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 admiffa quietis Læta Choris, carpam dulces ignara laborum Delicias; folioque fruar Te propter amœno, Quale decet caram, Genitor, tua gaudia, Natam. Dixerat: & Clavem demiffam à pectore, Clavem Horrendam, unde omnes noftri fluxere dolores, Corripit; undantifque ad portas agmina caudæ Turpia convolvens, ingentia pondera ferri Serrati fublime levat; quæ tota labore Vis Stygia immani junctoque attollere nifu Plurima tentâsset nequicquam, Hæc sustulit 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 ease, where I fhall 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, fhe took; And tow'rds the Gate rolling her bestial 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 cafe Unfaftens. On a sudden open fly With impetuous recoil and jarring found
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 fluitantia 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 Harsh Thunder, that the lowest bottom shook Of Erebus. She open'd; but to fhut Excell'd her pow'r: the Gates wide open stood, That with extended wings a banner'd Host 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, Moist, and Dry, four Champions
De regno certant Pugiles: in prælia ducit Quifque fuas Atomorum acies, quæ figna fecutæ Diverfa, & varias variâ fub imagine partes, Hæ levibus cinctæ telis, gravioribus illæ, Condenfæ agglomerant: Barca quot littus arenas Solibus exuftum jactat torrenfve Cyrene,
Tot numeris fervent, Ventisque hinc inde citatæ Belligeris, librant pennas. Quem maxima cingit Pars Atomûm, fceptrum Ille gerit mutabile puncto Temporis hic lites dirimens Chaos arbiter, ipfas Auget & ingeminat, cæci fundamina regni. Proximus Huic rerum Cafus moderatur habenas. In vastum hoc barathrum (quo fe Natura capaci Prima utero effudit, quod forfitan ipfa fepulcrum Inveniet; quà nec terræ nec certa videntur Equora, non ignes certi, non aeris auræ, Confufa at moles pugnas habitura perennes, Ni fòrs Omnipotens venturæ femina vitæ
Strive here for Maft'ry, and to Battle bring Their embryon Atoms. They around the flag Of each his Faction, in their sev'ral Clans, Light-arm'd, or heavy, fharp, fmooth, fwift, or flow, Swarm populous: un-number'd as the Sands Of Barca or Cyrene's torrid foil,
Levy'd to fide with warring Winds, and poife Their lighter wings. To whom These most adhere, He rules a moment. Chaos Umpire fits,
And by decifion more embroils the fray, By which he reigns: next him high Arbiter Chance governs all. Into this wild Abyss, (The womb of Nature, and perhaps her Grave) Of neither Sea, nor Shore, nor Air, nor Fire, But all thefe in their pregnant causes mix'd Confus'dly; and which thus must ever fight, (Unless th' Almighty Maker them ordain His dark materials to create more Worlds)
His tenebris premat, atque alios hinc deftinet orbes) Hoc adeò in barathrum, ftans margine triftis Averni Cautior emifit Satanas mirantia longè
Lumina, continuitque gradum & difcrimina volvit Magna viæ; nec enim inde freti fpatia arcta tuetur. Nec diris minus horrefcunt clangoribus aures Attonitæ (fi fas parvis componere magna) Quam fonitu cum fæva fremens Bellona minaci Tormentis turres quatit & nutantia latè Mœnia; vel cœli penitus compage folutâ
Si rumpant Elementa fidem, altisonansque procella' Axe fuo avolfam rapido ruat impete terram. Jamque fugam parat, atque alarum carbafa tendit, Fumoque ut curru nebularum invectus opaco Spernit humum, & nifu confurgit in ardua longè Impavido; fedes cum tandem infida relabens Corruit. Ille repente tremens plausisque laborans Nequicquam pennis cecidit per multa Profundi
Into this wild Abyss the wary Fiend
Stood on the brink of Hell, and look'd a while, Pond'ring his Voyage; for no narrow Frith He had no cross. Nor was his ear lefs peal'd With noifes loud and ruinous, (to compare Great things with fmall) than when Bellona ftorms With all her batt'ring Engines, bent to rafe Some Capital City; or lefs than if this frame. Of Heav'n were falling, and these Elements
In mutiny had from her Axle torn
The ftedfaft Earth. At laft his Sail-broad Vans He spreads for flight; and in the furging smoke Uplifted fpurns the ground: thence many a League, As in a cloudy Chair, afcending rides Audacious; but that feat foon failing, meets A vaft Vacuity. All unawares
Flutt'ring his pennons vain, plumb down he drops Ten thoufand fathom deep: and to this hour
Jugera; & adhuc caderet, ni adverfo turbine Nubes Occurfans flammifque & fulphure fœta retortum Vi rapidâ totidem fpatia in fublime tuliffet. Hæc ubi tempeftas pofuit, cæno obfitus alto Limofam cadit in Syrtem; (nec dicere terram Nec pelagus poffis) malè cocta coagula iniquis Jam calcat pedibus Satanas, jam commovet alas, Velaque anhelanti nifu remofque fatigat. Qualis congefto Gryphem fpoliaverit auro Si furtim Scytha, prædonem pedibusque secuta Et pennis montes ultra vallefque paluftres Urget Avis. Satanas fic denfa & rara locorum, Asp'ra, angusta avidus vincit; per flumina fertur, Per vada, per clivos; membris fimul omnibus alifque, Innatat, & cadit, ingreditur, ferpitque, volatque. At vocum interea variarum diffonus horror
Fulmineo per Inane cavum clangore refultans Ingeminat, fremituque obfeffas verberat aures.
Down had been falling, had not by ill chance The ftrong rebuff of some tumultuous Cloud, Instinct with Fire and Nitre, hurried him As many miles aloft. That fury stay'd, Quench'd in a Boggy Syrtis, neither Se, Nor good dry Land, nigh founder'd on he fares, Treading the crude confiftence, half on foot, Half flying: behoves him now both Oar and Sail. As when a Gryfon, through the Wilderness With winged courfe o'er Hill, or moory Dale,
Pursues the Arimafpian, who by ftealth Had from his wakeful cuftody purloin'd The guarded Gold: fo eagerly the Fiend O'er bog, o'er steep, through strait, rough, dense,
With head, hands, wings, or feet, pursues his way; And fwims, or finks, or wades, or creeps, or flies. At length an univerfal Hubbub wild Of stunning founds, and voices all confus'd, Born through the hollow Dark assaults his ear
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