Of Demogorgon; Rumor next and Chance, And Tumult and Confufion all imbroil'd, . And Difcord with a thousand various mouths. To whom Satan turning boldly, thus. Ye Powers And Spirits of this nethermost Abyss, Chaos and ancient Night, I come no Spy, With purpose to explore or to disturb The Secrets of your Realm; but by constraint Wandring this darkfom Defart, as my way, 965 970 Lies through your spacious Empire up to light, Alone, and without guide, half loft, I seek 975 What readiest path leads where your gloomy bounds Confine with Heav'n; Or if some other place, From your Dominion won, th' Ethereal King I travel this Profound, Direct my course; Thus Satan; and him thus the Anarch old, 985 Anfwerd. I know thee, Stranger, who thou art, 998 That mighty leading Angel, who of late Made head against Heav'ns King, though overthrown. I faw and heard: for fuch a numerous Hoft Fled not in filence through the frighted Deep Confufion worse confounded; and Heav'n Gates With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout, Pour'd out by millions her victorious Bands Purfuing. Iupon my Frontiers here 995 Keep refidence; if all I can will ferve That little which is left fo to defend, Encroacht on still through our intestine broiles. 1005 IOIS He ceas'd; and Satan ftaid not to reply, But glad that now his Sea fhould find a Shore, With fresh alacrity and force renew'd Springs upward like a Pyramid of firë Into the wild expanfe, and through the shock Of fighting Elements, on all fides round Environ'd, wins his way; harder befet And more endanger'd, than when Argo pafs'd Through Bosphorus betwixt the justling Rocks : Or when Ulyffes on the Larbord fhunn' d Charybdis; and by th' other whirlpool steer'd. So he with difficulty and labour hard Mov'd on; with difficulty and labour he; But he once paft, foon after when man fell, (Strange alteration!) Sin and Death amain Following his track, fuch was the will of Heav'n, rozs Pav'd after him a broad and beaten way Over the dark Abyss, whose boiling Gulf Tamely endur'd a Bridge of wond'rous length From Hell continu'd reaching th' utmost Orbe Of this frail World; by which the Spirits perverfe 1020 With eafie intercourse pass too and fro 1631 To tempt or punish mortals, except whom God and good Angels guard by special grace. But now at last the facred influence Of light appears, and from the walls of Heav'n 1036 A glimmering dawn; here Nature first begins Her Her fartheft verge, and Chaos to retire 1040 Gladly the Port, though fhrouds and tackle torn; The End of the Second Book: 1645 1050 1: 1055 [56] PARADISE LOST. воок III. The ARGUMENT. God fitting on his Throne fees Satan flying towards this World,then newly created; fhews him to the Son who fat at his right hand; foretells the fuccefs of Satan in perverting Mankind; clears his own Juftice and Wifdom from all imputation, having created Man Free,and able enough to have withstood his Tempter; yet declares his purpose of Grace towards him, in regard he fell not of his own Malice, as did Satan, but by him feduc'd. The Son of God renders praises to bis Father for the manifeftation of his gracious purpose towards Man; but God again declares, that Grace cannot be extended towards Man without the Satisfaction of divine Justice; Man hath offended the majesty of God by afpiring to Godhead, and therefore with with all his Progeny devoted to death must die, unless Jome one can be found fufficient to answer for his offence, and undergo his Punishment. The Son of God freely offers himfelf à Ranfome for Man: the Father accepts him, ordains his Incarnation, pronounces his Exaltation above all Names in Heaven and Earth; commands all the An.. gels to adore him; they obey, and hymning to their Harps in full Choir, celebrate the Father and the Son. Mean while Satan alights upon the bare Convex of this World's outermoft Orb; where wandring he first finds a place, fince call'd the Limbo of Vanity; what persons and things fly up thither ; thence comes to the Gate of Heaven,defcrib'd afcending by ftairs, and the waters above the Firmament that flow about it: His paffage thence to the Orb of the Sun; he finds there Uriel the Regent of that Orb, but first changes himself into the shape of a meaner Angel; and pretending a zealous defire to behold the new Creation, and Man whom God hath plac'd here, enquires of him the place of his habitation, and is directed; alights firft on Mount Niphates. |