As far remov'd from God and light of Heav'n
As from the Center thrice to th' utmost Pole.
O how unlike the place from whence they fell!
There the companions of his fall, o'erwhelm'd
With Floods and Whirlwinds of tempeftuous Fire,
He foon difcerns, and weltring by his fide

One next himself in power, and next in crime,
Long after known in Palestine, and nam'd

Beelzebub. To whom the Arch Enemy,

And thence in Heav'n call'd Satan, with bold Words
Breaking the horrid filence thus began.

If thou beeft He; But O how fall'n! How chang'd
From him, who in the happy Realms of light 85
Cloath'd with transcendent brightness didft out-fhine
Myriads tho' bright! If He, whom mutual League,
United thoughts and counfels, equal hope
And hazard in the Glorious Enterprize,

Join'd with me once, now Misery hath join'd
In equal Ruin: Into what Pit thou feeft

From what height fall'n, so much the stronger prov'd
He with his Thunder: And till then who knew

The Force of thofe dire Arms? Yet not for those,
Nor what the potent Victor in his Rage
Can else inflict, do I repent, or change

(Though chang'd in outward luftre) that fix'd mind
And high disdain from fenfe of injur'd merit,
That with the mightiest rais'd me to contend,
And to the fierce Contention brought along
Innumerable force of Spirits arm'd,

That durft diflike his Reign, and, Me perferring,
His utmost power with adverse power oppos'd

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In Dubious Battel on the Plains of Heav'n,

And fhook his Throne. What tho' the field be loft?

All is not loft; th' unconquerable Will,

And study of revenge, immortal hate,

And courage never to fubmit or yield:

And what is else nor to be overcome?

That

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That Glory never shall his wrath or might
Extort from me, to bow and fue for Grace
With fuppliant Knee, and deifie his Power,
Who from the Terror of this Arm fo late
Doubted his Empire; that were low indeed,

This Downfal; since by Fate the Strength of Gods

And this Empyreal Substance cannot fail,

Since through experience of this great Event

In Arms not worse, in Forefight much advanc'd,

We may with more fuccefs ful hope refolve

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To wage by force or guile Eternal War,
Irreconcileable, to our grand Foe,

Who now triumphs, and in th' excess of Joy
Sole reigning holds the Tyranny of Heav'n.

So fpaketh' Apoftate Angel, though in Pain, Vaunting aloud, but rack'd with deep Despair: And him thus answer'd foon his bold Compeer.

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O Prince, O Chief of many Throned Powers,
That led th' embattell'd Seraphim to War
Under thy Conduct, and in dreadful Deeds
Feariefs endanger'd Heav'n's perpetual King,

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And put to Proof his high Supremacy,

Whether upheld by Strength, or Chance, or Fate,
Too well I fee and rue the dire Event,

That with fad overthrow and foul defeat

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Hath loft us Heav'n, and all this mighty Hoft

In horrible deftruction laid thus low,

As far as Gods and Heav'nly Effences

Can perish: For the Mind and Spirit remains

Invincible, and Vigour foon returns,

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Though all our Glory extin&, and happy State
Here fwallow'd up in endless Mifery.

But what if he our Conqu'ror (whom I now

Of force believe Almighty, fince no less

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Than fuch could have o'er-power'd fuch Force as ours)

Have left us this our Spirit and Strength entire
Strongly to fuffer and fupport our Fains?
That we may fo fuffice his vengeful Ire,
Or do him mightier Service as his thralls

By right of War, whate'er his Business be,
Here in the heart of Hell to work in Fire,
Or do his Errands in the gloomy Deep:
What can it then avail, though yet we feel

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Strength undiminish'd, or Eternal Being

To undergo Eternal Punishment?

Whereto with speedy Words th' Arch-Fiend reply'd.

Fall'n Cherub, to be Weak is miserable

Doing or Suffering: But of this be fure,

To do ought Good never will be our task,
But ever to do Ill our fole delight,

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As being the contrary to his high Will
Whom we refift. If then his Providence
Out of our evil feek to bring forth good,
Our labour must be to prevert that end,

And out of good still to find means of evil;
Which oft times may fucceed, so as perhaps

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Shall grieve him, if I fail not, and disturb

His inmoft Counfels from their deftin'd aim.

