Nine days they fell; confounded Chaos roar'd,
And felt tenfold confufion in their fall

876

Through his wild anarchy, fo huge a rout
Incumber'd him with ruin! Hell at laft
Yawning receiv'd them whole, and on them clos'd;
Hell, their fit habitation, fraught with fire
Unquenchable, the houfe of woe and pain.
Disburden'd Heav'n rejoic'd, and foon repair'd
Her mural breach, returning whence it roll'd.4
Sole Victor, from th' expulfion of his foes 880
Meffiah his triumphal chariot turn'd:

To meet him all his Saints, who filent stood
Eye-witneffes of his almighty acts,

With jubilee advanc'd; and as they went,
Shaded with branching palm, each order bright
Sung triumph, and him fung victorious King,
Son, Heir, and Lord, to him dominion given,
Worthieft to reign: He celebrated rode
Triumphant through mid-heav'n, into the courts
And temple of his mighty Father thron'd

885

890

On high; who into glory him receiv'd,

Where now he fits at the right hand of bliss.

Thus, meafuring things in Heav'n by things on earth,

895

At thy request, and that thou may'st beware
By what is past, to thee I have reveal'd
What might have else to human race been hid;
The difcord which befel, and war in heav'n
Among th' Angelic Powr's, and the deep fall
Of thofe too high afpiring, who rebell'd
With Satan," he who envies now thy state,
Who now is plotting how he may seduce
Thee alfo from obedience, that with him
Bereav'd of happiness, thou may'st partake
His punishment, eternal mifery;

Which would be all his folace and revenge,
As a defpite done against the Moft High,
Thee once to gain companion of his woe:
But liften not to his temptations; warn

900

905

Thy

Thy weaker let it profit thee to have heard,:
By terrible example, the reward,enbus
Of difobedience: firm they might have stood,
Yet fell: Remember, and fear to tranfgrefs. "
The End of the Sixth Book.

910

1

I rightly thou art call'd, whose voice divine) .02 Following, above th' Olympian hill I foar,LTD. Above the flight of Pegaféan wing.x

The meaning, not the name I call for thou, VIJ
Nor of the Muses nine, nor on the top
Of old Olympus dwell'ft; but heav'nly born,
Before the hills appear'd, or fountain flow'd,
Thou with eternal Wisdom didit converfe.
e,bout gonts 3:
Wisdom thy fifter, and with her didst play do pilas Le
In prefence of th' almighty Father, pleas'd
With thy celeftial fong. Up led by thee w
Into the Heav'n of Heav'ns I have prefum'd,
An earthly gueft, and drawn empyreal air,
Thy temp'ring: With like fafety guided down,
Return me to my native element;

Left from this flying fteed unrein'd, as once
Bellerophon, though from a lower clime,
Difmounted, on th' Aleian field I fall,

Erroneous there to wander, and forlorn.

Half yet remains unfung, but narrower bound. } pož
Within the visible diurnal sphere:

Standing on earth, not rapt above the pole,
More fafe I fing with mortal voice; unchang'd
To hoarfe or mute, though fall'n on evil days,
On evil days though fall'n, and evil tongues;
In darkness, and with dangers compass'd round,
And folitude! Yet not alone, while thou
Vifit'ft my lumbers nightly; or when morn
K 2

25

Pur

Purples the east: ftill govern thou my fong,
Urania, and fit audience find, though few.
But drive far off the barbarous diffonance
Of Bacchus and his revellers; the race

Of that wild rout that tore the Thracian bard
In Rhodope, where woods and rocks had ears
To rapture, 'till the favage clamor drown'd
Both harp and voice; nor could the Mufe defend
Her fon. So fail not thou, who thee implores:
For thou art heav'nly the an empty dream.

