Her wat'ry labyrinth; whereof who drinks, Forthwith his former ftate and being forgets, Forgets both joy and grief, pleasure and pain. Beyond this flood a frozen continent
Lies dark and wild; beat with perpetual storms Of whirlwind and dire hail; which on firm land Thaws not, but gathers heap, and ruin feems Of ancient pile; all elfe, deep fnow and ice : A gulf profound! as that SERBONIAN bog 'Twixt DAMIATA, and mounť CASIUS old, Where armies whole have funk: the parching air Burns frore, and cold performs th' effect of fire.
Are brought; and feel by turns the bitter change
Of fierce extremes, extremes by change more fierce! From beds of raging fire to ftarve in ice
Their foft ethereal warmth, and there to pine
Immoveable, infix'd, and frozen round,
Periods of time; thence hurried back to fire.
They ferry over this LETHEAN Sound
Both to and fro, their forrow to augment, And wish, and struggle as they país, to reach The tempting ftream, with one fmall drop to lose In fweet forgetfulness all pain and woe, All in one moment, and fo near the brink: But Fate withstands, and to oppose th' attempt MEDUSA with GORGONIAN terror guards. The ford, and of itself the water flies All taste of living wight; as once it fled The lip of TANTALUS. Thus roving on,
In confus'd march forlorn th' advent'rous bands,
With fhudd'ring horror pale, and eyes agaft,
View'd first their lamentable lot, and found
No reft: through many a dark and dreary vale They pafs'd, and many a region dolorous,
O'er many a frozen, many a fiery Alp,
Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens, and shades of death ; A universe of death! which God by curfe Created evil; for evil only good,
Where all life dies, death lives, and nature breeds Perverfe, all monftrous, all prodigious things, Abominable, inutterable; and worse Than Fables yet have feign'd, or fear conceiv'd, GORGONS, and HYDRAS, and CHIMERAS dire.
Mean while the adverfary of God and man, SATAN, with thoughts inflam'd of highest defign, Puts on fwift wings, and tow'rds the gates of hell Explores his folitary flight: fometimes
He fcours the right-hand coast, fometimes the left: Now fhaves with level wing the Deep; then foars Up to the fiery concave tow'ring high.
As when far off at fea a fleet defcry'd, Hangs in the clouds, by Equinoctial winds Clofe failing from BENGALA, or the ifles
Of TERNATE, and TIDORE, whence merchants bring
Their spicy drugs: they on the trading flood
Through the wide ETHIOPIAN, to the Cape
Ply, ftemming nightly tow'rd the Pole: fo feem'd
Far off the flying Fiend. At laft appear
Hell bounds, high reaching to the horrid roof;
And thrice threefold the gates, three folds were brass, Three iron, three of adamantine rock;
Impenetrable, impal'd with circling fire,
Yet unconfum'd. Before the gates there fat
On either fide a formidable fhape;
The one feem'd woman to the waift, and fair;
But ended foul in many a fcaly fold,
Voluminous and vaft! a ferpent arm'd
With mortal fting: about her middle round
A cry of hell-hounds never ceafing bark'd
With wide CERBERIAN mouths full loud, and rung
A hideous peal: yet, when they lift, would creep, If ought difturb'd their noife, into her womb, And kennel there; yet there ftill bark'd and howl'd Within, unfeen. Far lefs abhor d than these Vex'd SCYLLA, bathing in the sea that parts CALABRIA from the hoarfe TRINACRIAN fhore; Nor uglier follow the Night-hag, when call'd
In fecret, riding through the air fhe comes Lur'd with the smell of infant-blood, to dance With LAPLAND witches, while the lab'ring Moon Eclipfes at their charms.- -The other shape (If fhape it might be call'd, that fhape had none Diftinguishable in member, joint or limb; Or fubftance might be call'd that shadow feem'd, For each feem'd either: black it flood as night, Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as hell,
And shook a dreadful dart: what seem'd his head,
The likeness of a Kingly crown had on.
SATAN was now at hand, and from his feat
The monster moving, onward came as faft
With horrid ftrides: hell trembled as he strode.
Th' undaunted fiend what this might be admir'd;
Admir'd, not fear'd; GoD and his Son except, Created thing not valu'd be, nor fhun'd; And with difdainful look thus firft began.
