Unda fugax fallitque avidos, quo more fefellit
Trepido fic agmine triftes
Erravere, vagæ fine lege, fine ordine, turmæ,
Pallentes vultu immani gelidoque rigentes
Membra metu; Sors dira premit, nec meta laborum, Nec requies; palant obscurâ nocte per umbras, Per mæstas latè valles atque Alpium iniqua Per juga, feu denfata gelu, feu livida flammis; Antra, lacus, fcopulos, loca morte horrentia latè : Quæ Pater omnipotens nigris devota creavit Aufpiciis, atque apta malo; quà nulla refulget Vitai facies; Lethum undique & undique Terror. Hic partu producta fero cuncta improba, cuncta Nascuntur portenta, infanda, inamænaque visu : Qualia nec vates finxere, nec horruit unquam Credulitas; graviora omni miracula monstro, Gorgonibufque, Hydrifque, triformifque igne Chimara. Efferus intereà Satanas Hominifque DE Ique
The Ford; and of it felf the water flies All taste of living wight, as once it fled The lip of Tantalus. Thus roving on In confus'd march forlorn th' advent'rous Bands, With fhudd'ring horror pale, and eyes agaft, View'd first their lamentable lot, and found No reft through many a dark and dreary Vale They pafs'd, and many a Region dolorous O'er many a frozen, many a fiery Alp,
Rocks, Caves, Lakes, Fens, Bogs, Dens, and fhades A universe of death, with GoD by curfe [of death; Created evil, for Evil only good:
Where all life dies, death lives; and Nature breeds Perverse, all monftrous, all prodigious things, Abominable, inutterable; and worfe
Than Fables yet have feign'd, or Fear conceiv'd, Gorgons, and Hydras, and Chimeras dire.
Mean while the Adverfary of GoD and Man,
Idem hoftis, magnum flammato pectore cœptum Volvit atrox; Erebi ad portas pernicibus alis Urget iter durum folus, jam littora dextra Jamque finiftra petens; celeris libramine pennæ Nunc altum radit; nunc rurfus ad ignea fertur Sublimis Convexa. Ut pendula nubibus altis (Noctibus æqua dies ubi Etefia flabra reducit) Apparet longè Claffis, quam thuris odori Multâ mole gravem dives Gangetica tellus Emifit; notum illa fecans mercantibus æftum Certa procul juga montis adit, noctuque per æquor Æthiopum tendit, proramque obliquat in auftros. Talis erat Satanæ procul exfurgentis Imago: Ingentes tandem muros confpexit Averni Fornicis horrendi fummum contingere, & altè Portas ter triplices invictam opponere molem. Ter fefe circum æra tulerunt, ter grave ferri Pondus, ter rupes adamantina; fæva vibrantum
Satan, with thoughts inflam'd of highest defign, Puts on fwift wings, and tow'rds the gates of Hell Explores his folitary flight: fometimes
He fcours the right-hand coaft, fometimes the left: Now fhaves with level wing the Deep; then foars Up to the fiery Concave tow'ring high. As when far off at Sea a Fleet defcry'd Hangs in the clouds, by Equinoctial winds Clofe failing from Bengala, or the Ifles
Of Ternate and Tidore, whence Merchants bring Their fpicy drugs: they on the Trading Flood Through the wide Ethiopian to the Cape Ply, ftemming nightly tow'rd the Pole: So feem'd Far off the flying Fiend. At last appear Hell bounds, high-reaching to the horrid Roof, And thrice threefold the Gates: three folds were Three Iron, three of Adamantine Rock; [Brafs, Impenetrable, impal'd with circling Fire,
Flammarum illæfos armârunt fpicula poftes.