Say, Goddess, what ensued when Raphaël,
The affable Arch-Angel, had forewarn'd
Adam, by dire example to beware
Apoftafy, by what befel in Heav'ne
To thofe apoftates, left the like befale
In Paradise to Adam or his race,

Charg'd not to touch the interdicted tree,
If they tranfgrefs, and flight that fole command:
So eafily obey'd, amid the choice

t

Of all taftes elfe to please their appetite,

Though wand'ring!« He with his conforted Eve uso The story heard attentive, and was fill'd

With admiration and deep mufe, to hear

Of things fo high and ftrange, things to their thought
So unimaginable, as hate in Heav'n, 2% to 953,
And war fo near the peace of God in blifs
With fuch confufion: but the evil foon
Driv'n back redounded as a flood on thofe

From whom it fprung; impoffible to mix

With bleffednefs. Whence Adam foon repeal'd
The doubts that in his heart arofe and now
Led on, yet finless, with desire to know
What nearer might concern him, how this world
Of Heav'n and earth confpicuous first began
When, and whereof created, for what cause,
What within Eden or without was done.
Before his memory as one whofe drouth
Yet fcarce allay'd, ftill eyes the current ftream,

I

553

60

65

Whofe

Whofe liquid murmur heard, new thirst exites,
Proceeded thus to alk his heav'nly guest.

Great things, and full of wonder in our ears,
Far diff'ring from this world, thou haft reveal'd,
Divine interpreter by favor fent

Down from the empyréan, to forewarn

2

70

Us timely of what might elfe have been our lofs, ano
Unknown, which human knowledge could not reach
For which to the infinitely Good we owe
Immortal thanks, and his admonishment
Receive with folemn purpose to obferve
Immutably his fovereign will, the end

Of what we are,de But fince thou haft vouchsaf’day 80
Gently, for our inftruction, to impart

Things above earthly thought, which yet concern'd
Our knowing, was to highest wisdom feem'd,
Deign to, defcend now lower, and relate

What may no lefs perhaps avail us known, baño (85
How first began this Heav'n, which we behold om eg
Distant fo high, with moving fires adorn'd
Innumerable and this which yields or fills.
All space, the ambient air wide interfus'd,
Imbracing round this florid earth; what cause
Mov'd the Creator in his holy reft

Through all eternity fo late to build

In Chaos; and the work begun, how foond word
Abfolv'd, if unforbid thou may'st unfold

What we, not to explore the fecret ask

95

Of his eternal empire, but the more

To magnify his works, the more we know. gen
And the great light of day yet wants to run

Much of his race, though fteep; fufpenfe in Heav'n, i Held by thy voice, thy potent voice, he hears, 100

And longer will delay to hear thee tell

His generation, and the rifing birth

Of nature from the unapparent deep:

Or if the star of ev'ning, and the moon

Hafte to thy audience, night with her will bring 105

K 3

Silence;

Silence, and fleep, lift'ning to thee, will watch;
Or we can bid his abfence, 'till thy fong
End, and difiifs thee ere the morning shine.
Thus Adam his illuftrious guest besought;
And thus the Godlike Angel anfwer'd mild,

This alfo thy request, with caution ask'd,
Obtain: though to recount almighty works,
What words or tongue of Seraph can suffice,
Or heart of man fuffice to comprehend?

Yet what thou can't attain, which best may serve 115 To glorify the Maker, and infer

120

Thee also happier, fhall not be withheld side warunk
Thy hearing fuch commiffion from above
I have receiv'd, to answer thy defire mo
Of knowledge within bounds: beyond abftain
To afk, nor let thine own invention hope
Things not reveal'd, which th' invifible King,
Only omniscient, hath fupprefs'd in night,
To none communicable in Earth or Heav'n:
Enough is left besides to search and known.
But knowledge is as food, and needs no less
Her temperance over appetite, to know
In measure what the mind may well contain;
Oppreffes elfe with furfeit, and foon turns
Wisdom to folly, as nourishment to wind.

Know then, that after Lucifer from Heav'n,
So call him, brighter once amidst the host
Of Angels, than that ftar the stars among,
Fell with his flaming legions through the deep
Into his place, and the great Son return'd
Victorious with his Saints, th' omnipotent
Eternal Father from his throne beheld

125

130

135

Their multitude, and to his Son thus fpake.

At least our envious foe hath fail'd, who thought

All like himself rebellious, by whose aid

140

This inacceffible high ftrength, the feat

Of deity fupreme, us difpoffefs'd,

He trufted to have feis'd, and into fraud ་།་

Drew