Plenipotent on earth, of matchless might Issuing from me: on your joint vigor 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 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 overbuilt 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 retired, 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 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-banish'd 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 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 placed in regal lustre. Down awhile 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 amazed At that so sudden blaze the Stygian throng Bent their aspect, and whom they wish'd beheld, Their mighty chief return'd: loud was the' acclaim. Forth rush'd in haste the great consulting peers, Raised 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, [Powers! I call ye, and declare ye now; return'd Successful beyond hope, to lead ye forth Triumphant out of this infernal pit
Abominable, accursed, 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 achieved. Long were to tell What I have done, what suffer'd; with what pain Voyaged the' unreal, vast, unbounded deep
Of horrible confusion; over which
By Sin and Death a broad way now is paved, To expedite your glorious march; but I Toil'd out my uncouth passage, forced to ride The' untractable abyss, plunged in the womb Of unoriginal Night and Chaos wild;
That, jealous of their secrets, fiercely' opposed 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 Placed in a Paradise, by our exile
Made happy. Him by fraud I have seduced 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, labor, or alarm, To range in, and to dwell, and over man To rule, as over all he should have ruled. True is, me also he hath judged, or rather Me not, but the brute serpent in whose shape Man I deceived: that which to me belongs, Is enmity which he will put between
Me and mankind; I am to bruise his heel; His seed (when is not set) shall bruise my head: A world who would not purchase with a bruise, Or much more grievous pain?-Ye have the' ac-
Of my performance. What remains, ye Gods! But up, and enter now into full bliss?"
So having said, awhile he stood, expecting
Their universal shout, and high applause, To fill his ear; when, contrary, he hears On all sides, from innumerable tongues, A dismal universal hiss, the sound Of public scorn: he wonder'd, but not long Had leisure, wondering at himself now more. His visage drawn he felt to sharp and spare ; His arms clung to his ribs; his legs entwining Each other, till supplanted down he fell A monstrous serpent on his belly prone, Reluctant, but in vain; a greater power Now ruled him, punish'd in the shape he sinn'd, According to his doom: he would have spoke, But hiss for hiss return'd with forked tongue To forked tongue; for now were all transform'd Alike, to serpents all, as accessories
To his bold riot. Dreadful was the din
Of hissing through the hall, thick swarming now With complicated monsters head and tail, Scorpion, and asp, and amphisbæna dire, Cerastes horn'd, hydrus, and elops drear, And dipsas; (not so thick swarm'd once the soil Bedropp'd with blood of Gorgon, or the isle Ophiusa,) but still greatest he the midst, Now dragon grown, larger than whom the sun Ingender'd in the Pythian vale or slime, Huge Python; and his power no less he seem'd Above the rest still to retain. They all Him follow'd, issuing forth to the' open field, Where all yet left of that revolted rout, Heaven-fallen, in station stood or just array ; Sublime with expectation when to see In triumph issuing forth their glorious chief. They saw, but other sight instead! a crowd
Of ugly serpents: horror on them fell, And horrid sympathy; for, what they saw, [arms, They felt themselves, now changing; down their Down fell both spear and shield: down they as fast And the dire hiss renew'd, and the dire form Catch'd, by contagion; like in punishment, As in their crime. Thus was the' applause they Turn'd to exploding hiss, triumph to shame [meant, Cast on themselves from their own mouths. There stood
A grove hard by, sprung up with this their change, His will who reigns above, to aggravate Their penance, laden with fair fruit, like that Which grew in Paradise, the bait of Eve Used by the Tempter: on that prospect strange Their earnest eyes they fix'd, imagining For one forbidden tree a multitude
Now risen, to work them further woe or shame : Yet, parch'd with scalding thirst and hunger fierce, Though to delude them sent, could not abstain : But on they roll'd in heaps, and, up the trees Climbing, sat thicker than the snaky locks That curl'd Megæra. Greedily they pluck'd The fruitage fair to sight, like that which grew Near that bituminous lake where Sodom flamed: This, more delusive, not the touch, but taste Deceived: they, fondly thinking to allay Their appetite with gust, instead of fruit Chew'd bitter ashes, which the' offended taste With spattering noise rejected: oft they' assay'd, Hunger and thirst constraining; drugg'd as oft, With hatefullest disrelish writhed their jaws, With soot and cinders fill'd: so oft they fell Into the same illusion, not as man
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