Tum Formæ horrificæ dextrâ lævâque fedebant; Altera fœmineâ facie fpectanda fuperne,
Zona pulchra tenus; fed turpiter exit in anguem, Squamofum, ingentem, finuofa volumina vastæ Oftentans caudæ, ftimuloque armata trifulco. Complexu mediam cingens inferna canum vis Cerbereos pandit rictus & voce tremendâ
Infonat; hi matris fubeuntes viscera, fiquod Fortè malum accedat, notâ ftabulantur in alvo, Latratufque iterant, ventremque ululatibus implent. Non tam deformes miferæ quondam inguina Scylle Vexavere Canes merfantis gurgite membra, Trinacria raucis Calabros qui dividit oris: Nec fic horrendæ, Sagam quas cingere fama est Noctivagam, quoties nimbo volat acta per auras Sanguinem odorata infantum, & feftina fororum Ferales venit ad choreas; irata recondit
Yet unconfum'd. Before the Gates there fat On either fide a formidable Shape;
The one feem'd Woman to the waift, and fair; But ended foul in many a scaly fold, Voluminous and vaft, a Serpent arm'd With mortal fting. About her middle round A cry of Hell-Hounds never ceafing bark'd With wide Cerberian mouths full loud, and rung A hideous Peal; yet, when they lift, would creep,
If ought difturb'd their noife, into her womb, And kennel there; yet there ftill bark'd, and how'ld Within unseen. Far lefs abhorr'd than these Vex'd Scylla, bathing in the Sea that parts Calabria from the hoarfe Trinacrian fhore: Nor uglier follow the Night-Hag, when call'd In fecret, riding through the Air fhe comes Lur'd with the fmell of infant blood, to dance With Lapland Witches, while the lab'ring Moon
Luna caput, dirisque fugit conterrita Sacris. Altera Formarum (poterat fi Forma vocari Umbra rudis membrifque carens) terroribus omnes Evicit Furias, Noctemque Erebumque tenebris. Tum jaculum lethale quatit: quà frontis imago Cernitur, effigies celfi diadematis ardet.
Jamque propinquabat Satanas; jam sede relictâ Adversis latè spatians se paffibus effert
Monftrum ingens, immane; domus tremit omnis Averni. Miratur vifum hoc cœli implacabilis Hoftis;
Miratur, neque enim metuit: non Ille creati
Horreret quidquam aut fugeret: Timor unicus Olli Magnus erat Pater, & magnum Patris Incrementum. Ipfe indignanti tandem prior ore locutus:
Unde venis, quam te memorem, Forma horrida, turpem Ausa mihi frontem torvofque opponere vultus,
Ad portas iter hinc claudens? hâc tendere certum est, Nec te obtestabor: dignas dabis, improbe, pœnas,
Eclipfes at their charms. The other Shape,
(If Shape it might be call'd, that Shape had none Diftinguishable in member, joint, or limb; Or fubftance might be call'd that shadow seem'd, For each feem'd either:) black it stood as Night, Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as Hell,
With horrid ftrides: Hell trembled as he ftrode. Th' undaunted Fiend what this might be admir'd; Admir'd, not fear'd. GoD and his Son except, Created thing not valued he, nor fhun'd; And with disdainful look thus first began: Whence, and What art thou, execrable Shape,
And shook a dreadful dart: what feem'd his Head, That dar'ft, though grim and terrible, advance
The likeness of a Kingly Crown had on. Satan was now at hand; and from his feat The Monster moving onward came as fast
Thy mif-created Front athwart my way To yonder gates? Through them I mean to país, That be affur'd, without leave ask'd of thee.
Ni fugis hinc præceps, certâ jam clade docendus, Quàm malè cum Divis Soboles contendat Averni.
Cui Spectrum hæc, iræ impatiens: Tune ætheris ifte Defertor, Tune ifte, fidem qui primus in oris Æthereis nec læfa priùs fanctiffima rupit Fœdera; quem comitata ducem pars tertia cœli Intulit arma ferox fupremo infanda Tonanti : Qui deinde hic tecum triftes æterna fevero Exilio, & mæfto confumunt fæcula luctu?
Tuque inter fuperas Orco damnate Cohortes Te numeras? Tune infanos faftufque minasque
Hic fpiras Me Rege, animumque quod acriùs urat, Rege Tuo Dominoque? Fuge hinc, repete ociùs antrum Tartareum; fuge, Defertor, pernicibus alis,
Ne Te viperei cunctantem verbere flagri Infequar; aut hujus femel ictum cufpide teli Corripiat dirus tremor, infolitique dolores.
Hæc, linguâ fimul horrendâ vultuque minatus,
Retire, or tafte thy folly, and learn by proof, Hell-born! not to contend with Spirits of Heav'n. To whom the Goblin full of wrath reply'd: Art thou that Traitor-Angel, art thou He,
To waste eternal days in woe and pain?
And reckon'st Thou thy felf with Spirits of Heav'n, Hell-doom'd? and breath'ft defiance here and scorn, Where I reign King, and to enrage thee more,
Who first broke peace in Heav'n, and Faith, till Thy King and Lord? Back to thy punishment,
Unbroken; and in proud rebellious arms Drew after him the third part of Heav'n's Sons, Conjur'd again the Highest: for which both Thou And They, outcaft from God, are here condemn'd
Falfe fugitive, and to thy speed add wings; Left with a whip of Scorpions I pursue Thy lingring; or with one stroke of this dart Strange horror feize thee, and pangs unfelt before. So fpake the griefly Terror; and in fhape,
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