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ARGUMENT of Bоок І.

This First Book proposes, first, in brief, the whole fubject Man's disobedience, and the lofs thereupon of Paradifi wherein he was placed: Then touches the prime caufe of his fall, the ferpent, or rather Satan in the ferpent; who, revolting from God, and drawing to his fide many legions of angels, was, by the command of God, driven out of heaven, with all his crew, inte the great deep. Which action passed over, the Poem haftes into the midst of things, presenting Satan, with his angels, now fallen into hell, described here, not in the centre, (for heaven and earth may be supposed as yet not made, certainly not yet accursed) but in a place of utter darkness, fitlieft called Chaos. Here Sa-tan, with his angels lying on the burning lake, thunder-struck and astonished, after a certain space recovers, as from confusion, calls up him who next in order and dignity lay by him: They confer of their miserable fall. Satan awakens all his legions, who lay till then in the fame manner confounded: They rife; their numbers, array of battle, their chief leaders named, according to the idols known afterwards in Canaan and the countries adjoining. To these Satan directs his Speech, comforts them with hope yet of regaining beaven; but tells them, lastly, of a new world, and new kind of creature to be created, according to an ancient prophecy or report in heaven; for that angels were long before this visible creation, was the opinion of many ancient fathers. To find out the truth of this prophecy, and what to determine thereon, he refers to a full council. What his associates thence attempt. Pandemonium, the palace of Satan, rises, fuddenly built out of the deep: The infernal peers there fit in council..

PARADISE

PARADISE LOST.

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BOOK I.

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F man's first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste
Brought death into the world, and all our woe,

With lofs of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful feat,
Sing, heav'nly Muse, that on the fecret top

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Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire

That shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed,
In the beginning how the heav'ns and earth

Rofe out of Chaos: or if Sion hill

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Delight thee more, and Siloa's brook that flow'd

Fast by the oracle of God; I thence
Invoke thy aid to my advent'rous fong,
That with no middle flight intends to foar
Above th' Aonian mount, while it pursués
Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.
And chie thou, O Spirit, that dost prefer
Before all temples th' upright heart and pure,
Instruct me, for thou know'st; thou from the first
Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread
Dove-like fatt'it brooding on the vast abyss,
And mad'st it pregnant: what in me is dark,
Illumine; what is low, raise and support;
That to the height of this great argument

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I may afsfert eternal Providence,

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And justify the ways of God to men.

Say first, for Heav'n hides nothing from thy view,

Nor the deep tract of hell; say first what cause
Mov'd our grand parents, in that happy state,
Favour'd of heav'n so highly, to fall off

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From their Creator, and transgress his will,
For one restraint, lords of the world besides ?
Who first seduc'd them to that foul revolt?

Th' infernal Serpent; he it was, whose guile,
Stirr'd up with envy and revenge, deceiv'd
The mother of mankind, what time his pride
Had cast him out from heav'n, with all his host

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Of rebel angels; by whose aid afpiring
To fet himself in glory' above his peers,
He trufted to have equall'd the Most High,
If he oppos'd; and, with ambitious aim
Against the throne and monarchy of God,
Rais'd impious war in heav'n, and battle proud,
With vain attempt. Him the Almighty Power
Hurl'd headlong flaming from th' ethereal sky,
With hideous ruin and combustion, down
To bottomless perdition, there to dwell
In adamantine chains and penal fire,

Who durst defy th' Omnipotent to arms.

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Nine times the space that measures day and night se
To mortal men, he with his horrid crew

Lay vanquish'd, rolling in the fiery gulf,
Confounded though immortal: but his doom
Reserv'd him to more wrath; for now the thought
Both of loft happiness and lasting pain
Torments him. Round he throws his baleful eyes,
That witness'd huge affliction and dismay
Mix'd with obdurate pride and stedfast hate:

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At once, as far as angels ken, he views

The difmal fituation waste and wild;

A dungeon horrible on all fides round
As one great furnace flam'd, yet from those flames

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No light, but rather darkness visible
Serv'd only to discover fights of woe,

Regions of forrow, doleful shades, where peace
And rest can never dwell, hope never comes
That comes to all; but torture without end

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Still urges, and a fiery deluge, fed
With ever-burning fulphur unconfum'd:
Such place Eternal Justice had prepar'd
For those rebellious, here their pris'n ordain'd
In utter darkness, and their portion fet

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As far remov'd from God and light of heav'n,
As from the centre thrice to th' utmost pole.
O how unlike the place from whence they fell!
- There the companions of his fall, o'erwhelm'd
With floods and whirlwinds of tempestuous fire,
He foon difcerns; and welt'ring by his fide
One next himself in pow'r, and next in crime,
Long after known in Palestine, and nam'd

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Beelzebub. To whom th' arch-enemy,
And thence in heav'n call'd Satan, with bold words
Breaking the horrid filence, thus began.

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If thou beest he; but O how fall'n! how chang'd From him, who in the happy realms of light Cloth'd with transcendent brightness didst outshine Myriads tho' bright! if he whom mutual league, United thoughts and counsels equal hope And hazard in the glorious enterprize, Join'd with me once, now misery hath join'd In equal ruin: into what pit thou feeft

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From-what height fall'n, so much the stronger prov'd
He with his thunder: and till then who knew
The force of those dire arms? Yet not for those,

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Nor what the potent victor in his rage
Can else inflict, do I repent or change,

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Though chang'd in outward lustre, that fix'd mind,

And high disdain from sense of injur'd merit,
That with the Mightiest rais'd me to contend;

And to the fierce contention brought along

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Innumerable force of spirits arm'd,

That durst dislike his reign, and me preferring,
His utmost pow'r with adverse pow'r oppos'd

In dubious battle on the plains of heaven,

And shook his throne. What though the field be lost?

All is not lost; th' unconquerable will,

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And study of revenge, immortal hate,

And courage never to submit or yield,

And what is else not to be overcome;

That glory never shall his wrath or might
Extort from me. To bow and fue for grace
With fuppliant knee, and deify his power,
Who from the terrour of this arm so late
Doubted his empire; that were low indeed,

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That were an ignominy' and shame beneath
This downfall; fince by fate the strength of gods

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And this empyreal substance cannot fail;

Since through experience of this great event
In arms not worse, in forefight much advanc'd,

We may with more successful hope refolve
To wage by force or guile eternal war,

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Irreconcileable to our grand foe,

Who now triumphs, and in th' excess of joy - Sole reigning holds the tyranny of heaven.

So spake th' apostate angel, though in pain; 125 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' imbattl'd Seraphim to war

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