R.cooper

PARADISE LOST.

BOOK II.

HIG

IGH on a throne of royal ftate, which far
Outfhone the wealth of Ormus and of Ind,
Or where the gorgeous Eaft with richeft hand
Show'rs on her kings barbarick pearl and gold,
Satan exalted fat, by merit rais'd

To that bad eminence; and from defpair
Thus high uplifted beyond hope, afpires
Beyond thus high; infatiate to pursue

Vain war with heaven, and, by fuccefe untaught,
His proud imaginations thus difplay'd:

L. 2. Ormus,] Ormuz, or Hormus; from Armuza, a town of Carmanica in Perfia, near it; Perf. i. e. crafty. It was first called Orgis, then Geru. A rocky island in the mouth of the Perfian gulf, 12 miles from the nearest fhore of Perfia, 15 miles round, producing nothing but fome wood and fait, and hath not a drop of fresh water in it. It was formerly a kingdom, and had a large territory in Kirman. The Portuguese took it, A. D. 1501, built a strong city and caftle upon it; then it became the glory of islands, and one of the richest upon earth, from their vaft traffick with India, Perfia, Arabia, &c.

Ibid. India, from the great river Indus, called Scind, by the natives, Tartars, and others, which divides it from Perfia on the west; or from Hadoran, the fifth fon of Joktan, who first peopled it, Gen. x. 27; therefore in fcripture it is called Hodu, Havilah, and Chus, i. c. beautiful and worthy of praise; because it is an exceeding fine, rich country: by the Arabs, Hynd; by the natives, Perfians, &c. Hindoftan; i. e. the country of the blacks, or fwarthy people; but by us, the empire of the Great Mogul, and the Eaft Indies. It is the largest (except China) and the richest empire upon earth, about 1680 miles in length, and 1690 miles in breadth. It lies between China on the east, and Perfia to the west, and upon the Indian ocean, and contains thirty-feven kingdoms, befides innumerable islands.

Pow'rs and Dominions, Deities of heaven ; For fince no deep within her gulf can hold Immortal vigour, though opprefs'd and fall'n, I give not heav'n for loft. From this defcent Celestial virtues rifing, will appear

More glorious and more dread than from no fall,
And truft themselves to fear no fecond fate.
Me though juft right, and the fix'd laws of heav'n
Did fir create your leader; next, free choice;
With what befides, in council or in fight,
Hath been achiev'd of merit; yet this lofs
Thus far at leaft recover'd, hath much more
Establish'd in a fafe unenvied throne,
Yielded with full confent. The happier ftate
In heav'n, which follows dignity, might draw
Envy from each inferior: but who here
Will envy whom the highest place expofes
Foremost to stand against the thund'rer's aim,
Your bulwark, and condemns to greatest fhare
Of endless pain? Where there is then no good
For which to ftrive, no ftrife can grow up there
From faction: for none fure will claim in hell
Precedence; none whose portion is so small
Of present pain, that with ambitious mind.
Will covet more. With this advantage then
To union, and firm faith, and firm accord,
More than can be in heav'n, we now return
To claim our juft inheritance of old,
Surer to profper than profperity

Could have affur'd us; and by what beft way,
Whether of open war or covert guile,
We now debate: who can advife, may speak.

He ceas'd; and next him Moloch, feepter'd king,
Stood up, the ftrongeft and the fiercest spirit
That fought in heav'n, now fiercer by despair:
His truft was with th' Eternal to be deem'd

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Equal in ftrength; and rather than be lefs,
Car'd not to be at all; with that care loft

Went all his fear of God, or hell, or worse,

:

He reck'd not; and these words thereafter spake: 50
My fentence is for open war: of wiles,

More unexpert, I boast not: them let those
Contrive who need, or when they need, not now.
For while they fit contriving, fhall the rest,
Millions that ftand in arms, and longing wait
The fignal to afcend, fit ling'ring here
Heav'n's fugitives, and for their dwelling-place
Accept this dark opprobrious den of fhame,
The prifon of his tyranny who reigns

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By our delay? No, let us rather choose,

60

Arm'd with hell-flames and fury, all at once

O'er heav'n's high towr's to force refiftlefs way,
Turning our tortures into horrid arms

Against the torturer; when to meet the noise

Of his almighty engine he fhall hear

65

Infernal thunder'; and for lightning, fee
Black fire and horror fhot with equal rage

Among his angels, and his throne itself

Mix'd with Tartarean fulphur, and ftrange fire,
His own invented torments. But perhaps
The way feems difficult and fteep to scale
With upright wing against a higher foe.
Let fuch bethink them, if the fleepy drench
Of that forgetful lake benumb not ftill,
That in our proper motion we afcend
Up to our native feat: defcent and fall
To us is adverse. Who but felt of late,

When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear
Infulting, and pursu'd us through the deep,
With what compulsion and laborious flight
We funk thus low? Th' afcent is easy then;
Th' event is fear'd; fhould we again provoke

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75

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Our ftronger, fome worfe way,his wrath may find
To our deftruction; if there be in hell

Fear to be worse destroy'd. What can be worse

85

Than to dwell here, driv'n out from blifs, condemn'd

In this abhorred deep to utter wo;

Where pain of unextinguishable fire

Muft exercise us without hope of end,

The vaffals of his anger, when the fcourge
Inexorably, and the torturing hour

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Calls us to penance? More deftroy'd than thus,
We should be quite abolish'd, and expire.

What fear we then? what doubt we to incenfe
His utmost ire? which to the height enrag'd,
Will either quite confume us, and reduce
To nothing this effential; happier far,
Than miferable to have eternal being:
Or if our fubftance be indeed divine,
And cannot ceafe to be, we are at worst
On this fide nothing; and by proof we feel
Our pow'r fufficient to disturb his heaven,
And with perpetual inroads to alarm,
Though inacceffible, his fatal throne:
Which, if not victory, is yet revenge.

He ended frowning, and his look denounc'd
Defpe'rate revenge, and battle dangerous
To lefs than gods. On the other fide uprofe
Belial, in act more graceful and humane :
A fairer perfon loft not heav'n; he feem'd
For dignity compos'd, and high exploit:
But all was falfe and hollow; though his tongue
Dropt manna, and could make the worse appear
The better reason, to perplex and dash

Matureft counfels: for his thoughts were low;
To vice induftrious, but to nobler deeds
Timorous and flothful: yet he pleas'd the ear,
And with perfuafive accent thus began: