Mountains of ice, that stop the imagined way Beyond Petsora eastward, to the rich Cathaian coast. The aggregated soil Death with his mace petrific, cold and dry, As with a trident, smote; and fixed as firm As Delos, floating once; the rest his look Bound with Gorgonian rigour not to move; And with Asphaltick slime, broad as the gate, Deep to the roots of Hell, the gathered beach They fastened, and the mole immense wrought on Over the foaming deep high-arched, a bridge Of length prodigious, joining to the wall Immoveable of this now fenceless world, Forfeit to Death; from hence a passage broad, Smooth, easy, inoffensive, down to Hell. So, if great things to small may be compared, Xerxes, the liberty of Greece to yoke, From Susa, his Memnonian palace high, Came to the sea; and, over Hellespont Bridging his way, Europe with Asia joined,
And scourged with many a stroke the indignant
Now had they brought the work by wondrous art
Pontifical, a ridge of pendant rock,
Over the vexed abyss, following the track Of Satan, to the self-same place where he First lighted from his wing, and landed safe From out of Chaos, to the outside bare
Of this round world: with pins of adamant And chains they made all fast, too fast they made And durable! And now in little space
The confines met of empyréan Heaven,
And of this World; and, on the left hand, Hell, With long reach interposed; three several ways In sight, to each of these three places led. And now their way to Earth they had descried, To Paradise first tending; when, behold! Satan, in likeness of an Angel bright,
Betwixt the Centaur and the Scorpion steering His zenith, while the sun in Aries rose : Disguised he came; but those his children dear Their parent soon discerned, though in disguise. He, after Eve seduced, unminded slunk Into the wood fast by; and, changing shape, To observe the sequel, saw his guileful act By Eve, though all unweeting, seconded Upon her husband; saw their shame, that sought Vain covertures; but when he saw descend The Son of God to judge them, terrified He fled; not hoping to escape, but shun The present; fearing, guilty, what his wrath Might suddenly inflict; that past, returned By night, and listening where the hapless pair Sat in their sad discourse, and various plaint, Thence gathered his own doom; which understood Not instant, but of future time, with joy And tidings fraught, to Hell he now returned; And at the brink of Chaos, near the foot Of this new wonderous pontifice, unhoped Met, who to meet him came, his offspring dear. Great joy was at their meeting, and at sight Of that stupendous bridge his joy encreased.
Long he admiring stood, till Sin, his fair Enchanting daughter, thus the silence broke.
O Parent! these are thy magnifick deeds,
Thy trophies, which thou view'st as not thine own; Thou art their author, and prime architect:
For I no sooner in my heart divined,
My heart, which by a secret harmony
Still moves with thine, joined in connexion sweet, That thou on earth hadst prospered, which thy looks Now also evidence, but straight I felt,
Though distant from thee worlds between, yet felt, That I must after thee, with this thy son; Such fatal consequence unites us three! Hell could no longer hold us in her bounds, Nor this unvoyageable gulf obscure
Detain from following thy illustrious track. Thou hast achieved our liberty, confined Within Hell-gates till now; thou us impowered To fortify thus far, and overlay,
With this portentous bridge, the dark abyss. Thine now is all this world; thy virtue hath won What thy hands builded not; thy wisdom gained With odds what war hath lost, and fully avenged Our foil in Heaven: here thou shalt monarch reign; There didst not: there let him still victor sway, As battle hath adjudged; from this new world Retiring, by his own doom alienated; And henceforth monarchy with thee divide Of all things, parted by the empyreal bounds, His quadrature, from thy orbicular world; Or try thee, now more dangerous to his throne.
Whom thus the Prince of Darkness answered glad. Fair Daughter, and thou Son and Grandchild both!
High proof ye now have given to be the race Of Satan, (for I glory in the name, Antagonist of Heaven's Almighty King,)
Amply have merited of me, of all
The infernal empire, that so near Heaven's door Triumphal with triumphal act have met,
Mine, with this glorious work; and made one realm, Hell and this world, one realm, one continent
Of easy thoroughfare. Therefore, while I Descend through darkness, on your road with ease, To my associate Powers, them to acquaint With these successes, and with them rejoice; You two this way, among these numerous orbs, All yours, right down to Paradise descend;
There dwell, and reign in bliss; thence on the earth Dominion exercise, and in the air,
Chiefly on Man, sole lord of all declared;
Him first make sure your thrall, and lastly kill. My substitutes I send ye, and create Plenipotent on earth, of matchless might Issuing from me: on your joint vigour now My hold of this new kingdom all depends, Through Sin to Death exposed by my exploit. If your joint power prevail, the affairs of Hell No detriment need fear; go, and be strong!
So saying, he dismissed them; they with speed Their course through thickest constellations held, Spreading their bane: the blasted stars looked wan, And planets, planet-struck, real eclipse
Then suffered. The other way Satan went down The causey to Hell-gate: on either side Disparted Chaos overbuilt exclaimed,
And with rebounding surge the bars assailed, That scorned his indignation: through the gate, Wide open and unguarded, Satan passed, And all about found desolate; for those, Appointed to sit there, had left their charge, Flown to the upper world; the rest were all Far to the inland retired, about the walls Of Pandemonium; city and proud seat Of Lucifer, (so by allusion called
Of that bright star to Satan paragoned :)
There kept their watch the legions, while the Grand In council sat, solicitous what chance
Might intercept their emperour sent: so he Departing gave command, and they observed. As when the Tartar from his Russian foe, By Astracan, over the snowy plains, Retires; or Bactrian Sophi, from the horns Of Turkish crescent, leaves all waste beyond The realm of Aladule, in his retreat
To Tauris or Casbeen so these, the late Heaven-banished host, left desert utmost Hell Many a dark league, reduced in careful watch Round their metropolis; and now expecting Each hour their great adventurer, from the search Of foreign worlds: he through the midst un- marked,
In show plebeian Angel militant
Of lowest order, passed; and from the door
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