anwhile the adversary of God and man, ours the right-hand coast, sometimes the left; en far off at sea a fleet descried s in the clouds, by equinoctial winds ernate and Tidore, whence merchants bring 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 shape it might be called that shape had none 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 "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 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, 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 691 695 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, . Conjured, conspired. 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 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 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: 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. |