May prove their foe, and with repenting hand
Abolish his own works. This would surpass
Common revenge, and interrupt his joy1
In our confusion, and our joy upraise
In his disturbance; when his darling sons,
Hurled headlong to partake with us, shall curse
Their frail original, and faded bliss,
Faded so soon. Advise if this be worth
Attempting, or to sit in darkness here
Hatching vain empires." Thus Beelzebub
Pleaded his devilish counsel, first devised
By Satan, and in part proposed; for whence,
But from the author of all ill, could spring
So deep a malice, to confound the race

Of mankind in one root, and earth with Hell
To mingle and involve, done all to spite
The great Creator? But their spite still serves
His glory to augment. The bold design
Pleased highly those infernal states, and joy
Sparkled in all their eyes; with full assent
They vote: whereat his speech he thus renews.
Well have ye judged, well ended long debate,
Synod of gods, and like to what ye are,

Great things resolved, which from the lowest deep
Will once more lift us up, in spite of fate,

Nearer our ancient seat; perhaps in view

Of those bright confines, whence with neighbouring arms
And opportune excursions we may chance

Re-enter Heaven; or else in some mild zone
Dwell, not unvisited of Heaven's fair light,
Secure, and at the brightening orient beam
Purge off this gloom; the soft delicious air,
To heal the scar of these corrosive fires,

Shall breathe her balm. But first, whom shall we send
In search of this new world; whom shall we find

Sufficient? who shall tempt with wandering feet

The dark, unbottomed, infinite abyss,

And through the palpable obscure find out
His uncouth way, or spread his airy flight,
Upborne with indefatigable wings,

1 Relative to the use of terms, denoting human affections, as applied to God, compare Tomlins on the Articles, v. ii. p. 55, and my edition of Calmet, art. ANGFE.

Over the vast abrupt, ere he arrive1

The happy isle? What strength, what art can then
Suffice, or what evasion bear him safe

Through the strict sentries and stations thick
Of angels watching round? Here he had need
All circumspection, and we now no less
Choice in our suffrage; for on whom we send,
The weight of all and our last hope relies."
This said, he sat; and expectation held
His look suspense, awaiting who appeared
To second or oppose, or undertake
The perilous attempt: but all sat mute,
Pondering the danger with deep thoughts; and each
In others' countenance read his own dismay
Astonished: none among the choice and prime
Of those Heaven-warring champions could be found
So hardy as to proffer or accept

Alone the dreadful voyage; till at last

Satan, whom now transcendent glory raised
Above his fellows, with monarchal pride
Conscious of highest worth, unmoved thus spake.
"O progeny of Heaven! empyreal thrones!
With reason hath deep silence and demur
Seized us, though undismayed: long is the way
And hard, that out of Hell leads up to light;2
Our prison strong; this huge convex3 of fire,
Outrageous to devour, immures us round
Ninefold, and gates of burning adamant
Barred over us prohibit all egress.
These passed, if any pass, the void profound
Of unessential night receives him next
Wide gaping, and with utter loss of being
Threatens him plunged in that abortive gulf.

1 We should now say " arrive at."

But Milton has the same idiom

in his prose writings, and so Shakspeare, 3 Hen. IV., arrived our coast."

2 He had Virgil in mind, Æn. vi. :

"But to return and view the cheerful skies,

act v.,

have

In this the task and mighty labour lies."-Dryden.

My limits compel me to abstain from pointing out many other coincidences.

3 i. e. vault. Convex is properly used of the exterior surface of a globe, and concave of the hollow interior; but the distinction is not always observed. Cf. os. 635, "the fiery concave."

If thence he 'scape into whatever world,
Or unknown region, what remains him less
Than unknown dangers, and as hard escape?
But I should ill become this throne, O peers,
And this imperial sovereignty, adorned

With splendour, armed with power, if aught proposed
And judged of public moment, in the shape

Of difficulty or danger could deter

Me from attempting. Wherefore do I assume1
These royalties, and not refuse to reign,
Refusing to accept as great a share

Of hazard as of honour, due alike

To him who reigns, and so much to him due
Of hazard more, as he above the rest

High honoured sits? Go, therefore, mighty powers,
Terror of Heaven, though fallen; intend at home,
While here shall be our home, what best may ease
The present misery, and render Hell

More tolerable; if there be cure or charm
To respite, or deceive, or slack the pain
Of this ill mansion: intermit no watch
Against a wakeful foe, while I abroad
Through all the coasts of dark destruction seek
Deliverance for us all: this enterprise
None shall partake with me.' Thus saying rose
The monarch, and prevented all reply,
Prudent, lest from his resolution raised
Others among the chief might offer now
(Certain to be refused) what erst they feared;
And so refused might in opinion stand
His rivals, winning cheap the high repute

