Or in Franciscan think to pass disguis'd; They pass the Planets seven, and pass the fixt, And that Chrystalline Sphere whose ballance weighs The Trepidation talkt, and that first-mov’d: And now Saint Peter at Heav'ns Wicket seems To wait them with his Keys, and now at foot
Of Heav'ns afcent they lift their Feet, when loe A violent cross wind from either Coast Blows them transverse ten thousand Leagues awry Into the devious Air; then might ye fee Cowles, Hoods and Habits, with their wearers toft And flutter'd into Rags, then Reliques, Beads, Indulgences, Difpenfes, Pardons, Bulls, The fport of Winds: All thefe upwhirl'd aloft Fly o'er the backside of the World far off Into a Limbo large and broad, fince call'd
The Paradife of Fools, to few unknown Long after, now unpeopled, and untrod.
All this dark Globe the Fiend found as he pass'd, And long he wander'd, till at last a gleame Of dawning light turn'd thither-ward in hafte His travell'd steps. Far diftant he defcries Afcending by Degrees magnificent Up to the wall of Heav'n a Structure high, At top whereof, but far more rich, appear'd The work as of a Kingly Palace Gate
With Frontispiece of Diamond and Gold Imbellisht: thick with sparkling orient Gems The Portal fhone, inimitable on Earth
By Model, or by fhading Pencil drawn.
The Stairs were fuch as whereon Jacob saw Angels ascending and descending, bands Of Guardians bright, when he from Efau fed To Pandan-Aram in the field of Luz,
Dreaming by night under the open Sky, And waking cry'd, This is the Gate of Heav'n: Each Stair myfteriously was meant, nor stood
There always, but drawn up to Heav'n fometimes Viewless, and underneath a bright Sea flow'd Of Jafper, or of liquid Pearl, whereon Who after came from Earth, fayling arriv'd, Wafted by Angels, or flew o'er the Lake Rapt in a Chariot drawn by fiery Steeds. The Stairs were then let down, whether to dare The Fiend by easie afcent, or aggravate His fad exclufion from the doors of Blifs. Direct against which open'd from beneath, Juft o'er the blissful feat of Paradife,
A paffage down to th' Earth, a paffage wide;
Wider by far than that of after-times
Over Mount Sion, and, (though that were large,) $30
Over the Promis'd Land to God fo dear,
By which, to visit oft thofe happy Tribes,
On high behefts his Angels to and fro
Pafs'd frequent, and his eye with choice regard, From Paneas the Fount of Jordan's floud
To Beerfaba, where the Holy Land
Borders on Egypt and the Arabian shore;
So wide the opening feem'd, were bounds were fet To darkness, fuch as bound the Ocean wave. Satan from hence, now on the lower ftair That scaled by steps of Gold to Heav'n Gate Looks down with wonder at the fudden view Of all this World at once. As when a Scout Through dark and defart ways with peril gone All night; at laft by break of chearful dawne Obtains the brow of fome high-climbing Hill, Which to his Eyé difcovers unaware The goodly profpect of fome foreign Land First seen, or fome renown'd Metropolis, With gliftering Spires and Pinnacles adorn'd Which now the rifing Sun gilds with his Beams. Such wonder feiz'd, though after Heaven feen, The Spirit maligne, but much more Envy seiz'd
At fight of all this World beheld fo fair. Round he furveys, and well might, where he stood So high above the circling Canopie
Of Night's extended shade; from Eastern Point Of Libra to the fleecie Star that bears Andromeda far off Atlantic Seas
Beyond th' Horizon. Then from Pole to Pole He views in breadth, and without longer paufe Down right into the World's first Region throws His flight precipitant, and wind's with eafe Through the pure marble Air his oblique way Amongst innumerable Stars, that shone Stars diftant, but nigh hand feem'd other Worlds; Or other Worlds they feem'd, or happy Ifles, Like thofe Hefperian Gardens, fam'd of old, Fortunate Fields, and Groves, and floury Vales, Thrice happy ifles, but who dwelt happy there He ftay'd not to enquire: Above them all The golden Sun in fplendor likeft Heav'n Allur'd his eye: Thither his courfe he bends
Through the calm Firmament ; but up or down, By center, or eccentric, hard to tell,
Or Longitude, where the great Luminary, Aloof the vulgar Constellations thick, That from his Lordly eye keep distance due, Difpenfes light from far; they as they move
Their starry Dance in numbers that compute
Days, months and years, towards his all-cheating Lamp
Turn fwift their various motions, or are turn'd
By his Magnetic beam that gently warms The Universe, and to each inward part With gentle penetration, though unfeen, Shoots invifible virtue even to the Deep; So wond'roufly was fet his Station bright. There lands the Fiend, a fpot like which perhaps Aftronomer in the Sun's lucent Orb Through his glaz'd Optick Tube yet never faw.
