For death the following day in bloody fight:

So scented the grim feature, and upturned
His nostril 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

280

Flew diverse, and with power (their power was great)
Hovering upon the waters, what they met
Solid or slimy, as in raging sea

Tost up and down, together crowded drove

285

290

From each side shoaling towards the mouth of Hell;
As when two polar winds, blowing adverse
Upon the Cronian sea, together drive
Mountains of ice, that stop the imagined way
Beyond Petsora eastward to the rich

Death with his mace petrific, cold and dry,
As with a trident, smote, and fixed as firm
As Delos floating once; the rest his look
Bound with Gorgonian rigor not to move,
And with asphaltic slime: broad as the gate,
Deep to the roots of Hell the gathered beach

279. feature, form or shape
indistinct. See II. 666-673.
281. Sagacious of his quarry,
scenting his prey or game.
284. diverse, in different direc-

tions.

285. what, whatever.

287. together crowded, pushed or crowded together from opposite or diverse directions.

288. Growing shallow on each side as it was heaped up in the middle near the mouth of Hell.

290. Cronian sea, Arctic Ocean. 291. the imagined way, the supposed northeast passage from Europe to India.

292. Petsora, Petchora, a river and gulf in the northeastern part of Russia.

293. Cathaian, belonging to

295

Cathay, which was a name given to the rich countries in the east or southeast of Asia. The coast of China is probably here meant.

the aggregated soil, the soil thus together crowded.

294. petrific, turning to stone. -cold and dry seem to agree with soil. He made the soil cold and dry by smiting it.

296. As Delos. Delos was one of the group of islands called Cyclades, in the Egean Sea, which is fabled to have floated from place to place till Zeus (Jupiter) fastened it with chains of adamant to the bottom of the sea.the rest, all that had not been thus fixed. See II 611.

297. Gorgonian. - rigor, stiffness.

They fastened, and the mole immense wrought on
Over the foaming deep high-arched, a bridge
Of length prodigious, joining to the wall
Immovable of this now fenceless world
Forfeit to death; from hence a passage broad,
Smooth, easy, inoffensive, down to Hell.
So, if great things to small may be compared,
Xerxes, the liberty of Greece to yoke,
From Susa his Memnonian palace high
Came to the sea, and over Hellespont
Bridging his way Europe with Asia joined,

301

305

310

And scourged with many a stroke the indignant

waves.

Now had they brought the work by wondrous art
Pontifical, a ridge of pendent rock,

Over the vexed abyss, following the track
Of Satan to the selfsame 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 fast, 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

315

320

He is said to have built a bridge of boats over the Hellespont, the strait which separates Asia from Europe. When this bridge was destroyed by a storm, he commanded a hundred lashes to be given to the waves.

313. Pontifical, bridge-making.

314. vexed. See III. 429. 317. to the outside bare. See III. 70-76.

320. in little space, with little space between. See II. 1047–1053. 322. Of this World. See III. 418-422.

With long reach interposed; three several ways

In sight to each of these three places led.

And now their way to Earth they had descried, 325 To Paradise first tending, when behold

Satan, in likeness of an angel bright,

Betwixt the Centaur and the Scorpion steering
His zenith, while the sun in Aries rose:
Disguised he came, but those his children dear

Their parent soon discerned, though in disguise.
He, after Eve seduced, unminded slunk
Into the wood fast by, and, changing shape
To observe the sequel, saw his guileful act
By Eve, though all unweeting, seconded

Upon her husband, saw their shame that sought
Vain covertures; but when he saw descend
The Son of God to judge them, terrified
He fled, not hoping to escape, but shun
The present; fearing, guilty, what his wrath
Might suddenly inflict: that past, returned
By night, and listening where the hapless pair
Sat in their sad discourse and various plaint,
Thence gathered his own doom, which understood
Not instant but of future time, with joy
And tidings fraught to Hell he now returned,
And at the brink of Chaos, near the foot
Of this new wondrous pontifice, unhoped

324. these three places, Heaven, Hell, and the World.