1 Milton evidently imitates the magnificent speech of Sarpedon, in Iliad, xii. :

'Why boast we, Glaucus, our extended reign,

Where Xanthus' streams enrich the Lycian plain,
Our numerous herds that range the fruitful field,
And hills where vines their purple harvest yield,
Our foaming bowls with purer nectar crowned,
Our feasts enhanced with music's sprightly sound?
Why on those shores are we with joy surveyed,
Admired as heroes, and as gods obeyed?
Unless great acts superior merit prove,
And vindicate the bounteous powers above.
'Tis ours, the dignity they give, to grace;

The first in valour, as the first in place," &c.-Pope.

But they

Which he through hazard huge must earn.
Dreaded not more the adventure than his voice
Forbidding; and at once with him they rose;
Their rising all at once was as the sound

Of thunder heard remote. Towards him they bend
With awful reverence prone, and as a god
Extol him equal to the Highest in Heaven:
Nor failed they to express how much they praised,
That for the general safety he despised
His own; for neither do the spirits damned
Lose all their virtue; lest bad1 men should boast
Their specious deeds on earth, which glory excites,
Or close ambition varnished o'er with zeal.
Thus they their doubtful consultations dark
Ended rejoicing in their matchless chief:
As when from mountain tops the dusky clouds
Ascending, while the north wind sleeps, o'erspread
Heaven's cheerful face, the lowering element
Scowls o'er the darkened landskip snow or shower;
If chance the radiant sun with farewell sweet
Extend his evening beam, the fields revive,
The birds their notes renew, and bleating herds
Attest their joy, that hill and valley rings.
O shame to men! devil with devil damned
Firm concord holds, men only disagree
Of creatures rational, though under hope
Of heavenly grace; and, God proclaiming peace,
Yet live in hatred, enmity, and strife
Among themselves, and levy cruel wars,
Wasting the earth, each other to destroy:

1 "This remark (of the devils not losing all their virtue) I make, lest bad men should boast." Such is the full sense, according to Pearce, who observes, "Milton here seems to have had in view Ephes. ii. 8 sq. "By grace are ye saved, through faith; not of works, lest any man should boast.' In which St. Paul put them in mind of that, and made that remark to prevent them boasting.

2 Compare Il. xvi. :—

"So when thick clouds enwrap the mountain's head,
O'er Heaven's expanse like one black ceiling spread;
Sudden the Thunderer, with a flashing ray,

Bursts through the darkness, and lets down the day;
The hills shine out, the rocks in prospect rise,
And streams, and vales, and forests strike the eyes.
The smiling scene wide opens to the sight,

And all the unmeasured æther flames with light."-Pope.

As if (which might induce us to accord)
Man had not hellish foes enow besides,
That day and night for his destruction wait.

The Stygian council thus dissolved; and forth
In order came the grand infernal peers:

Midst came their mighty paramount, and seemed
Alone the antagonist of Heaven, nor less
Than Hell's dread emperor with pomp supreme,
And godlike imitated state; him round
A globel of fiery seraphim enclosed

With bright emblazonry and horrent arms.
Then of their session ended they bid cry
With trumpets regal sound the great result:
Towards the four winds, four speedy cherubim
Put to their mouths the sounding alchemy3
By heralds' voice explained; the hollow abyss
Heard far and wide, and all the host of Hell
With deafening shout returned them loud acclaim.
Thence more at ease their minds, and somewhat raised
By false presumptuous hope, the rangéd powers
Disband, and wandering, each his several way
Pursues, as inclination or sad choice

Leads him perplexed, where he may likeliest find
Truce to his restless thoughts, and entertain
The irksome hours, till his great chief return.
Part on the plain, or in the air sublime,
Upon the wing, or in swift race contend,
As at the Olympian games or Pythian fields;
Part curb their fiery steeds, or shun the goal
With rapid wheels, or fronted brigades form.
As when to warn proud cities, war appears
Waged in the troubled sky, and armies rush
To battle in the clouds, before each van

1 i. e. a thick battalion or troop encircling him. 2 i. e. bristling, terrible.

3 This denotes any compound metal, not being used in the formation of musical instruments.

4 Such phenomena have been frequently reported; never amusingly as in " Strange and Wonderful News from Chipping Norton, in the County of Oxon, of certain dreadful apparitions which were seen in the air on the 26th of July, 1610, at half an hour after nine o'clock at noon, and continued till eleven, in which time was seen appearances of several flaming swords, strange motions of the superior orbs; with the unusual sparkling of the stars, with their dreadful continuations," &c. &c.-See Scott's Antiquary, chap. iii.