The place he found beyond expreffion bright, Compar'd with aught on Earth, Metal, or Stone; Not all parts like, but all alike inform'd With radiant Light, as glowing Iron with Fire; If metal, part feem'd Gold, part Silver clear; If Stone, Carbuncle moft or Chryfolite, Rubie or Topaz, to the Twelve that shone In Aaron's Breft-plate, and a stone besides Imagin'd rather oft than elsewhere feen; That ftone, or like to that which here below Philofophers in vain so long have fought, In vain, though by their powerful Art they bind Volatil Hermes, and call up unbound
In various fhapes old Protems from the Sea, Drain'd 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 Th' Arch-chimic Sun, fo far from us remote, Produces with Terreftrial Humour mixt Here in the dark fo many precious things, Of colour glorious and effect fo rare? Here matter new to gaze the Devil met Undazled, far and wide his eye commands, For fight no obftacle found here, nor shade, But all Sun-fhine, as when his Beams at Noon Culminate from th' Equator, as they now Shot upward ftill direct, whence no way round Shadow from body opaque can fall, and the Air, No where fo clear, sharpen'd his visual ray
To objects diftant far; whereby he foon
Saw within kenn a glorious Angel ftand,
The fame whom John faw alfo in the Sun.
His back was turn'd, but not his brightness hid;
Of beaming funnie Raies, a golden Tiar
Circled his Head, nor lefs his Locks behind
Illuftrious on his Shoulders fledge with wings
Lay waving round; on fome great charge employ'd He feem'd, or fixt in cogitation deep. Glad was the Spirit impure, as now in hope To find who might direct his wand'ring flight To Paradife, the happy Seat of Man, His journies end and our beginning woe." But firft he cafts to change his proper shape, Which else might work him danger or delay: And now a ftripling Cherube he appears," Not of the Prime, yet fuch as in his face Youth fmil'd Celestial, and to every Limb Sutable grace diffus'd; fo well he feign'd. Under a Coronet his flowing hair
In curles on either cheek plaid: wings he wore
Of many a colour'd plume sprinkl'd with Gold :
His Habit fit for speed fuccinct and held Before his decent steps a Silver wand.
He drew not nigh unheard; the Angel bright, Ere he drew nigh, his radiant vifage turn'd, Admonisht by his ear, and strait was known Th' Arch-Angel Uriel, one of the sev'n Who in God's prefence, near'ft to his Throne, Stand ready to command, and are his Eyes
That run thro' all the Heav'ns, or down to th' Earth
Bear his fwift errands over moist and dry,
O'er Sea and Land: him Satan thus accofts.
Uriel, for thou of those fev'n Spirits that ftand
In fight of God's high Throne, gloriously bright,
The firft are wont his great authentic will
Interpreter through highest Heav'n to bring, Where all his Sons thy Embaffie attend; And here art likelieft by fupream decree Like honour to obtain, and as his Eye To vifit oft this new Creation round: Unfpeakable defire to fee, and know
All these his wondrous works, but chiefly Man,
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