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Haud aliâ, exitiumque epulas ferale daturas.
Sic vifum Fato. Sed Tu, Pater, effuge telum
Horrificum; nec crede nimis radiantibus armis,
Æthereo quanquam ardescant conflata metallo.
Nulli fas aciem vitare aut fiftere contra
Letiferam, & folo Superûm Rectore domandam.
Finierat. Satanas monitus meliora furorem
Continuò pofuit, blandoque hæc reddidit ore:

Cara, Patrem quæ me jactas, natumque venustum
Oftendis, noftri fuper æthera pignus amoris,

(Quondam ah dulcis amor! tædet meminiffe pigetque
Præteriti; fic nos inopinâ forte laceffunt

Damna infperata, & facies patet altera rerum.)
Adfum non Hoftis; fed mæfti ut carceris antro
Te cum prole tuâ eripiam, & quot nostra tueri
Jura aufi, magnæ focios comitesque ruinæ :
Hos propter munus fequor illætabile folus,
Unum pro Multis caput objectare periclis

And me his Parent would full foon devour
For want of other prey; but that he knows
His end with mine involv'd, and knows that I
Should prove a bitter morfel and his bane,
Whenever that shall be: fo Fate pronounc'd.
But thou O Father, I forewarn thee, fhun
His deadly Arrow; neither vainly hope
To be invuln'rable in those bright Arms,
Though temper'd heav'nly: for that mortal dint,
Save He who reigns above, none can refist.

She finish'd; and the fubtle Fiend his lore
Soon learn'd, now milder; and thus answer'd smooth:
Dear Daughter, fince thou claim'ft me for thy Sire,
And my fair Son here show'ft me, (the dear pledge
Of dalliance had with thee in Heav'n, and joys
Then fweet, now fad to mention, thro' dire change
Befall'n us, unforeseen, unthought of) know
I come no Enemy: but to fet free

From out this dark and dismal house of pain,
Both Him and thee, and all the heav'nly Hoft

Haud

Haud veritus, quæcunque viam per inane Profundum
Tentanti occurrant; fpatii dum templa peragrans
Incertam quæro fedem, quam fama futuram

Prædixit quondam Divis, nunc plurima figna
Surrexiffe canunt, ingenti mole rotundam,
Felices terras, confinia lucida cœli.

Has adeò nova fortitur de ftirpe recenti

Condita Gens; ibi quos vicibus fuccedere noftris
Forte DEUS ftatuit, fuperâ paulum arce remotos,
Ne nimiis aucta agminibus cœleftia Regna
Hinc alias agitent lites. Nunc hoccine agatur,
An lateat quidquam fecretius, impiger infto
Quærendi cupidus: quæfito deinde revertar,
Vofque locos referam lætos, quà pace serenâ
Tecum Hades tuus in longum dominabitur ævum ;
Quà fpatiari auris in mollibus inter odores
Continget; prædæque fames faturabitur omni
Luxurie, explebitque avidiffima yota Libido.

Of Spirits, that in our juft pretenses arm'd,
Fell with us from on high. From them I go
This uncouth Errand fole; and One for All
My felf expose, with lonely fteps to tread
Th' unfounded Deep, and through the void Immenfe
To fearch with wandring queft a place foretold
Should be, and by concurring figns ere-now,
Created vast and round; a place of bliss
In the purlieus of Heav'n: and therein plac'd
A race of upftart Creatures, to fupply

Perhaps our vacant room; though more remov'd,
Left Heav'n furcharg'd with potent multitude
Might hap to move new broils. Be this, or ought
Than this more fecret, now defign'd; I haste
To know: and this once known, shall foon return,
And bring ye to the place, where Thou, and Death,
Shall dwell at ease; and up and down unseen
Wing filently the buxom air, imbalm'd
With odours: there ye fhall be fed, and fill'd
Immeasurably; all things fhall be your prey.

His dictis vultus incendit utrique Voluptas ; Informique Hades diftorquens ora cachinno Horrendum rifit: fibi tam fpolia ampla parari Gaudet, & immani ingluvies falit improba plaufu. Quin dedit haud alios Genitrix turpissima risus Exultans, fimul ipfa fuo fic fata parenti :

Gurgitis inferni magna hæc mihi tradita Clavis
Arbitrio torquenda meo: dedit omnipotens Rex
Servandam, prohibetque adamantina folvere clauftra.
Ante fores telo ferali fummovet Hades

Vim cunctam, & latè victor genus omne animantum
Defpicit. At quid Ego imperium morer Omnipotentis ?
Me fævo premit Ille odio, hæc in Tartara mifit
Funefta, has tenebras; hoc munere vexat iniquo,
Indigenam cœli & quondam fupera aftra colentem:
En quêis tormentis terrorumque agmine quanto
Circumdat, fœtûfque ingrati ululatibus urget
Vifcera luctifico morfu materna vorantis.

