though full of pain, this intellectual Being;
Thofe thoughts, that wander through Eternity;
To perish rather, fwallow'd up and loft
In the wide womb of uncreated night,
Devoid of fenfe and motion? And who knows,
(Let this be good) whether our angry Fee
Can give it, or will ever: how He can,
Is doubtful; that He never will, is fure.
Will He, fo wife, let loofe at once His ire,
Belike thro' Impotence, or unaware,

To give his Enemies their wish, and end
Them in His anger, whom His anger faves
To punish endless? Wherefore cease we then,
Say they who counsel War? We are decreed,
Referv'd, and deftin'd to eternal woe:
Whatever doing, what can we fuffer more;
What can we suffer worse? Is this then worst,
Thus fitting, thus confulting, thus in Arms?
What! when we fled amain, purfu'd, and ftrook
With Heav'n's afflicting Thunder, and befought

114

Quid, fuga cum rapuit præceps, turmafque fequaces
Horruimus fulmenque ferox; cum cæca Profundi
Hofpitia orantes confugimus? Inftar Afyli

Tartara erant jam tum trepidis. Quid, atrocia passos
Vincula flammivomus latè cum volveret æftus?
Senfimus id certè afperius. Quid, fi ipfe furorem
Sufcitet, hos diros qui accendit Spiritus ignes,

Et fluctus rabie exagitans feptemplice det nos
Præcipites? aut fi dextram intermissa rubentem
Rurfum armet Vindicta; Erebique immane reclufi
Ipfa ruant Convexa, altam minitata ruinam
Defuper, ac multo defcendant vortice flammæ ?
Nos fortè intereà meditantes grandia bella
Sulphureo feret igne fremens fcopulifque rotatos
Quemque fuis transfiget hiems, ludibria fævis
Turbinibus; rapidifve immerfos iftius undis
Oceani vincla impedient, fufpiria longâ
Tracturos ferie! nec enim miferabitur Ultor

The Deep to fhelter us? This Hell then feem'd
A refuge from thofe wounds. Or, when we lay
Chain'd on the burning Lake? That fure was worse.
What if the breath that kindled thofe grim fires,
Awak'd, fhould blow them into sevenfold rage,
And plunge us in the flames? Or, from above,
Should intermitted Vengeance arm again
His red right hand to plague us? What if all
Her ftores were open'd, and this Firmament
Of Hell fhould spout her Cataracts of Fire?

Impendent horrors! threatning hideous fall
One day upon our heads: while we perhaps
Defigning or exhorting glorious war,
Caught in a fiery Tempeft fhall be hurl'd
Each on his Rock transfix'd, the sport and prey
Of racking whirlwinds: or for ever funk
Under yon boiling Ocean, wrapt in Chains;
There to converfe with everlafting groans,
Unrefpited, unpitied, unrepriev'd,
Ages of hopeless end? This would be worse.
Nec

Nec minuet pœnas; dabitur mora nulla quiesve,
Nec finem indomito ftatuet Spes ipsa labori.
Annon hoc longe afperius? - Clade ergo magistrâ
Nos tandem, ô Proceres, fugiamus tristia bella,

Bella palam, vel clam: Quid vis, quid fraudis opertæ
Contra Illum infidiæ? quâ fallitur arte, capaci
Lumine cuncta fimul qui colligit? Ille fupremo
Defpicit & noftros jam ridet ab æthere motus
Omnipotens, luditque dolos obftatque furori.
Ergone nos, genus æthereum, fic mosta trahemus
Tempora? nos cœli mutabimus otia vinclis
Talibus, extorrefque omni calcabimur ævo?

Sunt gravia hæc, fateor: fed quæ graviora fuperfunt
Vitemus, quum lex fati immutabilis ac Vox
Omnipotens premat, & Victoris fumma Voluntas.
Quantaque ineft nobis audere in pectore Virtus,
Tanta pati eft: Lex æqua fatis; quæ clara videri
Quondam etiam patuit, fi mens non læva fuiffet,

War therefore, open or conceal'd, alike

My voice diffuades: for what can force or guile
With Him, or who deceive His mind, whofe eye
Views all things at one view? He from Heav'n's
height

All these our motions vain fees, and derides;
Not more Almighty to refift our might,
Than wife to fruftrate all our plots and wiles.
Shall we then live thus vile, the race of Heav'n,

55

Thus trampled, thus expell'd, to fuffer here
Chains and thefe Torments? Better these than worse,
By my advice; fince fate inevitable
Subdues us, and omnipotent Decree,
The Victor's Will. To fuffer, as to do,
Our strength is equal, nor the Law unjust
That fo ordains: this was at firft refolv'd
If we were wife, against so great a foe
Contending, and fo doubtful what might fall.

