They ferry over this LETHEAN Sound Both to and fro, their forrow to augment, And with, and struggle as they pass, to reach The tempting stream, with one small drop to lose In sweet forgetfulness all pain and woe, All in one moment, and so near the brink : But Fate withstands, and to oppose th' attempt 610 MEDUSA with GORGONIAN terror guards The ford, and of itself the water flies All taste of living wight; as once it fled The lip of TANTALUS. Thus roving on In confus'd march forlorn th' advent'rous bands 615 With shuddring horror pale, and eyes agaft View'd first their lamentable lot, and found No rest: through many a dark and dreary vale They pass'd, and many a region dolorous, O'er many a frozen, many a fiery Alp, Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens, & shades of death; A universe of death, which GOD by curse Created evil, for evil only good,
Where all life dies, death lives, and nature breeds, Perverse, all monstrous, all prodigious things, 625 Abominable, inutterable; and worfe
Than Fables yet have feign'd, or fear conceiv'd, GORGONS and HYDRA'S and CHIMERAS dire.
Mean while the adversary of God and man, SATAN, with thoughts inflam'd of highest defign, 630 Puts on swift wings, and tow'rds the gates of Hell Explores his folitary flight: fometimes He scours the right-hand coaft, sometimes the left: Now shaves with level wing the deep; then foars Up to the fiery concave towring high. As when far off at sea a fleet defcry'd, Hangs in the clouds by Aquinoctial winds Close failing from BENGALA, or the ifles 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 tow'rd the Pole: So feem'd Far off the flying Fiend. At last appear Hell bounds high reaching to the horrid roof; And thrice threefold the gates; three folds were brass, Three iron, three of adamantine rock,
Impenetrable, impal'd with circling fire, Yet unconfum'd. Before the gates there fat On either fide a formidable shape;
The one feem'd woman to the waste, and fair, 650 But ended foul in many a fcaly fold, Voluminous and vast! a ferpent arm'd With mortal sting: about her middle round A cry of hell-hounds never ceafing bark'd
With wide CERBERIAN mouths full loud, and rung A hideous peal: yet, when they lift, would creep, 656 If ought disturb'd their noise, into her womb, And kennel there, yet there still bark'd, and howl'd Within, unseen. Far less abhorr'd than these Vex'd SCYLLA, bathing in the fea that parts 660 CALABRIA from the hoarse TRINACRIAN shore: Nor uglier follow the Night-Hag, when call'd In fecret, riding through the air she comes Lur'd with the finell of infant blood, to dance With LAPLAND witches, while the lab'ring Moon 665 Eclipses at their charms. The other shape, If shape it might be call'd that shape had none Diftinguishable in member, joint, or limb, Or fubftance might be call'd that shadow seem'd, For each feem'd either; black it stood as night, 670 Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as hell,
And fhook a dreadful dart; what seem'd his head, The likeness of a Kingly crown had on. SATAN was now at hand, and from his feat The monster moving, onward came as fast With horrid ftrides, Hell trembled as he strode. Th'undaunted Fiend what this might be admir'd, Admir'd, not fear'd; Gop and his Son except,
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