And wish and ftruggle, as they pass, to reach
The tempting stream, with one fmall drop to lofe
In fweet forgetfulness all pain and woe,
All in one moment, and so near the brink;
But fate withstands, and to oppofe the attempt
Medufa with Gorgonian terror guards
The ford, and of itself the water flies
All tafte of living wight, as once it fled
The lip of Tantalus. I hus roving on
In confus'd march forlorn, th' adventrous bands
With fhudd'ring horror pale, and eyes aghast,
View'd firft their lamentable lot, and found
No reft through many a dark and dreary vale
They pafs'd, and many a region dolorous,
O'er many a frozen, many a fiery Alp,
Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens, and fhades of A univerfe of death, which God by curfe
Created evil, for evil only good,
Where all life dies, death lives, and nature breeds,
Perverse, all monftrous, all prodigious things,
Abominable, inutterable, and worfe
Than fables yet have feign'd, or fear conceiv'd,
Gorgons, and hydras, and chimæras dire.
Mean while the adversary of God and Man,
Satan with thoughts inflam'd of highest design,
Puts on fwift wings, and towards the gates of hell
Explores his folitary flight: sometimes
He fcours the right-hand coaft, fometimes the left,
Now fhaves with level wing the deep, then foars
Up to the fiery concave tow'ring high.
As when far off at fea a fleet defcry'd
Hangs in the clouds, by equinoctial winds
Close failing from Bengala, or the ifles
Of Ternate and Tidore, whence merchants bring
Their spicy drugs: they on the trading flood
Through the wide Ethiopian to the Cape
Ply ftemming nightly toward the pole. So feem'd
Far off the flying Fiend: at last appear
Hell bounds high reaching to the horrid roof,
And thrice threefold the gates; three folds were brass,
Three iron, three of adamantine rock,
Impenetrable, impal'd with circling fire,
Yet unconfum'd. Before the gates there fat
On either fide a formidable fhape :
The one feem'd woman to the wafte, and fair,
But ended foul in many a fcaly fold
Voluminous and vaft, a ferpent arm'd
With mortal fting; about her middle round.
A cry of hell hounds never ceafing bark'd
With wide Cerberean mouths full loud, and rung
A hideous peal; yet, when they lift, would creep,
If ought disturb'd their noife, into her womb,
And kennel there, yet there ftill bark'd and howl'd,.
"Within unfeen. Far lefs abhorr'd than these
Vex'd Scylla bathing in the fea that parts
Calabria from the hoarfe Trinacrian fhore :
Nor uglier follow the night-hag, when call'd
In fecret, riding through the air fhe comes,
Lur'd with the smell of infant-blood, to dance
With Lapland witches, while the lab'ring moon
Eclipfes at their charms. The other fhape,
If fhape it might be call'd that fhape had none
Diftinguishable in member, joint, or limb,
Or fubftance might be call'd that fhadow feem'd,
For each feem'd either; black it ftood as night,
Fierce as ten furies, terrible as hell,
And shook a dreadful dart; what feem'd his head
The likeness of a kingly crown had on.
Satan was now at hand, and from his feat
The monster moving onward came as fast
With horrid ftrides, hell trembled as he strode.
Th' undaunted Fiend what this might be admir'd,
Admir'd, not fear'd; God and his Son except,
Created thing nought valu'd he nor fhunn'd ;
And with difdainful look thus first began.
Whence and what art thou, execrable shape,
That dar'ft though grim and terrible, advance
Thy mifcreated front athwart my way
To yonder gates? through them I mean to pass,
That be affur'd, without leave afk'd of thee:
Retire, or tafte thy folly, and learn by proof,
Hell-born, not to contend with fpirits of heaven.
To whom the goblin full of wrath reply'd.
Art thou that traitor angel, art thou he,
Who first broke peace in heav'n and faith, till then
Unbroken, and in proud rebellious arms
Drew after him the third part of heav'n's fons
Conjur'd against the Higheft, for which both thou
And they, outcaft from God, are here condemn'd
To waste eternal days in woe and pain?
