To Beërsaba, where the Holy Land
Borders on Egypt and the Arabian shore;
So wide the opening seemed, where bounds were To darkness, such as bound the ocean wave.
Satan from hence, now on the lower stair, That scaled by steps of gold to Heaven gate, Looks down with wonder at the sudden view Of all this World at once. As when a scout, Through dark and desert ways with peril gone All night, at last by break of cheerful dawn Obtains the brow of some high-climbing hill, Which to his eye discovers unaware The goodly prospect of some foreign land First seen, or some renowned metropolis With glistering spires and pinnacles adorned, Which now the rising sun gilds with his beams; Such wonder seized, though after Heaven seen, The spirit malign, but much more envy seized At sight of all this World beheld so fair. Round he surveys (and well might, where he stood So high above the circling canopy
Of night's extended shade) from eastern point Of Libra to the fleecy star that bears Andromeda far off Atlantic seas,
Beyond the horizon; then from pole to pole He views in breadth, and without longer pause Down right into the World's first region throws His flight precipitant, and winds with ease Through the pure marble air his oblique way
the sources of the Jordan. Beer- sheba, or Beersaba, was on the southern border, or Arabian shore. "From Dan even to Beer- sheba" (1 Kings iv. 25) described the length of the land.
546. Obtains, reaches. 557-560. From farthest east to west: that is, through six signs of the Zodiac, from Libra to Aries,
the fleecy star. As seen from Earth, the constellation And eda appears above Aries, being to the west of it, may said to be borne far off Atla
563. precipitant, headlong. 564. marble, marble-like in clearness and brightness.
Amongst innumerable stars, that shone
Stars distant, but nigh hand seemed other worlds; Or other worlds they seemed, or happy isles, Like those Hesperian gardens famed of old, Fortunate fields, and groves, and flowery vales, Thrice happy isles; but who dwelt happy there He stayed not to inquire. Above them all
The golden sun, in splendor likest Heaven, Allured his eye; thither his course he bends Through the calm firmament but up or down, By centre or eccentric, hard to tell,
Or longitude - where the great luminary, Aloof the vulgar constellations thick
That from his lordly eye keep distance due, Dispenses light from far: they, as they move Their starry dance in numbers that compute Days, months, and years, toward his all-cheering lamp Turn swift their various motions, or are turned By his magnetic beam, that gently warms The Universe, and to each inward part With gentle penetration, though unseen, Shoots invisible virtue even to the deep; So wondrously was set his station bright.
There lands the Fiend, a spot like which perhaps Astronomer in the sun's lucent orb
Through his glazed optic tube yet never saw.
575. By centre or eccentric, whether towards or from the centre.-hard, it would be hard.
576. Or longitude, or whether east or west.
577. Aloof, aloof from. - vulgar, common.
580. numbers, measures. 583. magnetic, attractive. 586. virtue, power.
590. glazed optic tube. See I.
574. up or down, whether north 288. or south.
The place he found beyond expression bright, Compared with aught on earth, metal or stone; Not all parts like, but all alike informed With radiant light, as glowing iron with fire; If metal, part seemed gold, part silver clear; If stone, carbuncle most or chrysolite, Ruby or topaz, to the twelve that shone In Aaron's breastplate, and a stone besides Imagined rather oft than elsewhere seen, That stone, or like to that, which here below Philosophers in vain so long have sought; In vain, though by their powerful art they bind Volatile Hermes, and call up unbound In various shapes old Proteus from the sea, Drained through a limbec to his native form. What wonder then if fields and regions here Breathe forth elixir pure, and rivers run Potable gold, when with one virtuous touch The arch-chemic sun, so far from us remote, Produces, with terrestrial humor mixed, Here in the dark so many precious things
593. informed, penetrated; animated.
597. to, up to; completing the number of.
