Printed by JAMES KNOX, and fold at his Shop, near the
Head of the Salt-mercat,

M.DCC.LXV.

BOOK Ι.

THE ARGUMENT.

This first book proposes, first in brief, the whole fubject, Man's disobedience, and the loss thereupon of Paradise wherein he was placed: Then touches the prime cause of his fall, the Serpent, or rather Satan in the Serpent; 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 into 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, fitliest called Chaos: Here Satan with his Angels lying on the burning lake, thunder-struck and aftonished, after a certain space recovers as from confufion, 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 battel, 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 Heaven, but tells them lafily of a new world and new kind of crea ture to be created, according to an antient prophecy or report in Heaven; for that Angels were long before this vifible creation, was the opinion of many antient Fathers. To find out the truth of this prophecy, and what to determine thereon he refers to a full council. What his affociates thence attempt. Pandemonium the palace of Satan rises, fuddenly built out of the deep: The infernal peers there fit in council.

OF 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 facred top
Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That Chepherd, who fire taught the chosen feed,
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 adventrous fong,
That with no middle flight intends to foar
Above th' Aonian mount, while it purfues
Things unattempted yet in profe or rime.
And chiefly Thou, O Spi'rit, that doft prefer
Before all temples th' upright heart and pure,
Instruct me, for Thou know'ft; Thou from the first
Waft prefent, and with mighty wings outspread
Dove-like fat'st brooding on the vaft abyfs,
And mad'st it pregnant: what in me is dark
Illumin, what is low raise and support;
That to the highth of this great argument
I may affert eternal Providence,
And justify the ways of God to Men.

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Say firft, for Heav'n hides nothing from thy view, Nor the deep tract of Hell, fay first what caufe보다는 Mov'd our grand parents, in that happy ftate, Favor'd of Heav'n fo highly, to fall off From their Creator, and tranfgrefs his will For one reftraint, lords of the world befides? Who first feduc'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 caft him out from Heav'n, with all his hoft

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Of rebel Angels, by whose aid aspiring

To fet himself in glory' above his peers

He trusted 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 Heaven and battel proud
With vain attempt. Him the Almighty Power
Hurl'd headlong flaming from th'ethereal sky,

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With hideous ruin and combustion, down
To bottomless perdition, there to dwell

In adamantin chains and penal fire,

Who durft defy th 'Omnipotent to arms.
Nine times the fspace that measures day and night 50

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 lafting pain
Torments him; round he throws his baleful eyes,
That witness'd huge affliction and dismay
Mix'd with obdurate pride and stedfaft hate:

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At once, as far as Angels ken, he views

The dismal fituation waste and wild;

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

No light, but rather darkness visible

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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

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'on ordain'd
In utter darkness, and their portion set
As far remov'd from God and light of Heav'n,
As from the center thrice to the utmost pole.
O how unlike the place from whence they fell!

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