And reckon't thou thyfelf with Spirits of heav'n,
Hell-doom'd, and breath'ft defiance here and fcorn
Where I reign king, and to enrage thee more,
Thy king and lord? Back to thy punishment,
Falfe fugitive, and to thy fpeed add wings,
Left with a whip of fcorpions I pursue
Thy ling'ring, or with one ftroke of this dart
Strange horror feize thee, and pangs unfelt before.
So fpoke the grisly terror, and in shape,
So fpeaking and fo threat'ning, grew tenfold
More dreadful and deform; on the other fide
Incens'd with indignation Satan stood
Unterrify'd, and like a comet burn'd,
That fires the length of Ophiuchus huge
In th' arctic fky, and from his horrid hair
Shakes peftilence and war.
Level'd his deadly aim; their fatal hands
No second stroke intend, and fuch a frown
Each caft at the other, as when two black clouds,
With heav'n's artillery fraught, come rattling on
Over the Cafpian, then ftand front to front.
Hovering a space, till winds the fignal blow
To join their dark encounter in mid air :
So frown'd the mighty combatants, that hell
Grew darker at their frown, fo match'd they stood;
For never but once more was either like
To meet fo great a foe: and now great deeds
Had been atchiev'd, whereof all hell had rung,
Had not the fnaky forcerefs that fat
Faft by hell gate, and kept the fatal key,
Ris'n, and with hideous outcry rush'd between.
O Father, what intends thy hand, the cry'd,
Against thy only Son? What fury, O Son,
Poffeffes thee to bend that mortal dart
Against thy Father's head? and know'ft for whom;
For him who fits above and laughs the while
At thee ordain'd his drudge, to execute
Whate'er his wrath, which he calls justice, bids;
His wrath, which one day will destroy ye both.
She fpake, and at her words the hellish peft
Forbore, then thefe to her Satan return'd.
So ftrange thy outcry, and thy words so strange
Thou interpofeft, that my fudden hand
Prevented fpares to tell thee yet by deeds
What it intends; till firft I know of thee,
What thing thou art, thus doubly form'd, and why
In this infernal vale firft met thou call'ft
Me Father, and that phantaẩm call'st my Son;
I know thee not, nor ever faw till now
Sight more deteftable than him and thee.
T'whom thus the portrefs of hell gate reply'd.
Haft thou forgot me then, and do I seem
Now in thine eye fo foul? once deem'd fo fair
In heav'n, when at th' affembly, and in fight
Of all the Seraphim with thee combin'd
In bold confpiracy against heaven's king,
All on a fudden miserable pain
Surpriz'd thee, dim thine eyes, and dizzy swum
In darkness, while thy head flames thick and fast
Threw forth, till on the left fide opening wide,
Likeft to thee in shape and count'nance bright,
Then fhining heav'nly fair, a goddess arm'd
Out of thy head 1 fprung; amazement seiz'd
All the host of heav'n; back they recoil'd afraid
At first, and call'd me Sin, and for a fign
Portentous held me; but familiar grown,
I pleas'd, and with attractive graces won
The most averfe, thee chiefly, who full oft
Thyfelf in me thy perfect image viewing
Becam'ft enamour'd, and fuch joy thou took'st
With me in fecret, that my womb conceiv'd
A growing burden. Mean while war arose,
And fields were fought in heav'n; wherein remain'd
(For what could elfe) to our almighty foe
Clear victory, to our part lofs and rout
Through all the empyrean: down they fell
Driv'n headlong from the pitch of heaven, down
Into this deep, and in the general fall
I alfo; at which time this pow'rful key
Into my hand was giv'n, with charge to keep
These gates for ever fhut, which none can pafs
Without my opening. Penfive here I fat
Alone, but long I fat not, till my womb
Pregnant by thee, and now exceffive grown
Prodigious motion felt and rueful throes.
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