He ceas'd: for both feem'd highly pleas'd, and
Grinn'd horrible a ghaftly fmile, to hear [Death
His famine fhould be fill'd; and bleft his maw
Deftin'd to that good hour: no less rejoic'd
His Mother bad, and thus befpake her Sire:
The Key of this infernal Pit by due,

And by command of Heav'n's all-pow'rful King,
I keep; by him forbidden to unlock
Thefe Adamantine Gates. Against all force

Death ready ftands to interpose his dart,
Fearless to be o'ermatch'd by living wight.
But what owe I to His commands above
Who hates me, and hath hither thrust me down
Into this gloom of Tartarus profound,
To fit in hateful Office here confin'd,
Inhabitant of Heav'n, and heav'nly-born,
Here in perpetual agony, and pain;

With terrors, and with clamors compafs'd round,

Tu

Tu verò vitæ mihi fons, Tu fanguinis auctor
Atque animæ: cui me potiùs præftare fidelem,
Quemve fequi malim? Quin Te duce regna beata
Luce novâ accedam, fuperûmque admissa quietis
Læta Choris, carpam dulces ignara laborum
Delicias; folioque fruar Te propter amono,
Quale decet caram, Genitor, tua gaudia, Natam.
Dixerat: & Clavem demiffam à pectore, Clavem
Horrendam, unde omnes noftri fluxere dolores,
Corripit; undantisque ad portas agmina caudæ
Turpia convolvens, ingentia pondera ferri
Serrati fublime levat; quæ tota labore
Vis Stygia immani junctoque attollere nifu
Plurima tentâffet nequicquam, Hæc fuftulit una.
Jamque feræ flexus properè fcrutata recurvos,
Duratos ferro folidove adamante refigit

Vectes, clauftra, obices: Ingenti protinùs actu
Infernæ refilire fores, & cardine fulmen

Of mine own brood, that on my bowels feed?
Thou art my Father, Thou my Author, Thou
My Being gav'ft me; whom fhould I obey
But thee? whom follow? Thou wilt bring me foon
To that new world of light and bliss, among
The Gods who live at cafe, where I shall reign
At thy right hand voluptuous, as beseems
Thy daughter and thy darling, without end.

Thus faying, from her fide the fatal Key,

Sad inftrument of all our woe, she took;
And tow'rds the Gate rolling her beftial train,
Forthwith the huge Portcullis high up-drew,
Which but herself, not all the Stygian Pow'rs
Could once have mov'd: then in the key-hole turns
Th' intricate Wards, and every Bolt and Bar
Of maffy Iron, or folid Rock, with ease
Unfaftens. On a fudden open fly
With impetuous recoil and jarring found

M 2

Stri

Stridenti fonere horrificum, quo Tartara motu

Quaffa tremunt latè, atque Erebi domus ima remugit.

Pandere Quæ potuit portas, compagibus arctis

Claudere nefcivit. Stabant latè bipatentes,

Quanto fe fpatio fuitantia figna fecutus
Explicet extendens vaftas Exercitus alas
Ordinibus laxis, cum belligero comitatu,
Quadrigis & equis: tantum patuere vomentes
Hinc atque hinc veluti magno fornacis ab ore
Candentem flammam undantisque volumina fumi.
Continuò ante oculos cani Secreta Profundi

Apparent; fine formâ horrens, fine limite, opacus
Panditur Oceanus: vafto Menfura barathro
Omnis ibi periit, Tempus periere Locufque.
Nec non Naturæ Proavi Nox cæca Chaofque
Bella iterant fremitu æterno, rixifque fruuntur.
Pugnat & Humori Ariditas, Frigufque Calorque
Inter fe adverfum luctantur, & acriter omnes

Th' infernal doors; and on their hinges grate
Harfh Thunder, that the loweft bottom shook
Of Erebus. She open'd; but to fhut
Excell'd her pow'r: the Gates wide open ftood,
That with extended wings a banner'd Hoft
Under spread Enfigns marching might pass through,
With Horfe and Chariots rank'd in loose array:
So wide they stood, and like a Furnace mouth
Caft forth redounding fmoke, and ruddy flame.

Before their Eyes in fudden view appear
The fecrets of the hoary Deep; a dark
Illimitable Ocean without bound,

[height,
Without dimenfion; where length, breadth, and
And time, and place are loft; where eldest Night
And Chaos, Ancestors of Nature, hold
Eternal Anarchy, amidst the noise

Of endless Wars, and by confufion ftand. [fierce
For Hot, Cold, Moift, and Dry, four Champions

De

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