The confultation begun, Satan debates whether another battel be to be ha zarded for the recovery of Heaven fome advife it, others diffuade : A third propofal is preferred, mentioned before by Satan, to fearch the truth of that prophecy or tradition in Heaven concerning another world, and another kind of creature equal or not much inferior to themselves, about this time to be created: Their doubt who fhall be fent on this difficult fearch; Satan their chief undertakes alone the voyage, is honoured and applauded. The council thus ended, the reft betake them feveral ways, and to several employments, as their inclinations lead them, to entertain the time till Satan return. He paffes on his journey to Hel gates, finds them fhut, and who fat there to guard them, by whom at length they are opened, and difcover to him the great gulph between Hell and Heaven; with what difficulty he paffes through, directed by Chaos, the Power of that place, to the fight of this new world which he fought.
IGH on a throne of royal ftate, which far
Outfhone the wealth of Ormus and of Ind,
Or where the gorgeous caft with richest hand
Show'rs on her kings barbaric pearl and gold,
Satan exulting fat, by merit rais'd
To that bad eminence; and from defpair
Thus high uplifted beyond hope, aspires
Beyond thus high, infatiate to pursue
Vain war with heav'n, and by fuccefs untaught
His proud imaginations thus display'd.
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Pow'rs and dominions, Deities of heaven,
For fince no deep within her gulf can hold
Immortal vigor, though opprefs'd and fall'n,
I give not heav'n for loft. From this defcent
Celestial virtues rifing, will appear
More glorious and more dread than from no fall,
And truft themselves to fear no fecond fate.
Me though juft right, and the fix'd laws of heaven
Did first create your leader, next free choice,
With what befides, in counsel or in fight,
Hath been atchiev'd of merit, yet this lofs
Thus far at leaft recover'd hath much more
Eftablish'd in a safe unenvied throne
Yielded with full confent. The happier flate
In heav'n, which follows dignity, might draw
Envy from each inferior; but who her
Will envy whom the highest place expofes
Foremost to stand against the Thund❜rer's aim
Your bulwark, and condemns to greatest fhare
Of endless pain? where there is then no good
For which to ftrive, no ftrife can grow up there
From faction; for none fure will clame in hell
Precedence, none, whofe portion is fo fmall
Of present pain, that with ambitious mind.
Will covet more. With this advantage then
To union, and firm faith, and firm accord,
More than can be in heav'n, we now return
To clame our just inheritance of old,
Surer to profper than prosperity
Could have affur'd us; and by what best way,
Whether of open war or covert guile,
We now debate; who can advise, may speak.
He ceas'd; and next him Moloch, fcepter'd king,
Stood up, the ftrongeft and the fierceft Spirit.
That fought in heav'n, now fiercer by despair:
His truft was with th' Eternal to be deem'd
Equal in ftrength, and rather than be less
Car'd not to be at all; with that care loft
Went all his fear of God, or Hell, or worse
He reck'd not, and these words thereafter fpake.
My fentence is for open war of wiles,
More unexpert, I boast not: them let those :
Contrive who need, or when they need, not now
For while they fit contriving, shall the rest,
Millions that stand in arms, and longing wait
The fignal to ascend, fit ling'ring here
Heav'n's fugitives, and for their dwelling place
Accept this dark opprobrious den of fhame,
The prison of his tyranny who reigns
By our delay no, let us rather choose,
?
Arm'd with Hell flames and fury, all at once
O'er heav'n's high tow'rs to force refiftlefs way,
Turning our tortures into horrid arms
Against the torturer; when to meet the noife
Of his almighty engine he fhall hear
Infernal thunder, and for lightning.fee
Black fire and horror fhot with equal rage
Among his angels, and his throne itself
Mix'd with Tartarean fulphur, and strange fire,
His own invented torments. But perhaps
The way feems difficult and fteep to scale
With upright wing against a higher foe.
Let fuch bethink them, if the fleepy drench
Of that forgetful lake benumb not still,
That in our proper motion we ascend
Up to our native feat: defcent and fall
To us is adverse. Who but felt of late,
When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear
Insulting, and pursued us through the deep,
With what compulsion and laborious flight
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