Join'd with me once, now mifery hath join'd go In equal ruin! Into what pit thou seest,
From what height fall'n; so much the stronger prov'd He with his thunder! and till then who knew The force of thofe dire arms? Yet not for those, Nor what the potent victor in his rage
Can elfe inflict, do I repent, or change
(Though chang'd in outward luftre) that fix'd mind And high disdain, from sense of injur'd merit, That with the Mightieft rais'd me to contend: And to the fierce contention brought along Innumerable force of spirits arm'd,
That durft diflike his reign: and me preferring, His utmost pow'r with adverse pow'r oppos'd, In dubious battel on the plains of heav'n,
And fhook his throne. What tho' the field be loft?
All is not loft; th' unconquerable will, 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 deifie His pow'r, Who from the terror of this arm fo late Doubted His empire. That were low indeed! That were an ignominy and shame beneath This downfal! fince (by fate) the strength of Gods, 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 fuccessful hope, refolve To wage by force or guile eternal war, Irreconcileable to our grand foe:
Who now triumphs, and in th' excess of joy Sole reigning, holds the tyranny of heav'n.
So fpake th' apoftate Angel, though in pain; 125 Vaunting aloud, but rack'd with deep despair: And him thus anfwer'd foon his bold compeer. O Prince! O chief of many throned Powers, That led th' imbattell'd Seraphim to war Under thy conduct! and in dreadful deeds Fearless, indanger'd heav'n's perpetual King, And put to proof His high supremacy : Whether upheld by strength, or chance, or fate, Too well I fee and rue the dire event,
That with fad overthrow and foul defeat Hath loft us heav'n: and all this mighty hoft In horrible deftruction laid thus low, As far as Gods, and heav'nly effences, Can perish: for the mind and spirit remains Invincible, and vigor foon returns,
Though all our glory extinct, and happy state, Here fwallow'd up in endless misery ! But what if He our conqu'ror (whom I now Of force believe Almighty, fince no less
Than such could have o'erpower'd such force as ours) Have left us this our spirit and strength entire, 146 Strongly to fuffer and support our pains; That we may fo fuffice His vengeful ire, Or do Him mightier fervice, as His thralls
By right of war, whate'er His business be, Here in the heart of hell to work in fire, Or do His errands in the gloomy Deep? What can it then avail, though yet we feel Strength undiminish'd, or eternal Being,
To undergo eternal punishment?
Whereto with speedy words th' Arch-fiend reply'd. Fall'n Cherub! to be weak is miserable,
Doing or fuffering: but of this be fure, To do ought good never will be our task; But ever to do ill our fole delight:
As being the contrary to his High will Whom we refift. If then His Providence Out of our evil feek to bring forth good, Our labor must be to pervert that end, And out of good still to find means of evil: Which oft-times may fucceed, fo as perhaps Shall grieve Him, (if I fail not,) and disturb His inmoft counfels from their deftin'd aim. But fee! the angry victor hath recall'd
His minifters of vengeance and pursuit,
Back to the gates of heav'n: the fulph'rous hail Shot after us in ftorm, o'er-blown, hath laid The fiery furge, that from the precipice
Of heav'n receiv'd us falling: and the thunder, Wing'd with red lightning and impetuous rage, 175 Perhaps hath spent his fhafts, and ceases now To bellow through the vast and boundless Deep. Let us not flip th' occafion, whether scorn, Or fatiate fury, yield it from our foe.
Seeft thou yon dreary plain, forlorn and wild, 180 The feat of defolation, void of light,
Save what the glimmering of these livid flames Cafts pale and dreadful? thither let us tend From off the toffing of thefe fiery waves;
There reft, if any rest can harbour there:
And re-affembling our afflicted pow'rs, Confult how we may henceforth most offend Our enemy; our own lofs how repair;
How overcome this dire calamity;
What reinforcement we may gain from hope; 190 If not, what refolution from despair.
Thus Satan talking to his nearest mate, With head up-lift above the wave, and eyes That sparkling blaz'd; his other parts besides Prone on the flood, extended long and large Lay floating many a rood: in bulk as huge, As whom the fables name, of monstrous size, Titanian, or Earth-born, that warr'd on Jove, Briareus, or Typhon, whom the den
By ancient Tarfus held; or that sea-beast Leviathan, which God of all his works Created hugeft that fwim th' ocean ftream: (Him, haply slumb'ring on the Norway foam, The pilot of fome small night-founder'd skiff, Deeming fome ifland, oft, as feamen tell, With fixed anchor in his fcaly rind,
Moors by his fide under the Lee, while night Invests the fea, and wished morn delays.)
So stretch'd out huge in length the Arch-fiend lay,
Chain'd on the burning lake: nor ever thence Had ris'n, or heav'd his head, but that the will And high permiffion of all-ruling heaven,
Left him at large to his own dark defigns: That with reiterated crimes he might
Heap on himself damnation, while he fought 215 Evil to others; and enrag'd might fee, How all his malice ferv'd but to bring forth Infinite goodness, grace, and mercy fhewn On man by him feduc'd: but on himself Treble confufion, wrath, and vengeance pour'd. 220 Forthwith upright he rears from off the pool His mighty ftature; on each hand the flames. Driv'n backward flope their pointing spires,and rowl'd In billows, leave i' th' midst a horrid vale. Then with expanded wings he steers his flight Aloft, incumbent on the dusky air,
That felt unusual weight: till on dry land He lights, if it were land that ever burn'd With folid, as the lake with liquid fire: And fuch appeard in hue, as when the force Of fubterranean wind tranfports a hill
Torn from Pelorus, or the fhatter'd fide
Of thund'ring Ætna, whofe combustible And fuel'd entrails thence conceiving fire, Sublim'd with mineral fury, aid the winds, And leave a finged bottom all involv'd
With stench and smoke: fuch refting found the fole Of unblefs'd feet! Him follow'd his next mate, Both glorying to have 'scap'd the Stygian flood,
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