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And shouted but once more, aloud, |
"My father! must I stay?" |

While o'er him fast, through sail and shroud, |
The wreathing fires made way. |

They wrapt the ship in splendor wild, |
They caught the flag on high, |

And stream'd above the gallant child, |
Like banners in the sky. I

There came a burst of thunder sound-
The boy - oh! where was he? |
Ask of the winds that far around |

With fragments strew'd the sea!|

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With mast, and helm, and pennon fair, |
That well had borne their part-
But the noblest thing that perish'd there,
Was that young faithful heart. |

MEETING OF SATAN, SIN, AND DEATH.

(MILTON.)

Meanwhile the adversary of God and man, |
Satan, with thoughts inflam'd of highest design, |
Puts on swift wings, and towards the gates of Hell |
Explores his solitary flight: | sometimes

He scours the right hand coast, | sometimes the left; |
Now shaves with level wing the deep, then soars
Up to the fiery concave | towering high. |

As when far off at sea a fleet descried |
Hangs in the clouds, by equinoctial winds |
Close sailing from Bengala, or the isles

Of Ternate and Tidore, whence merchants bring
Their spicy drugs; they, on the trading flood, |
Through the wide Ethiopian to the Cape,

Ply, stemming nightly toward the pole: | so seem'd
Far off the flying fiend. |

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Satan was now at hand; and from his seat |
The monster, moving, onward came as fast, |
With horrid strides; Hell trembled as he strode. I
The undaunted fiend what this might be admired, |
Admired, not fear'd: | God and his Son except |
Created thing naught valued he, | nor shunn'd ; |
And with disdainful look | thus first began:]

"Whence and what art thou, execrable shape!!
That dar'st, though grim and terrible, | advance
Thy miscreated front athwart my way

To yonder gates? | through them I mean to pass,
That be assured, without leave ask'd of thee. I
Retire, or taste thy folly; and learn by proof,
Hell-born! not to contend with spirits of Heaven!" |

To whom the goblin, full of wrath, replied, |
"Art thou that traitor angel, | art thou he
Who first broke peace in heaven, and faith, | till then
Unbroken, and in proud rebellious arms |

Drew after him the third part of Heaven's sons,
Conjured against the Highest, | for which both thou
And they, outcast from God, | are here condemn'd |
To waste eternal days in woe and pain? |

And reckonest thou thyself with spirits of Heaven, |
Hell-doom'd and breath'st defiance here and scorn, |
Where I reign king, and, to enrage thee more,
Thy king, and lord? | Back to thy punishment, |
False fugitive! and to thy speed add wings, |
Lest with a whip of scorpions | I pursue

Thy lingering, or with one stroke of this dart |
Strange horror seize thee, and pangs unfelt before." |

t

So spake a grisly terror, and in shape, |

So sr

so threat'ning, grew tenfold

nd deform. On the other side, |
lignation, | Satan stood

like a comet burn'd, |

At last appear

Hell bounds, high, reaching to the horrid roof, |
And thrice three fold the gates: three folds were
brass,

Three iron, three of adamantine rock
Impenetrable, impaled with circling fire, |
Yet unconsum'd. Before the gates there sat,
On either side, | a formidable shape; |

The one seem'd woman to the waist, and fair; }
But ended foul in many a scaly fold |
Voluminous and vast, a serpent, arm'd
With mortal sting; about her middle round |
A cry of hell-hounds, never ceasing, bark'd |
With wide Cerberean mouths | full loud, and rung
A hideous peal! |

Far less abhorr'd than these |
Vex'd Scylla, bathing in the sea that parts
Calabria from the hoarse Trinacrian shore;
Nor uglier follow the night hag, when, call'd
In secret, riding through the air, she comes,
Lured with the smell of infant blood, | to dance
With Lapland witches, while the labouring moon |
Eclipses at their charms. |

The other shape, |
If shape it might be call'd | that shape had none |
Distinguishable in member, joint, or limb; |

Or substance might be call'd that shadow seem'd;
For each seem'd either; black it stood as night, |
Fierce as ten furies, | terrible as Hell, |

And shook a dreadful dart; what seem'd his head |
The likeness of a kingly crown had on. |

a

SCYLLA, a fabled monster, of whom mention is made in the Odyssey. She is said to have twelve feet and six long necks, with a terrific head, and three rows of close-set teeth, on each.

b CALABRIA, the part of Italy occupied by the ancient Calabri.

с

TRINACRĬA, one of the ancient names of Sicily.

Satan was now at hand; and from his seat |
The monster, moving, onward came as fast, |
With horrid strides; Hell trembled as he strode. I
The undaunted fiend what this might be admired, |
Admired, not fear'd: | God and his Son except |
Created thing naught valued he, | nor shunn'd;|
And with disdainful look thus first began: |

"Whence and what art thou, execrable shape! |
That dar'st, though grim and terrible, advance
Thy miscreated front athwart my way

To yonder gates? | through them I mean to pass,
That be assured, without leave ask'd of thee. |
Retire, or taste thy folly; and learn by proof,
Hell-born! not to contend with spirits of Heaven!" |

To whom the goblin, full of wrath, replied, |
"Art thou that traitor angel, | art thou he
Who first broke peace in heaven, ❘ and faith, | till then
Unbroken, and in proud rebellious arms |

Drew after him the third part of Heaven's sons,
Conjured against the Highest, | for which both thou
And they, outcast from God, are here condemn'd |
To waste eternal days in woe and pain? |

And reckonest thou thyself with spirits of Heaven, |
Hell-doom'd! and breath'st defiance here and scorn, |
Where I reign king, and, to enrage thee more,
Thy king, and lord? | Back to thy punishment, |
False fugitive! and to thy speed add wings, I
Lest with a whip of scorpions | I pursue

Thy lingering, for with one stroke of this dart |
Strange horror seize thee, and pangs unfelt before." |

So spake the grisly terror, and in shape, |
So speaking and so threat'ning, grew tenfold
More dreadful and deform. On the other side, I
Incens'd with indignation, | Satan stood
Unterrified, and like a comet burn'd, |

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