Far into Chaos, fince the Fiend pass'd through,
Sin opening, who thus now to Death began.
O Son, why fit we here each other viewing
Idly, while Satan our great author thrives
In other worlds, and happier feat provides
For us his offspring dear? It cannot be
But that fuccefs attends him; if mishap,
Ere this he had return'd, with fury driven
By his avengers, fince no place like this
Can fit his punishment, or their revenge.
Methinks I feel new strength within me rise,
Wings growing, and dominion giv'n me large
Beyond this deep; whatever draws me on,
Or fympathy, or fome connatural force
Pow'rful at greatest distance to unite
With fecret amity things of like kind
By fecreteft conveyance. Thou my shade
Infeparable must with me along :
Of merit high to all th' infernal host,
Eafing their paffage hence, for intercourse,
Or tranfmigration, as their lot shall lead.
Nor can I mifs the way, fo ftrongly drawn
By this new-felt attraction and instinct.
Whom thus the meager Shadow anfwer'd foon.
Go whither fate and inclination strong
Leads thee; I fall not lag behind, nor err
The way, thou leading, fuch a scent I draw
Of carnage, prey innumerable, and taste
The favor of Death from all things there that live:
Nor fhall I to the work thou enterprisest
Be wanting, but afford thee equal aid.
So faying, with delight he snuff'd the smell
Of mortal change on earth. As when a flock
Of ravenous fowl, though many a league remote,
Against the day of battel, to a field,
Where armies lie incamp'd, come flying, lur'd
With scent of living carcaffes defign'd
For death, the following day, in bloody fight:
So fcented the grim Feature, and upturn'd
His noftril wide into the murky air,
Sagacious of his quarry from so far.
Then both from out Hell gates into the waste
Wide anarchy of Chaos damp and dark
Flew diverfe, and with pow'r (their pow'r was great)
Hovering upon the waters, what they met
Solid or flimy, as in raging fea
Toft up and down, together crouded drove
From each fide shoaling tow'ards the mouth of Hell:
As when two polar winds, blowing adverse
Upon the Cronian fea, together drive
Mountains of ice, that stop th' imagin'd way
Beyond Petfora eastward, to the rich
Cathaian coaft. The aggregated foil
Death with his mace petrific, cold and dry,
As with a trident fmote, and fix'd as firm
As Delos floting once; the reft his look
Bound with Gorgonian rigor not to move;
And with Asphaltic flime, broad as the gate,
Deep to the roots of Hell the gather'd beach
They faften'd, and the mole immenfe wrought on
Over the foaming deep high arch'd, a bridge
Of length prodigious, joining to the wall
Immoveable of this now fenceless world
Forfeit to Death; from hence a paffage broad,
Smooth, eafy, inoffenfive down to Hell.
So, if great things to small may be compar'd,
Xerxes, the fiberty of Greece to yoke,
From Sufa his Memnonian palace high
Came to the fea, and over Hellefpont
Bridging his way, Europe with Asia join'd,
And fcourg'd with many a stroke th' indignant waves.
Now had they brought the work by wondrous art
Pontifical, a ridge of pendent rock,
Over the vex'd abyfs, following the track
Of Satan to the self-same place where he
First lighted from his wing, and landed safe
From out of Chaos, to the outside bare
Of this round world: with pins of adamant
And chains they made all faft, too fast they made
And durable; and now in little space
The confines met of empyréan Heaven
And of this World, and on the left hand Hell
With long reach interpos'd; three several ways
In fight, to each of these three places led.
And now their way to Earth they had defcry'd,
To Paradise first tending, when behold
Satan in likeness of an Angel bright
Betwixt the Centaur and the Scorpion steering
His zenith, while the fun in Aries rose :
Difguis'd he came, but those his children dear
Their parent foon difcern'd, though in disguise.
He after Eve feduc'd, unminded flunk
Into the wood fast by, and changing shape
To' obferve the sequel, faw his guileful act
By Eve, though all unweeting, feconded
Upon her husband, saw their shame that sought
Vain covertures; but when he faw defcend
The Son of God to judge them, terrify'd
He fled, not hoping to escape, but shun
The prefent, fearing guilty what his wrath
Might fuddenly inflict; that paft, return'd
By night, and lift'ning where the hapless pair
Sat in their fad difcourfe, and various plaint,
Thence gather'd his own doom, which understood
Not inftant, but of future time, with joy
And tidings fraught, to Hell he now return'd,
And at the brink of Chaos, near the foot
Of this new wondrous pontifice, unhop'd
Met who to meet him came, his offspring dear.
Great joy was at their meeting, and at fight
Of that ftupendous bridge his joy increas'd.
long he admiring ftood, till Sin, his fair
Inchanting daughter, thus the filence broke.
O Parent, these are thy magnific deeds, Thy trophies, which thou view'ft as not thine own; Thou art their author and prime architect:
For I no fooner in my heart divin'd,
My heart, which by a fecret harmony
Still moves with thine, join'd in connexion sweet,
That thou on earth hadft profper'd, which thy looks
Now also evidence, but ftrait I felt
Though diftant from thee worlds between, yet felt
That I must after thee with this thy son,
Such fatal confequence unites us three:
Hell could no longer hold us in her bounds,
Nor this unvoyageable gulf obscure
Detain from following thy illuftrious track.
Thou hast achiev'd our liberty, confin'd
Within Hell gates till now, thou us impower'd
To fortify thus far, and overlay
With this portentous bridge the dark abyfs.
Thine now is all this world; thy virtue' hath won
What thy hands builded not, thy wisdom gain'd
With odds what war hath loft, and fully' aveng'd
Our foil in Heav'n; here thou shalt monarch reign, 375
There didft not; there let him ftill victor sway,
As battel hath adjudg'd, from this new world
Retiring, by his own doom alienated,
And henceforth monarchy with thee divide
Of all things parted by th' empyreal bounds,
His quadrature, from thy orbicular world,
Or try thee now more dangerous to his throne.
|