Mix'd with obdurate pride, and ftedfaft hate.
At once, as far as angels ken, he views.
The difmal fituation wafte and wild :
A dungeon horrible, on all fides round,
As one great furnace, flam'd: yet from thofe fla
No light, but rather darkness visible,
Serv'd only to difcover fights of woe,
Regions of forrow! doleful shades! where peace
And reft can never dwell! hope never comes
That comes to all: but torture without end
Still urges, and a fiery deluge, fed
With ever-burning fulphur unconfum'd!
Such place eternal juftice had prepar'd
For thofe rebellious; here their prifon ordain'd,
In utter darkness; and their portion fet
As far remov'd from God, and light of heav'n,
As from the centre thrice to th' utmost Pole.
O how unlike the place from whence they fell!
There the companions of his fall, o'erwhelm'd
With floods and whirlwinds of tempeftuous fire:
He foon difcerns and welt'ring by his fide
One next himself in power, and next in crime,
Long after known in Palæftine, ard nam'd
Beelzebub: To whom th' arch-enemy,
(And thence in heav'n call'd Satan) with bold
Breaking the horrid filence thus began.
If thou beeft He.... But O how fall'n how chang'd
From him, who in the happy realms of light Cloath'd with tranfcendent brightness, didft outshine
Myriads tho' bright! If He, whom mutual league,
United thoughts and counfels, equal hope:
And hazard in the glorious enterprize,
Join'd with me once, now mifery hath join'd
In equal ruin! Into what pit thou feeft,
From what height fall'n; fo much the ftronger prov'd
He with his thunder and till then who knew
The force of thofe dire arms? Yet not for thofe ;
Nor what the potent victor in his rage
Can elfe infiit, do I repent, or change
(Though chang'd in outward luftre) that fix'd mind
And high difdain, from fenfe of injur'd merit :
That with the Mightieft rais'd me to contend:
An to the fierce contention brought along
Innumerable force of fpirits arm'd,
That durft diflike his reign: and me preferring,
His utmost pow'r with adverfe pow'r oppos'd,
In dubious battel on the plains of heav'n,
And shook his throne. What tho' the field be loft
All is not loft; th' unconquerable will,
And ftudy of revenge, immortal hate,
And courage never to fubmit or yield;
(Aud what is elfe not to be overcome? )
That glory never shall His wrath or might
Extort from me, to bow and fue for grace
With fuppliant knee, and deifie His pow'r
Who from the terror of this arm fo late
Doubted His empire. That were low indeed!
That were an ignominy and shame beneath
This downfal! fince (by fate) the strength of Gods,
And this empyreal fubftance cannot fail;
Since through experience of this great event,
(In arms not wose, in forefight much advanc'd,)
We may, with more fuccefsful hope, refolve
To wage by force or guile eternal war
Irreconcileable to our grand foe:
Who now triumphs, and in th' excess of joy
Sole reigning, holds the tyranny of heav'n.
So fpake th' apoftate Angel, though in pain ; Vaunting aloud, but rack'd with deep defpair: And him thus anfwer'd foon his bold compeer.
O Prince! O chief of many throned Powers,
That led th' imbattell'd Seraphim to war
Under thy condu& ! and in dreadful deeds
Fearless, indanger'd heav'n's perpetual King,
And put to proof His high fupremacy:
Whether upheld by ftrength, or chance, or fate,
Too well I fee and rue the dire event,
That with fad overthrow and foul defeat
Hath loft us heav'n and all this mighty hoft
In horrible deftru&tion laid thus low,
As far as Gods, and heav'nly effences,
Can perish for the mind and fpirit remains
Invincible, and vigor foon returns,
Though all our glory extin&, and happy state,
Here fwallow'd up in endless mifery !
But what if He our conqu'ror (whom I now
Of force believe Almighty, fince no less
Than fuch could have o'erpower'd fuch force as
ours)
Have left us this our fpirit and ftrength entiere,
Strongly to fuffer and fupport our pains;
That we may fo fuffice His vengeful ire,
Or do Him mightier service, as His thralls
By right of war, whate'er His bufinefs be,
Here in the heart of hell to work in fire,
Or do His errands in the gloomy Deep?
What can it then avail, though yet we feel
Strength undiminish'd, or eternal Being,
To undergo eternal punishment? ....
Whereto with speedy words th' Arch-fiend reply'd.
Fall'n Cherub to be weak is miferable,
Doing or fuffering: but of this be fure,
To do ought good never will be our task;
But ever to do ill our fole delight:
As being the contrary to his High will
Whom we refift. If then His Providence
Out of our evil feek to bring forth good,
Our labor must be to pervert that end,
And out of good still to find means of evil :
Which oft-times may fucceed, fo as perhaps
Shall grieve Him, (if I fail not,) and disturb
His inmoft counfels from their deftin'd aim.
But fee the angry victor hath recall'd
His minifters of vengeance and purfuit,
Back to the gates of heav'n: the fulph'rous hail
Shot after us in ftorm, o'er-blown, hath laid
The fiery furge, that from the precipice
Of heav'n receiv'd us falling: and the thunder,
Wing'd with red lightning and impetuous rage,
Perhaps hath spent his shafts, and ceafes now
To bellow through the vaft and boundless Deep.
Let us not slip th' occafion, whether fcorn.
Or fatiate fury, yield it from our foe.
Seeft thou yon dreary plain, forlorn and wild,
The feat of defolation, void of light,
Save what the glimmering of thefe livid flames
Cafts pale and dreadful? thither let us tend.
From off the toffing of these fiery waves;
The re reft, if any reft can harbour there:
And re-affembling our afflicted pow'rs,
Confult how we may henceforth most offend
Our enemy; our own lofs how repair;
How overcome this dire calamity;
What reinforcement we may gain from hope;
If not, what refolution from defpair.
Thus Saran talking to his nearest mate, With head up-lift above the wave, and eyes That sparkling blaz'd; his other parts befides Prone on the flood, extended long and large Lay floating many a rood; in bulk as huge, As whom the fables name, of monftrous fize, Bitanian, or Earth-born, that warr'd on Jove, Tirareus, or Typhon, whom the den
By ancient Tarfus held; or that fea-beast
Leviathan, which God of all his works
|