The stairs were fuch as whereon Jacob faw
Angels, afcending and defcending, bands
Of guardians bright, when he from Efau fled
To Padan-Aram in the field of Luz,
Dreaming by night under the open sky,
And waking cry'd, This is the gate of heav'n.
Each stair mysteriously was meant, nor stood
There always, but drawn up to heav'n fometimes
Viewless, and, underneath, a bright sea flow'd
Of jafper, or of liquid pearl, whereon
Who after came from earth, failing arriv'd,
Wafted by Angels, or flew o'er the lake
Rap'd in a chariot drawn by fiery steeds.
The stairs were then let down, whether to dare
The fiend by easie ascent, or aggravate
His fad exclufion from the doors of blifs:
Direct against which open'd from beneath,
Juft o'er the blissful feat of Paradise,
A paffage down to th' earth, a paffage wide,
(Wider by far than that of after-times
Over mount Sion, and, though that were large, 530
· Over the Promis'd Land to God fo dear,
By which, to vifit oft those happy tribes,
On high behefts his Angels to and fro
Pafs'd frequent, and his eye with choice regard,
From Paneas, the fount of Jordan's flood,
To Beerfaba, where the Holy Land
Borders on Egypt, and th' Arabian shore)
So wide the opening feem'd, where bounds were fet
To darkness, fuch as bound the ocean wave,
Satan from hence, now on the lower ftair,
That fcal'd by steps of gold to heaven-gate,
Looks down with wonder at the fudden view
Of all this world at once. As when a scout,
Thro' dark and defert ways with peril gone
All night, at laft by break of chearful dawn
Obtains the brow of fome high-climbing hill,
Which to his eye discovers un-aware
The goodly prospect of some foreign land,
First seen; or fome renown'd metropolis,
With gliftering spires and pinnacles adorn'd,
Which now the rifing fun gilds with his beams:
Such wonder feiz'd, though after heaven seen,
The spirit malign; but much more envy feis'd
At fight of all this world beheld so fair.
Round he furveys (and well might, where he stood So high above the circling canopy
Of night's extended shade) from eastern point
Of Libra, to the fleecy ftar, that bears
Andromeda far off Atlantic feas,
Beyond th' horizon: then, from Pole to Pole
He views in breadth; and without longer pause
Down right into the world's first region throws
His flight precipitant, and winds with ease
Through the pure marble air his oblique way,
Amongst innumerable stars, that shon
Stars diftant, but nigh hand feem'd other worlds:
Or other worlds they feem'd, or happy ifles,
Like thofe Hefperian gardens fam'd of old,
Fortunate fields, and groves, and flow'ry vales;
Thrice happy ifles! But who dwelt happy there 570
He itay'd not to inquire. Above them all
The golded fun, in fplendor likest heav'n,
Allur'd his eye thither his course he bends
Through the calm firmament: but, up or down,
By centre or eccentric, hard to tell;
Or longitude, where the great luminary
Aloft the vulgar conftellations thick,
That from his lordly eye keep distance due,
Difpenfes light from far; they as they move
Their starry dance in numbers that compute
Days, months and years,tow'rds his all-chearing Lamp
Turn swift their various motions, or are turn'd
By his magnetic beam, that gently warms
The universe, and to each inward part
With gentle penetration, though unfeen,
Shoots invifible virtue even to the Deep;
So wondrously was fet his station bright!
There lands the fiend, a spot like which perhaps
Aftronomer in the fun's lucent orb
Through his glaz'd optic tube yet never saw. 590
The place he found beyond expreffion bright,
Compar'd with ought on earth, metal, or stone:
Not all parts like, but all alike inform'd
With radiant light, as glowing iron with fire;
If metal, part seem'd gold, part filver clear:
If ftone, carbuncle moft, or chryfolite,
Ruby, or topaz; or the twelve that shon
In Aaron's breaft-plate: and a stone befides
(Imagin'd rather oft than elsewhere feen)
That stone, or like to that, which here below 600
Philofophers in vain so long have fought,
In vain, though by their pow'rful art they bind
Volatil Hermes, and call up unbound
In various shapes old Proteus from the sea,
Drain'd through a limbec to his naked form.
What wonder then if fields, and regions, here
Breathe forth elixir pure, and rivers run
Potable gold, when with one virtuous touch
Th' arch-chimic fun, fo far from us remote,
Produces, with terrestrial humor mix'd,
Here in the dark fo many pretious things
Of color glorious, and effect fo rare?
Here matter new to gaze the devil met
Undazled; far and wide his eye commands,
For fight no obftacle found here, or shade,
But all fun-fhine; as when his beams at noon
Culminate from th' Æquator; as they now
Shot upward ftill direct, whence no way round
Shadow from body opaque can fall, and th'air,
(No where fo clear,) sharpen'd his visual ray
To objects diftant far, whereby he foon
Saw within ken a glorious Angel ftand,
The fame whom John saw also in the fun :
His back was turn'd, but not his brightness hid:
Of beaming funny rays a golden tiar
Circled his head, nor lefs his locks behind
Illuftrious on his shoulders, fledge with wings,
Lay waving round: on some great charge employ'd He feem'd, or fixt in cogitation deep.
Glad was the fpirit impure, as now in hope
To find who might direct his wand'ring flight
To Paradife, the happy feat of man,
His journey's end, and our beginning woe.
But first he cafts to change his proper shape,
Which elfe might work him danger, or delay:
And now a stripling Cherub he appears,
Not of the prime, yet fuch as in his face
Youth fmil'd cœleftial, and to ev'ry limb
Suitable grace diffus'd, fo well he feign'd.
Under a coronet his flowing hair
In curls on either cheek play'd; wings he wore
Of many a color'd plume, sprinkled with gold:
His habit fit for speed fuccinct, and held
Before his decent steps a filver wand.
He drew not nigh unheard, the Angel bright,
E'er he drew nigh, his radiant visage turn'd,
Admonish'd by his ear; and ftrait was known
Th' Arch-Angel Uriel, one of the fev'n
Who in God's prefence, nearest to His throne,
Stand ready at command,, and are His eyes
That run thro' all the heav'ns, or down to th' earth
Bear his swift errands, over moift and dry,
O'er fea and land: him Satan thus accofts.
Uriel! for thou of those fev'n spirits that ftand
In fight of God's high throne, gloriously bright,
The first art wont His great authentic will
Interpreter through highest heav'n to bring,
Where all His fons thy embaffic attend:
And here art likelieft by fupreme decree
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