ᏙᎥ

Vi dubiâ tanto temerè certantibus hofti.
Quis rifum teneat, cum fe certamine fortes
Qui jactant, malè fi certamen cefferit, horrent
Continuò, & belli quam deftinat alea fortem,
Dedecus, exilium, cruciatus, vincla, dolores
Formidant? Nunc hæc nos fata, hæc certa premit Lex.
Hæc fi nunc faciles patiamur mentibus æquis,
Fors erit ut Victor ferventi fræna furori
Mitior injiciat tandem, tantoque remotos
Nos fpatio nec jam ftimulantes ampliùs iram
Negliget, expletus pœnis; flammæque feroces
Mollefcent, magni nifi foverit ira tyranni.
Noftra etiam ingratos vincet mox aura vapores
Purior, aut longo tandem obdurabitur ufu;
Aut mutata habitum fedique affuetæ malignæ
Excipiet diros lætis amplexibus ignes:
Horror & hic mitefcet, & hæc caliginis umbra
Lucebit: meliora jubet fperare citato

I laugh, when those who at the Spear are bold
And vent'rous, if that fail them, fhrink and fear
What yet they know muft follow, to endure
Exile, or ignominy, or bonds, or pain,
The fentence of their Conqueror: This is now
Our doom, which if we can sustain and bear,
Our fupreme Foe, in time, may much remit
His anger and perhaps thus far remov'd
Not mind us not offending, fatisfy'd

With what is punish'd: whence these raging fires
Will flacken, if his breath ftir not their Flames.
Our purer effence then will overcome
Their noxious vapor; or enur'd, not feel;
Or chang'd at length, and to the place conform'd
In temper, and in nature, will receive
Familiar the fierce heat, and void of Pain.
This horror will grow mild, this darknefs, light:
Ecfides what hope the never-ending flight

Axe volans fine fine dies: jam fortè fecundas
Fert fortuna vices; quin dat folatia rerum
Hæc facies; ingrata quidem, fed pessima nondum
Evasit, ni plura datis mala poscimus ultrò.

Sermonem obvolvens pulchro Rationis amictu
Sic lentum Belus torporem inhoneftaque fuafit
Otia fub pacis fpecie. Dein talia Mammon :

Ut Regem æthereum cœlo exturbemus, atroxve
Quod patimur damnum campo reparemus aperto,
Bellamus, fi bella placent. Illum árce supremâ
Eruere imperii jam tum fperare licebit,
Quum Fortuna levis Fatum immutabile vincet,
Litem ipfo dirimente Chao. Sin vana fit inde,
Hinc fuerit Spes vana fimul: quis enim æthere toto
Nos iterum locus accipiat, nifi Rege fubacto

Funditùs æthereo?

1711

Sin Illum fingimus iras

Jam demùm exuere, atque ultrò clamare daturum
Communem cunctis veniam, fi prifca fateri

Of future days may bring, what chance, what change
Worth waiting, fince our prefent lot appears
For happy, though but ill; for ill, not worft;
If we procure not to our felves more woe.

May hope, when everlasting Fate shall yield
To fickle Chance, and Chaos judge the ftrife.
The former vain to hope, argues as vain
The latter for what place can be for us

Thus Belial with words cloath'd in Reafon's garb Within Heav'n's bound, unless Heav'n's Lord fuCounsel'd ignoble eafe, and peaceful floth, Not

peace: and after him thus Mammon fpake: Either to difinthrone the King of Heav'n We war, if war be beft, or to regain

Our own right loft: Him to unthrone we then

preme

We over-pow'r? Suppofe He fhould relent,
And publish grace to all, on promise made
Of new fubjection: with what eyes could we
Stand in His prefence humble, and receive