And henceforth Monarchy with thee divide Of all things, parted by th' empyreal

His quadrature, from thy orbicular world;
Or try thee now more dang'rous to his throne.
Whom thus the Prince of darkness answer'd

Of Satan, for I glory in the name,

Antagonist of Heav'n's Almighty King,

Amply have merited of me, of all

385

Th' infernal empire, that, so near Heav'n's

door

Triumphal with triumphal act have met, 390 Mine with this glorious work; and made one

realm

Hell and this world, our realm, one continent Of easy thorough-fare. Therefore while I Descent through darkness, on your road with

eafe,

To my associate Pow'rs, them to acquaint 395 With these successes, and with them rejoice, You two this way, among these numerous Orbs, All yours! right down to Paradife descend: There dwell and reign in blifs; thence on the

earth

B

Dominion exercise, and in the air,
Chiefly on Man, fole Lord of all declar'd:

400

Him first make sure your thrall, and lastly kill.

My substitutes I fend you, and create
Plenipotent on earth, of matchless might
Illuing from me; on your joint vigor now 405
My hold of this new kingdom all depends;
Through fin to death expos'd by my exploit.
If your joint pow'r prevail, th' affairs of hell
No detriment need fear; go and be strong.
So faying he dismiss'd them; they with
fpeed

410

Their course through thickest constellations

held,

Spreading their bane; the blasted stars look'd

wan,

And Planets, planet-firuck, real Eclipse

Then fuffer'd. Th' other way, Satan went

down

The caufey to Hell gate: on either fide, 415
Difparted Chaos over built exclaim'd,
And with rebounding furge the bars affail'd,
That scorn'd his indignation. Through the

gate,

420

Wide open and unguarded, Satan pals'd, And all about found defolate: for those Appointed to fit there, had left their charge, Flown to the upper world: the rest were all Far to th' inland retir'd, about the walls

Of Pandaemonium, city and proud feat
Of Lucifer, fo by allusion call'd,

Of that bright fiar to Satan paragon'd.

425

There kept their watch the legions, while the

Grand,

In council sat, sollicitous what chance
Might intercept their Emperor sent: fo he

t

Departing gave command, and they ob

serv'd,

As when the Tartar from his Russian foe
By Astracan over the snowy plains,

430

Retires: or Bactrian Sophy from the horns
-Of Turkish crescent, leaves all waste beyond
The realm of Aladule, in his retreat

435

To Taurus, or Casbeen: so these, the late Heav'n-banish'd hoft, left defert utmost Hell Many a dark league, reduc'd in careful watch Round their Metropolis; and now expecting

Each hour their great adventurer from the /

search

440

Of foreign worlds: he through the midst un

mark'd,

In shew plebeian Angel militant

Of lowest order, past; and from the door

Of that Plutonian hall, invisible

९

Afcended his high throne; which under

state

Of richest texture spread, at th' upper end
Was plac'd in regal lustre. Down a while

ΒΩ

445

He fat, and round about him saw unseen.
At last as from a cloud, his fulgent head

And shape star - bright appear'd, or brighter,

With what permissive glory since his fall
Was left him, or false glitter: all amaz'd
At that so sudden blaze, the Stygian throng
Bent their afpect, and whom they wifh'd be-

held,

Their mighty Chief return'd: loud was th' ac

clame!

455

Forth rufh'd in haste the great consulting

Peers,

Rais'd from their dark Divan, and with like joy

Congratulant approach'd him, who with hand Silence, and with these words attention won. Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Vir

For in poffeffion such, not only of right,
I call you and declare you now; return'd
Successful beyond hope, to lead you forth
'Triumphant out of this infernal pit
Abominable, accurs'd, the house of woe, 465
And dungeon of our tyrant! now polless,
As Lords, a spacious world, t' our native
Heav'n

Little inferior, by my adventure hard
With peril great achiev'd. Long were to tell

What I have done, what suffer'd, with what

pain

Voyag'd th' unreal, vast, unbounded deep
Of horrible confufion! over which

470

By Sin and Death a broad way now is pav'd
To expedite your glorious march: but I
Toil'd out my uncouth paslage, forc'd to

Th' untractable abyfs, plung'd in he womb
Of unoriginal Night and Chaos wild:

That jealous of their secrets fiercely oppos'd
My journey strange, with clamorous uproar

Protesting fate fupreme:

found

thence, how I

480

The new created world, which fame in

Heav'n

Long had foretold, a fabric wonderful
Of abfolute perfection: therein Man,
Plac'd in a Paradise, by our exile

Made happy: him by fraud I have seduc'd 485
From his Creator; and the more t' increase
Your wonder, with an apple: he thereat
Offended, worth your laughter, hath giv'n up
Both his beloved Man and all his world,
To Sin and Death a prey, and so to us, 490
Without our hazard, labor, or alarm:
To range in, and to dwell, and over man
To rule, as over all he should have rul'd.
True is, me alfo he hath judg'd, or rather