But fee the angry Victor hath recall'd

His Ministers of vengeance and pursuit

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Back to the Gates of Heav'n : The fulphurous Hail

Shot after us in Storm, o'er-blown, hath laid

The fiery Surge, that from the Precipice

Of Heav'n receiv'd us falling; and the Thunder,
Wing'd with red Lightning and impetuous rage,
Perhaps hath spent his shafts, and ceases now
To bellow through the vast and boundless Deep.
Let us not flip th' occafion, whether scorn,
Or fatiate fury yield it from our Foe.
Seeft thou yon dreary Flain, forlorn and wild,
The Seat of defolation, void of light,

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Save what the glimmering of these livid flames

B

Cafts

Cafts pale and dreadful? Thither let us tend
From off the toffing of these fiery Waves;

There reft, if any Reft can harbour there:

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And re-affembling our afflicted Powers,
Confult how we may henceforth most offend
Our Enemy, our own Lofs how repair,
How overcome this dire Calamity,

What reinforcement we may gain from Hope,
If not, what refolution from Defpair.

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Thus Satan talking to his nearest Mate
With Head up-lift above the wave, and Eyes
That sparkling blaz'd, his other Parts befides
Prone on the Floud, extended long and large,
Lay floating many a rood; in Bulk as huge
As whom the Fables name, of monstrous size,
Titanian, or Earth-born, that warr'd on Jove,
Briareos or Typhon, whom the Den

By ancient Tarfus held, or that Sea-beaft
Leviathan, which God of all his works
Created hugeft that swim th' Ocean stream:
Him haply flumb'ring on the Norway foam,
The Pilot of fome small night-founder'd Skiff,
Deeming fome Ifland, oft, as Sea-men tell,
With fix'd Anchor in his skaly rind,
Moors by his side under the Lee, while Night
Invests the Sea, and wished Morn delays.

So ftrecht out huge in length the Arch-fiend lay,
Chain'd on the burning Lake; nor ever thence
Had ris'n or heav'd his Head, but that the Will
And high Permission of all-ruling Heaven
Left him at large to his own dark designs,
That with reiterated crimes he might
Heap on himself damnation; while he fought
Evil to others, and enrag'd might fee
How all his malice ferv'd but to bring forth
Infinite goodness, grace and mercy shewn
On Man by him seduc'd, but on himself

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Treble

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Treble confufion, wrath and vengeance pour'd.
Forthwith upright he rears from off the Pool
His mighty Stature; on each hand the Flames
Driv'n backward slope their pointing Spires, and rowl'd
In Billows, leave i' th' midft a horrid Vale.

Then with expanded Wings he steers his flight
Aloft, incumbent on the dusky Air

That felt unusal Weight, till on dry Land
He lights, if it were Land that ever burn'd
With foild, as the Lake with liquid fire :
And fuch appear'd in hue, as when the force
Of fubterranean Wind transports a Hill
Torn from Pelorus, or the shatter'd fide
Of thund'ring Ætna, whose combustible
And fuel'd entrails thence conceiving Fire,
Sublim'd with mineral fury, aid the Winds,
And leave a finged bottom all involv'd

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With stench and smoak: Such Resting found the Sole
Of unbless't feet. Him follow'd his next Mate,
Both glorying to have 'fcap'd the Stygian Aloud,
As Gods, and by their own recover'd strength,
Not by the Sufferance of supernal Power.

Is this the Region, this the Soil, the Clime,
Said then the loft Arch-Angel, this the Seat

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That we must change for Heaven? this mournful Gloom For that Celestial Light? Be it so, fince he

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Who now is Sov'rain can dispose and bid

What shall be right: fartheft from him is best,

Whom Reason hath equall'd, Force hath made supream

Above his equals. Farewell happy Fields,

Where Joy for ever dwells! Hail Horrours, hail

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Infernal world! and thou profoundest Hell

Receive thy new Poffeffour: One who brings

A Mind not to be chang'd by Place or Time:

The Mind is its own place, and in it felf

Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heav'¤:
What matter where, if Ibeftill the fame,

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