And henceforth Monarchy with thee divide His quadrature, from thy orbicular world; 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 385 Th' infernal empire, that, fo near Heav'n's door Triumphal with triumphal act have met, 390 Mine with this glorious work; and made one realm Hell and this world, our realm, one continent Of eafy thorough-fare. Therefore while I Defcent through darkness, on your road with eafe, To my affociate Pow'rs, them to acquaint 395 With thefe fucceffes, and with them rejoice, You two this way, among these numerous Orbs, All yours! right down to Paradife descend: There dwell and reign in blifs; thence on the earth B 1 Dominion exercise, and in the air, 400 Chiefly on Man, fole Lord of all declar'd: 410 Their courfe through thickeft conftellations held, Spreading their bane; the blasted stars look'd wan, And Planets, planet-firuck, real Eclipse The caufey to Hell gate: on either fide, 415 And with rebounding furge the bars affail'd, gate, Through the 420 Wide open and unguarded, Satan pals'd, Of Pandaemonium, city and proud seat✩* 425 Of that bright fiar to Satan paragon'd. There kept their watch the legions, while the In council fat, follicitous what chance As when the Tartar from his Ruffian foe 435 To Taurus, or Calbeen: so these, the late Heav'n-banifh'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 fhew plebeian Angel militant Of lowest order, paft; and from the door Afcended his high throne; which under ftate Of richest texture fpread, at th' upper end 445 He fat, and round about him faw unseen. With what permiffive glory fince his fall Their mighty Chief return'd: loud was th' ac clame! 455 Forth rufh'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 thefe words attention won. Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Vir tues, Pow'rs! For in poffeffion fuch, not only of right, 460 Abominable, accurs'd, the house of woe, 465 Little inferior, by my adventure hard With peril great achiev'd. Long were to tell What I have done, what fuffer'd, with what Voyag'd th' unreal, vaft, unbounded deep ride 475 Th' untractable abyfs, plung`d in he womb Of unoriginal Night and Chaos wild: That jealous of their fecrets fiercely oppos'd My journey ftrange, with clamorous uproar Protesting fate fupreme: thence, how 1 found 480 The new created world, which fame in Heav'n Long had foretold, a fabric wonderful Of abfolute perfection: therein Man, Made happy: him by fraud I have seduc'd 485 |