Whence and what art thou! execrable shape! That dar'it, though grim and terrible, advance Thy mif-created front athwart my way To yonder gates? through them I mean to pass, That be affur'd, without leave afk'd of thee. Retire, or taste thy folly, and learn by proof, Hell-born! not to contend with fpirits of heav'n.
To whom the Goblin full of wrath reply'd; Art thou that Traitor-Angel, art thou He,
Who first broke peace in heav'n, and faith, till then Unbroken; and in proud rebellious arms
Drew after him the third part of heav'n's fons,
Conjur'd against the Higheft; for which both thou And they, out-caft from God, are here condemn'd To wafte eternal days in woe and pain ?
And reckon't thou thy felf with fpirits of heav'n, Hell-doom'd! and breath'ft defiance here and fcorn, Where I reign King, and to enrage thee more, Thy King and Lord? Back to thy punishment, Falfe Fugitive! and to thy fpeed add wings;
Left with a whip of fcorpions I purfue
Thy lingring; or with one stroke of this dart Strange horror feize thee, and pangs unfelt before.
So fpake the griefly Terror, and in shape, (So fpeaking, and fo threatning) grew tenfold More dreadful and deform. On th' other fide Incens'd with indignation SATAN flood Unterrify'd; and like a Comet burn'd, That fires the length of OPHIUCHUS huge In th' artic sky, and from his horrid hair Shakes peftilence and war. Each at the head Level'd his deadly aim; their fatal hands No fecond ftroke intend: and fuch a frown Each caft at th’other, as when two black clouds With heav'ns artillery fraught, come rattling on Over the CASPIAN; then stand front to front, Hov'ring a fpace, till winds the fignal blow To join their dark encounter in mid air :
So frown'd the mighty combatants, that hell
Grew darker at their frown; fo match'd they stood: For never but once more was either like
To meet fo great a foe. And now great deeds
Had been atchiev'd, whereof all hell had rung, Had not the fnaky forceress that fat
Faft by hell-gate, and kept the fatal key,
Ris'n, and with hideous outcry rush'd between.
O father what intends thy hand, fhe cry'd,. Against thy only fon? What fury, O fon, Poffeffes thee, to bend that mortal dart
Against thy father's head and know'ft for whom?
For him who fits above, and laughs the while At thee, ordain'd his drudge, to execute
Whate'er his wrath, which He calls justice, bids ; His wrath, which one day will destroy ye both!
She fpake, and at her words the hellish pest Forbore; then these to her SATAN return'd.
So frange thy outcry, and thy words fo firange
Thou interpofeft, that my sudden hand Prevented, fpares to tell thee yet by deeds What it intends; till firft I know of thee, What thing thou art, thus double-form'd; In this infernal vale first met, thou call'ft Me father, and that phantom call'ft my fon : I know thee not, nor ever saw till now Sight more detestable than him, and thee.
T'whom thus the portrefs of hell-gate reply'd ; Haft thou forgot me then, and do I feem Now in thine eye fo foul? once deem'd so fair In heav'n! when at th" affembly, and in fight Of all the Seraphim, with thee combin'd In bold confpiracy against heav'n's King, All on a sudden miserable pain
Surpriz'd thee, dim thine eyes, and dizzy fwum In darkness; while thy head flames thick and fast Threw forth; till on the left fide op'ning wide Likeft to thee in shape, and count'nance bright, Then fhining heav'nly fair, a Goddess arm'd, Out of thy head I fprung: amazement feiz'd
All th' hoft of heav'n; back they recoil'd, afraid At first, and call'd me SIN; and for a fign Portentous held me: but familiar grown, I pleas'd, and with attractive graces won The most averse, thee chiefly, who full oft (Thy felf in me thy perfect image viewing) Becam'ft inamor'd, and fuch joy thou took'it With me in fecret, that my womb conceiv'd A growing burthen. Mean while war arose,
And fields were fought in heav'n ; wherein remain’d.
(For what could elfe ?) to our Almighty foe
Clear victory; to our part lofs and rout,
Through all the empyrean: down they fell
Driv'n headlong from the pitch of heaven, down
Into this Deep; and in the gen'ral fall I alfo: at which time this pow'rful key Into my hand was giv'n, with charge to keep Thefe gates for ever fhut, which none can pass`
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