598. Aaron's breastplate. See Exodus xxviii. 15-21.
600. That stone. It was long supposed that there existed a stone, the touch of which would turn any other substance to gold. From having been sought by philosophers, it was called the Philosopher's Stone.
603. From Hermes, or Mercury, the messenger of the gods, a planet and a metal have the name of Mercury. The god may be called volatile, from his winged sandals; the metal, because at a certain heat it flies off in vapor. Chemists bind it by combining it with other substances.
604. Proteus was a sea who when seized assumed va shapes, but finally resume usual form. Matter, being wo upon by chemists and ma appear in different forms, last, being drained throu limbec, forced to take its ori shape. It may be that the fying of water by distillati all that is here referred to.
605. limbec, or alembic, a sel used by chemists in dis tion.
606. here, in the Sun. 607. elixir, a liquid for tr muting metals into gold.
608. virtuous, powerful. 609. arch-chemic, having preme chemical powers, by w the nature of bodies is chang
f color glorious and effect so rare ?
[ere matter new to gaze the Devil met Undazzled : far and wide his eye commands; or sight no obstacle found here, nor shade,. But all sunshine, as when his beams at noon Culminate from the equator, as they now Shot upward still direct, whence no way round Shadow from body opaque can fall; and the air, Nowhere so clear, sharpened his visual ray To objects distant far, whereby he soon Saw within ken a glorious angel stand, The same whom John saw also in the sun :
His back was turned, but not his brightness hid; Of beaming sunny rays a golden tiar
Circled his head, nor less his locks behind Illustrious on his shoulders fledge with wings
Lay waving round; on some great charge employed He seemed, or fixed in cogitation deep.
Glad was the Spirit impure, as now in hope
To find who might direct his wandering flight To Paradise, the happy seat of Man, His journey's end and our beginning woe. But first he casts to change his proper shape, Which else might work him danger or delay : And now a stripling Cherub he appears, Not of the prime, yet such as in his face Youth smiled celestial, and to every limb Suitable grace diffused, so well he feigned;
613. gaze, gaze upon.
617. Culminate from the equator, are vertical when the sun is directly over the equator, shooting directly downwards, just as they now shot upward stiil direct. 618. whence, for which reason; on which account.
620. Nowhere, nowhere else. — visual ray, vision; sight.
622. within ken, near enough
"And I saw an angel standing in the sun." Rev. xix. 17.
625. tiar, tiara. 627. Illustrious, bright. fledge, fledged.
631. who, one who.
634. casts, plans; casts in his mind.
Under a coronet his flowing hair
In curls on either cheek played; wings he wore Of many a colored plume sprinkled with gold; His habit fit for speed succinct, and held Before his decent steps a silver wand.
He drew not nigh unheard; the angel bright, Ere he drew nigh, his radiant visage turned,* Admonished by his ear, and straight was known The archangel Uriel, one of the seven Who in God's presence nearest to his throne Stand ready at command, and are his eyes That run through all the heavens, or down to the Bear his swift errands over moist and dry, O'er sea and land: him Satan thus accosts:
“Uriel, for thou of those seven spirits that sta In sight of God's high throne, gloriously bright, The first art wont his great authentic will Interpreter through highest Heaven to bring, Where all his sons thy embassy attend; And here art likeliest by supreme decree Like honor to obtain, and as his eye To visit oft this new creation round; Unspeakable desire to see and know
All these his wondrous works, but chiefly Man, His chief delight and favor, him for whom All these his works so wondrous he ordained, Hath brought me from the quires of Cherubim Alone thus wandering. Brightest Seraph, tell In which of all these shining orbs hath Man His fixed seat, or fixèd seat hath none,
643. succinct, was succinct; girded up.
644. decent, becoming; graceful.
648. Uriel is mentioned in the Apocrypha, in the second Book of Esdras iv. 1.
the eyes of the Lord, which to and fro through the w earth." Zechariah iv. 10. 657. Interpreter, as interpr 658. attend, await. 666. quires, choirs.
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