327. in likeness. "Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." 2 Corinthians xi. 14.

328, 329. While the sun was rising in the sign Aries, Satan was steering towards his zenith, or flying upwards, between the signs Scorpio and Sagittarius (the Centaur) far in advance of the sun.

332. after Eve seduced, after having seduced Eve. -unminded, unnoticed.

333. fast by. See IX. 628.

330

335

340

345

334. the sequel, what would follow.

335. unweeting, unknowing; that is, not aware of his pres

ence.

339. shun, to shun.

340. The present, what the present might bring upon him. 341. returned, he returned. 345. not instant, as not immediate.

348. pontifice, bridge. See line 313.

Met, who to meet him came, his offspring dear.
Great joy was at their meeting, and at sight
Of that stupendous bridge his joy increased.
Long he admiring stood, till Sin, his fair
Enchanting daughter, thus the silence broke:

"O parent, these are thy magnific deeds,
Thy trophies, which thou view'st as not thine own;
Thou art their author and prime architect :
For I no sooner in my heart divined,

My heart, which by a secret harmony

350

26

Still moves with thine, joined in connection sweet,
That thou on earth hadst prospered, which thy looks
Now also evidence, but straight I felt,

Though distant from thee worlds between, yet felt
That I must after thee with this thy son,
Such fatal consequence unites us three.

Hell could no longer hold us in her bounds,
Nor this unvoyageable gulf obscure
Detain from following thy illustrious track.
Thou hast achieved our liberty, confined
Within Hell-gates till now, thou us impowered
To fortify thus far, and overlay

361

365

370

With this portentous bridge the dark abyss.
Thine now is all this world; thy virtue hath won
What thy hands builded not, thy wisdom gained
With odds what war hath lost, and fully avenged
Our foil in Heaven; here thou shalt monarch reign,
There didst not; there let him still victor sway
As battle hath adjudged, from this new world

349. who, those who.

354. magnific, great; wonderful.

361. evidence, show; prove. straight, straightway.

363. must, must follow. 364. consequence, connection. 366. unvoyageable, not before to be travelled over or crossed.

368. our, for us.

369. thou, thou hast.

376

370. fortify, make strong; firmly build.

372. virtue, prowess; vigor. 374. With odds, with advantage.

375. foil, defeat.

376. victor, as victor.

Retiring by his own doom alienated,

And henceforth monarchy with thee divide
Of all things parted by the empyreal bounds,
His quadrature, from thy orbicular world,

Or try thee now more dangerous to his throne."

380

Whom thus the prince of darkness answered glad :
"Fair daughter, and thou son and grandchild both,
High proof ye now have given to be the race
Of Satan (for I glory in the name,

Antagonist of Heaven's almighty king),
Amply have merited of me, of all

The infernal empire, that so near Heaven'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 easy thoroughfare. Therefore while I
Descend through darkness on your road with ease
To my associate powers, them to acquaint
With these successes and with them rejoice,
You two this way, among these numerous orbs
All yours, right down to Paradise descend;

There dwell and reign in bliss, thence on the earth
Dominion exercise and in the air,

Chiefly on man, sole lord of all declared;

Him first make sure your thrall, and lastly kill.
My substitutes I send ye, and create

Plenipotent on earth, of matchless might
Issuing from me on your joint vigor now

378. doom, sentence; decree. 381. His quadrature, the square of Heaven undetermined square or round. II. 1048. "And the city lieth four-square." Revelation xxi. 16.

382. Or try, or let him try. 386. The Hebrew word Satan means adversary.

385

390

395

400

405

388. Amply have merited, and ye have much deserved.

390. Triumphal, triumphal act. 391. Mine, my work. 393. of easy thoroughfare, easy of passage.

402. thrall, slave; bondsman. 403. My, as my.

404. Plenipotent, of full power.