anwhile the adversary of God and man,
, with thoughts inflamed of highest design,
on swift wings, and towards the gates of Hell
res his solitary flight; sometimes

ours the right-hand coast, sometimes the left;
shaves with level wing the deep, then soars
- the fiery concave towering high.

en far off at sea a fleet descried

s in the clouds, by equinoctial winds
sailing from Bengala, or the isles

ernate and Tidore, whence merchants bring
spicy drugs; they on the trading flood
ugh the wide Ethiopian to the Cape

stemming nightly toward the Pole: so seemed off the flying Fiend. At last appear

bounds, high reaching to the horrid roof,

630

635

640

thrice threefold the gates; three folds were brass,

e iron, three of adamantine rock,

netrable, impaled with circling fire,

unconsumed.

Before the gates there sat

ither side a formidable shape;

one seemed woman to the waist and fair,

ended foul in many a scaly fold

minous and vast, a serpent armed mortal sting: about her middle round

y of hell-hounds never ceasing barked

645

650

wide Cerberean mouths full loud, and rung 655

y used to represent any wild

adversary. See I. 82. Explores, tracks ; traces

concave, vault.

Bengala, Bengal.

- Ternate and Tidore are Is of the Asiatic Archipelnear the Moluccas, or Spice ls.

Ethiopian Sea, or Indian Ocean. the Cape, the Cape of Good Hope.

642. stemming, making their way.-nightly, by night; steering by the stars. -the Pole, the South Pole.

647. impaled, enclosed; surrounded. 654. cry, pack.

655. Cerberean. Cerberus was

. the wide Ethiopian, the the triple-headed dog that guard

A hideous peal; yet, when they list, would creep
If aught disturbed their noise, into her womb,
And kennel there, yet there still barked, and ho
Within unseen. Far less abhorred than these
Vexed Scylla, bathing in the sea that parts
Calabria from the hoarse Trinacrian shore;
Nor uglier follow the night-hag, when, called
In secret, riding through the air she comes,
Lured with the smell of infant blood, to dance
With Lapland witches, while the laboring moon
Eclipses at their charms. The other shape ·

If shape it might be called that shape had none
Distinguishable in member, joint, or limb,
Or substance might be called that shadow seemed
For each seemed either- black it stood as Night
Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as Hell,

And shook a dreadful dart; what seemed his hea The likeness of a kingly crown had on.

Satan was now at hand, and from his seat

The monster moving onward came as fast
With horrid strides; Hell trembled as he strode.
The undaunted Fiend what this might be admire
Admired, not feared; God and his Son except,
Created thing nought valued he nor shunned;
And with disdainful look thus first began:

"Whence and what art thou, execrable shape, That dar'st, though grim and terrible, advance Thy miscreated front athwart my way

ed the entrance to the infernal regions.

659. abhorred, to be abhorred. 660, 661. Vexed Scylla, is vexed (chafed, lashed) Scylla. Scylla was a rock, thought to be dangerous to mariners, in the sea west of Italy, between Calabria and the Trinacrian (Sicilian) shore. It was personified by the ancients, and represented as a

fearful monster having six l
and barking like a dog.
662. Nor uglier, nor do u
shapes or hounds.
665. laboring. This wor
applied by Latin writers to
moon under eclipse.

677. admired, wondered. 679. nought, nothing; no all.

ler gates? Through them I mean to pass, › assured, without leave asked of thee.

or taste thy folly, and learn by proof,
rn, not to contend with spirits of Heaven."

vhom the goblin full of wrath replied: hou that traitor angel, art thou he

685

rst broke peace in Heaven and faith, till then xen, and in proud rebellious arms

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695

after him the third part of Heaven's sons, ed against the Highest; for which both thou hey, outcast from God, are here condemne.l ste eternal days in woe and pain? eckon'st thou thyself with spirits of Heaven, oomed, and breath'st defiance here and scorn, I reign king, and, to enrage thee more, ing and lord? Back to thy punishment, fugitive! and to thy speed add wings, with a whip of scorpions I pursue Fingering, or with one stroke of this dart

ge horror seize thee, and pangs unfelt before."

spake the grisly terror, and in shape,
eaking and so threatening, grew tenfold
dreadful and deform. On the other side,
sed with indignation, Satan stood
rrified, and like a comet burned,
fires the length of Ophiuchus huge
e arctic sky, and from his horrid hair
es pestilence and war. Each at the head
elled his deadly aim;
second stroke intend;

. Conjured, conspired.
. Incensed, kindled ; in-

d.

2. Ophiuchus, or Serpentais a northern constellation h winds about the Pole.

their fatal hands

and such a frown

700

705

710

710. horrid. See I. 563. 711. Snakes pestilence and war. Comets were anciently supposed to foretell or bring public calamities.

Each cast at the other, as when two black clouds
With heaven's artillery fraught come rattling on
Over the Caspian; then stand front to front,
Hovering a space, till winds the signal blow
To join their dark encounter in mid-air:
So frowned the mighty combatants, that Hell
Grew darker at their frown; so matched they st
For never but once more was either like

To meet so great a foe.

And now great deeds

Had been achieved, whereof all Hell had rung, Had not the snaky sorceress that sat

Fast by Hell-gate and kept the fatal key,

Risen, and with hideous outcry rushed between.

"O father! what intends thy hand," she cried Against thy only son? What fury, O son, Possesses thee to bend that mortal dart

Against thy father's head? and know'st for whom
For him who sits above, and laughs the while
At thee ordained his drudge, to execute
Whate'er his wrath, which he calls justice, bids ;
His wrath, which one day will destroy ye both!"

She spake, and at her words the hellish pest Forebore; then these to her Satan returned :

"So strange thy outery, and thy words so stra Thou interposest, that my sudden hand, Prevented, spares to tell thee yet by deeds What it intends, till first I know of thee

What thing thou art, thus double-formed, and why In this infernal vale first met, thou call'st

716. the Caspian. The Caspian Sea is said to be very tempest

See 1 Cor. xv. 25, 26, and He 14.

723. Had, would have. rung, would have rung. 725. Fast by. See I. 12.

ther, and that phantasm call'st my son:
w thee not, nor ever saw till now
more detestable thau him and thee."

whom thus the portress of Hell-gate replied: t thou forgot me then, and do I seem in thine eye so foul, once deemed so fair eaven? when at the assembly, and in sight 1 the Seraphim with thee combined

ld conspiracy against Heaven's king, n a sudden miserable pain

745

750

760

rised thee, dim thine eyes, and dizzy swum arkness, while thy head flames thick and fast w forth; till, on the left side opening wide, 755 st to thee in shape and countenance bright, shining heavenly fair, a goddess armed, of thy head I sprung: amazement seized the host of Heaven; back they recoiled, afraid irst, and called me Sin, and for a sign centeous held me; but familiar grown eased, and with attractive graces won most averse, thee chiefly, who full oft self in me thy perfect image viewing am'st enamored, and such joy thou took'st ch me in secret, that my womb conceived rowing burden. Meanwhile war arose,

765

1 fields were fought in Heaven, wherein remained or what could else?) to our almighty foe ar victory, to our part loss and rout, rough all the empyrean: down they fell,

ven headlong from the pitch of Heaven, down o this deep, and in the general fall

Iso; at which time this powerful key

to my hand was given, with charge to keep

58. I sprung, as Minerva from head of Jove.

71. the empyrean, the high

770

775

est heaven; the purest element. From the Greek for fire. 772. pitch, height.