Whom thus the Prince of darkness anfwer'd glad.
Fair Daughter, and thou Son and Grandchild both,
High proof ye now have giv'n to be the race
of Satan, (for I glory in the name,
Antagonist of Heav'n's almighty king)
Amply have merited of me, of all
Th' infernal empire, that so near heav'n's door
Triumphal with triumphal act have met,
Mine with this glorious work, and made one realm
Hell and this world, one realm, one continent
Of eafy thorough-fare. Therefore while I
Descend through darkness, on your road with ease,
To my
affociate Pow'rs, them to acquaint
With these fucceffes, and with them rejoice,
You two this way, among thefe numerous orbs
All yours, right down to Paradise descend;
There dwell and reign in blifs, thence on the earth
Dominion exercise and in the air,
Chiefly on Man, fole lord of all declar'd,
Him first make sure your thrall, and lastly kill.
My fubftitutes I fend you, and create
Plenipotent on earth of matchless might
Iffuing from me: on your joint vigor now
My hold of this new kingdom all depends,
Through Sin to Death expos'd by my exploit.
If your joint pow'r prevail, th' affairs of Hell
No detriment need fear; go and be ftrong."
So faying he difimifs'd them; they with fpeed 410 Their courfe through thickest constellations held, Spreading their bane; the blafted stars look'd wan,
And planets, planet-ftruck, real eclipfe
Then fuffer'd. Th' other way Satan went down
The caufey to Hell gate; on either side
Difparted Chaos over built exclam'd,
And with rebounding furge the bars affail'd,
That fcorn'd his indignation: through the gate,
Wide open and unguarded, Satan pafs'd,
And all about found defolate; for those
Appointed to fit there, had left their charge,
Flown to the upper world; the rest were all
Far to th' inland retir'd, about the walls
Of Pandemonium, city and proud feat
Of Lucifer, fo by allufion call'd
Of that bright star to Satan paragon'd.
There kept their watch the legions, while the Grand
In council fat, folicitous what chance
Might intercept their empe'ror fent; fo he
Departing gave command, and they obferv'd.
As when the Tartar from his Ruffian foe
By Aftracan over the fnowy plains
Retires, or Bactrian Sophi from the horns
Of Turkish crefcent, leaves all waste beyond
The realm of Aladule, in his retreat
To Tauris or Cafbeen: So thefe the late
Heav'n-banish'd hoft, left defert utmost Hell
Many a dark league, reduc'd in careful watch
Round their metropolis, and now expecting
Each hour their great adventurer from the fearch 440
Of foreign worlds; he through the midst unmark'd,
In fhow plebeian Angel militant
Of lowest order, pafs'd; and from the door
Of that Plutonian hall, invisible
Afcended his high throne, which under state
Of richeft texture spread, at the upper end
Was plac'd in regal luftre. Down a while
He fat, and round about him saw unseen:
At laft as from a cloud his fulgent head
And shape star-bright appear'd, or brighter, clad 450
With what permiffive glory fince his fall
Was left him, or false glitter: All amaz'd
At that fo fudden blaze the Stygian throng
Bent their afpéct, and whom they wish'd beheld,
Their mighty chief return'd: loud was th' acclame:
Forth rush'd in hafte the great confulting peers,
Rais'd from their dark Divan, and with like joy
Congratulant approach'd him, who with hand
Silence, and with these words attention won.
Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,
For in poffeffion fuch, not only' of right,
I call you and declare you now, return'd
Successful beyond hope, to lead you forth
Triumphant out of this infernal pit
Abominable, accurs'd, the house of woe,
And dungeon of our tyrant: now pofiefs,
As Lords, a spacious world, to' our native Heaven
Little inferior, by my adventure hard
With peril great achiev'd. Long were to tell
What I have done, what fuffer'd, with what pain 470 Voyag'd th' unreal, vast, unbounded deep
Of horrible confufion, over which
By Sin and Death a broad way now is pav'd
To expedite your glorious march; but I
Toil'd out my uncouth paffage, forc'd to ride
Th' untractable abyss, plung'd in the womb
Of unoriginal Night and Chaos wild,
That jealous of their fecrets fiercely' oppos'd
My journey strange, with clamorous uproar
Protesting fate fupreme; thence how I found
The new created world, which fame in Heaven
Long had foretold, a fabric wonderful
Of abfolute perfection, therein Man
Plac'd in a Paradise, by our exile
Made happy: Him by fraud I have seduc'd
From his Creator, and the more to' increase
Your wonder, with an apple; he thereat
Offended, worth your laughter, hath giv'n up
Both his beloved Man and all his world,
To Sin and Death a prey, and so to us,
Without our hazard, labor, or alarm,
To range in, and to dwell, and over Man
To rule, as over all he should have rul'd.
True is, me alfo he hath judg'd, or rather
Me not, but the brute ferpent in whose shape
Man I deceiv'd: that which to me belongs,
Is enmity, which he will put between
Me and mankind; I am to bruise his heel;
His feed, when is not fet, fhall bruise my
A world who would not purchase with a bruise,
Or much more grievous pain? Ye have th' account
Of my performance: What remains, ye Gods,
But up and enter now into full blifs?
So having faid, a while he stood, expecting Their universal shout and high applause
To fill his ear, when contrary he hears
On all fides, from innumerable tongues
A difmal univerfal hifs, the found
Of public fcorn; he wonder'd, but not long
Had leifure, wond'ring at himself now more;
His vifage drawn he felt to sharp and spare,
His arms clung to his ribs, his legs intwining
Each other, till fupplanted down he fell
A monftrous ferpent on his belly prone,
Reluctant, but in vain, a greater power
Now rul'd him, punish'd in the shape he finn'd
According to his doom: he would have spoke,
But his for hifs return'd with forked tongue
To forked tongue, for now were all transform'd
Alike, to ferpents all as acceffories
To his bold riot: dreadful was the din
Of hiffing through the hall, thick fwarming now
With complicated monsters head and tail,
Scorpion, and Afp, and Amphisbæna dire,
Ceraftes horn'd, Hydrus, and Elops drear,
And Dipfas (not fo thick swarm'd once the foil
Bedropt with blood of Gorgon, or the ile
Ophiufa) but still greatest he the midft,
Now Dragon grown, larger than whom the fun
Ingender'd in the Pythian vale on flime,
Huge Python, and his pow'r no lefs he feem'd
Above the rest still to retain; they all.
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