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, return'd By night, and listening where the hapless pair Sat in their sad discourse, and various plaint, Thence gather'd his own doom; which understood Not instant, but of future time, with joy And tidings fraught, to Hell he now return'd; And at the brink of Chaos, near the foot Of this new wondrous pontifice, unhop'd Met, who to meet him came, his offspring dear. Great joy was at their meeting, and at sight Of that stupendous bridge his joy increas'd. Long he admiring stood, till Sin, his fair Enchanting daughter, thus the silence broke. "O parent, these are thy magnific 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 divin'd,
My heart, which by a secret harmony
Still moves with thine, join'd in connexion sweet, That thou on Earth hadst prosper'd, 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 our bounds, Nor this unvoyageable gulf obscure
Detain from following thy illustrious track: Thou hast achiev'd our liberty, confin'd Within Hell-gates till now; thou us impower'd 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 gain'd With odds what war hath lost, and fully aveng'd Our foil in Heaven; here thou shalt monarch reign, There didst not; there let him still victor sway, As battle hath adjudg'd; 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 answer'd glad. "Fair daughter, and thou son and grand-child 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 declar'd; 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 expos'd by my exploit. If your joint power prevail, the affairs of Hell No detriment need fear; go, and be strong!"
So saying he dismiss'd them; they with speed Their course through thickest constellations held, Spreading their bane; the blasted stars look'd wan, And planets, planet-struck, real eclipse
Then suffer'd. The other way Satan went down The causey to Hell-gate: on either side Disparted Chaos over built exclaim'd,
And with rebounding surge the bars assail'd, That scorn'd his indignation: through the gate, Wide open and unguarded, Satan pass'd, 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 retir'd, about the walls Of Pandemonium; city and proud seat Of Lucifer, so by allusion call'd
Of that bright star to Satan paragon'd;
There kept their watch the legions, while the grand In council sat, solicitous what chance
Might intercept their emperor sent; so he Departing gave command, and they observ'd. 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-banish'd host, left desert utmost Hell Many a dark league, reduc'd in careful watch Round their metropolis; and now expecting Each hour their great adventurer, from the search Of foreign worlds; he through the midst unmark'd In show plebeian angel militant
Of lowest order, pass'd; and from the door
Of that Plutonian hall, invisible
Ascended his high throne; which, under state Of richest texture spread, at the
upper end Was plac'd in regal lustre. Down a while He sat, and round about him saw, unseen: At last, as from a cloud, his fulgent head And shape star-bright appear'd, or brighter; clad With what permissive glory since his fall Was left him, or false glitter: all amaz'd At that so sudden blaze, the Stygian throng Bent their aspéct, and whom they wish'd beheld, Their mighty chief return'd: loud was the acclaim: Forth rush'd in haste the great consulting peers, Rais'd from their dark divan, and with like joy Congratulant approach'd him; who with hand Silence, and with these words, attention won. "Thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues,
For in possession such, not only of right, I call ye, and declare ye now; return'd Successful beyond hope, to lead ye forth Triumphant out of this infernal pit Abominable, accurs'd, the house of woe, And dungeon of our tyrant: now possess, As lords, a spacious world, to our native Heaven Little inferior, by my adventure hard
With peril great achiev'd.
What I have done; what suffer'd; with what pain Voyag'd th' unreal, vast, unbounded deep
Of horrible confusion; over which
By Sin and Death a broad way now is pav'd, To expedite your glorious march; but I Toil'd out my uncouth passage, forc'd to ride The untractable abyss, plung'd in the womb Of unoriginal Night and Chaos wild; That, jealous of their secrets, fiercely oppos'd My journey strange, with clamorous uproar Protesting Fate supreme; thence how I found The new created world, which fame in Heaven Long had foretold, a fabric wonderful Of absolute perfection! therein Man Plac'd in a Paradise, by our exíle
Made happy: him by fraud I have seduc'd From his Creator; and, the more to increase Your wonder, with an apple; he, thereat Offended, worth your laughter! hath given up Both his beloved Man and all his world, To Sin and Death a prey, and so to us, Without our hazard, labour, or alarm; To range in, and to dwell, and over Man
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