PARADISE LOST.

THE

BOOK II.

ARGUMENT.

The confultation begun, Satan debates whether another battle be to be bazarded for the recovery of Heaven: fome advise it, others diffuade: A third propofal is preferr'd, mention'd before by Satan, to fearch the truth of that prophecy or tradition in Heaven concerning another world, and another kind of creature equal or not much inferior to themselves, about this time to be created: Their doubt who shall be fent on this difficult fearch; Satan their chief undertakes alone the voyage, is honor'd and applauded. The council thus ended, the reft betake them several ways, and to feveral employments, as their inclinations lead them, to entertain the time till Satan return. He paffes on bis journey to Hell gates, finds them but, and who fat there to guard them, by whom at length they are open'd, and difcover to him the great gulf between Hell and Heaven; with what difficulty be paffes through, directed by Chaos, the Power of that place, to the fight of this new world which be fought.

H'

IGH on a throne of royal state, which far

Out hone the wealth of Ormus and of Ind, Or where the gorgeous east with richest hand Show'rs on her kings barbaric pearl and gold, Satan exalted fat, by merit rais'd

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To that bad eminence; and from despair
Thus high uplifted beyond hope, aspires
Beyond thus high, infatiate to purfue
Vain war with Heav'n, and by fuccefs untaught
His proud imaginations thus difplay'd.

Pow'rs and Dominions, Deities of Heaven,
For fince no deep within her gulf can hold
Immortal vigor, though opprefs'd and fall'n,
I give not Heav'n for loft. From this defcent
Celestial virtues rifing, will appear

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More glorious and more dread than from no fall,
And truft themselves to fear no fecond fate.
Me though juft right, and the fix'd laws of Heaven
Did first create your leader, next free choice,
With what befides, in counfel or in fight,
Hath been atchiev'd of merit, yet this lofs
Thus far at least recover'd, hath much more
Eftablish'd in a fafe unenvied throne
Yielded with full confent. The happier ftate
In Heav'n, which follows dignity, might draw
Envy from each inferior; but who here
Will envy whom the highest place expofes
Foremost to stand against the Thund'rer's aim
Your bulwark, and condemns to greatest share
Of endless pain? where there is then no good
For which to strive, no ftrife can grow up there
From faction; for none fure will claim in Hell
Precedence, none, whofe portion is so small
Of prefent pain, that with ambitious mind.
Will covet more. With this advantage then
To union, and firm-faith, and firm accord,
More than can be in Heav'n, we now return
To claim our juft inheritance of old,
Surer to profper than profperity

Could have affur'd us; and by what best way,

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Whether of open war or covert guile,

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We now debate; who can advise, may speak. He ceas'd, and next him Moloch, scepter'd king, Stood up, the strongest and the fierceft Spirit That fought in Heav'n, now fiercer by despair: His truft was with th' Eternal to be deem'd Equal in ftrength, and rather than be less Car'd not to be at all; with that care lost Went all his fear of God, or Hell, or worfe He reck'd not, and thefe words thereafter fpake. 50 My fentence is for open war: of wiles, More unexpert, I boast not: them let those Contrive who need, or when they need, not now. For while they fit contriving, fhall the rest, Millions that ftand in arms, and longing wait The fignal to ascend, fit ling'ring here Heav'n's fugitives, and for their dwelling place Accept this dark opprobrious den of shame, The prifon of his tyranny who reigns

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Against the torturer; when to meet the noise
Of his almighty engine he shall hear
Infernal thunder, and for lightning fee
Black fire and horror fhot with equal rage
Among his Angels, and his throne itself

By our delay? no, let us rather choose,
Arm'd with Hell flames and fury, all at once
O'er Heav'n's high tow'rs to force refiftless way,
Turning our tortures into horrid arms

бо

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Mix'd with Tartarean fulphur, and ftrange fire,
His own invented torments. But perhaps
The way feems difficult and fteep to scale
With upright wing against a higher foe.
Let fuch bethink them, if the fleepy drench
Of that forgetful lake benumb not still,
That in our proper motion we afcend

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Up to our native feat: defcent and fall

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To us is adverfe. Who but felt of late,
When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear
Infulting, and pursued us through the deep,
With what compulfion and laborious flight
We funk thus low? Th'afcent is eafy then;
Th'event is fear'd; fhould we again provoke
Our stronger, fome worfe way his wrath may find
To our deftruction; if there be in Hell
Fear to be worse destroy'd: what can be worse

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Than to dwell here, driv'n out from blifs, condemn'd
In this abhorred deep to utter woe;

Where pain of unextinguishable fire
Muft exercise us without hope of end
The vaffals of his anger, when the fcourge
Inexorably, and the torturing hour

Calls us to penance? More destroy'd than thus
We fhould be quite abolish'd and expire.

What fear we then? what doubt we to incense
His utmoft ire? which to the highth enrag'd,
Will either quite confume us, and reduce
To nothing this effential, happier far
Than miferable to have eternal being:
Or if our fubftance be indeed divine,
And cannot cease to be, we are at worst
On this fide nothing; and by proof we feel
Our pow'er fufficient to disturb his Heaven,
And with perpetual inroads to alarm,
Though inacceffible, his fatal throne:
Which if not victory is yet revenge.

He ended frowning, and his look denounc'd
Defp'rate revenge, and battle dangerous
To less than Gods. On th' other fide up rofe
Belial, in act more graceful and humane;
A fairer perfon lost not Heav'n; he seem'd

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For dignity compos'd and high exploit:

But all was falfe and hollow; though his tongue
Dropt Manna, and could make the worse appear
The better reafon, to perplex and dash
Matureft counfels: for his thoughts were low; 115
To vice induftrious, but to nobler deeds
Timorous and flothful: yet he pleas'd the ear,
And with perfuafive accent thus began.

I fhould be much for open war, O Peers,
As not behind in hate; if what was urg'd
Main reason to perfuade immediate war,
Did not diffuade in most, and seem to caft
Ominous conje&ure on the whole fuccefs:
When he who most excels in fact of arms,
In what he counfels and in what excels
Mistrustful, grounds his courage on defpair
And utter diffolution, as the fcope

Of all his aim, after fome dire revenge.

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Firft, what revenge? the tow'rs of Heav'n are filľa
With armed watch, that render all accefs
Impregnable; oft on the bord'ring deep
Incamp their legions, or with obfcure wing
Scout far and wide into the realm of night,
Scorning furprife. Or could we break our way
By force, and at our heels all Hell fhould rife
With blackeft infurrection, to confound
Heav'n's pureft light, yet our great enemy
All incorruptible would on his throne
Sit unpolluted, and th' ethereal mould
Incapable of ftain would foon expel
Her mifchief, and purge off the bafer fire
Victorious. Thus repuls'd, our final hope.
Is flat despair: we must exasperate

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Th' almighty victor to spend all his rage,
And that must end us, that must be our cure,

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