Where all life dies, death lives, and nature breeds,
Perverse, all monstrous, all prodigious things,
Abominable, inutterable, and worse
Than fables yet have feign'd, or fear conceiv'd,
Gorgons, and Hydra's, and Chimæra's dire.
Mean while the Adversary' of God and Man, Satan with thoughts inflam'd of hig'heft defign, 630 Puts on swift wings, and tow'ards the gates of Hell Explores his folitary flight; fometimes
He fcours the right hand coaft, fometimes the left,
Now fhaves with level wing the deep, then foars
Up to the fiery concave towring high.
As when far off at fea a fleet defcry'd
Hangs in the clouds, by equinoctial winds
Close failing from Bengala, or the iles
Of Ternate and Tidore, whence merchants bring
Their fpicy drugs: they on the trading flood
Through the wide Ethiopian to the Cape
Ply stemming nightly toward the pole. So feem'd
Far off the flying Fiend: at last appear
Hell bounds high reaching to the horrid roof,
And thrice three-fold the gates; three folds were brafs, Three iron, three of adamantin 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 wafte, and fair,
But ended foul in many a scaly fold
Voluminous and vaft, a ferpent arm'd
With mortal fting: about her middle round
A cry of Hell hounds never ceasing bark'd
With wide Cerberean mouths full loud, and rung
A hideous peal; yet, when they lift, would creep,
If ought difturb'd their noise, into her womb,
And kennel there, yet there still bark'd and howl'd,
Within unfeen. Far lefs abhorr'd than thefe
Vex'd Scylla bathing in the sea that parts
Calabria from the hoarfe Trinacrian shore:
Nor uglier follow the night-hag, when, call'd
In fecret, riding through the air she comes,
Lur'd with the smell of infant blood, to dance
With Lapland witches, while the lab'ring moon 665
Eclipfes 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 feem'd,
For each feem'd either; black it stood as Night, 670
Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as Hell,
And shook a dreadful dart; what feem'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 ftrode.
Th' undaunted Fiend what this might be admir'd,
Admir'd, not fear'd; God and his Son except,
Created thing nought valued he nor fhunn'd;
And with disdainful look thus first began.
Whence and what art thou, execrable shape,
That dar'ft, though grim and terrible, advance
Thy mifcreated front athwart my way
To yonder gates? through them I mean to pass,
That be affur'd, without leave ask'd of thee:
Retire, or taste thy folly', and learn by proof,
Hell-born, not to contend with Spirits of Heaven.
To whom the goblin full of wrath reply'd.
Art thou that traitor Angel, art thou He,
Who first broke peace in Heav'n and faith, till then
Unbroken, and in proud rebellious arms
Drew after him the third part of Heav'n's fons
Conjúr'd against the Hig'heft, for which both thou
And they, outcaft from God, are here condemn'd
To wafte eternal days in woe and pain?
And reckon'ft thou thyself with Spi'rits of Heaven,
Hell-doom'd, and breath'ft defiance here and scorn
Where I reign king, and, to enrage thee more,
Thy king and lord? Back to thy punishment,
Falfe fugitive, and to thy speed add wings,
Left with a whip of fcorpions I purfue
Thy fingring, or with one stroke of this dart
Strange horror feife thee', and pangs unfelt before.
So fpake the grisly terror, and in shape,
So fpeaking and fo threatning, grew ten-fold
More dreadful and deform: on th' other fide
Incens'd with indignation Satan stood
Unterrify'd, and like a comet burn'd,
That fires the length of Ophiuchus huge
In th' arctic fky, and from his horrid hair
Shakes peftilence and war. Each at the head
Level'd his deadly aim; their fatal hands
No fecond stroke intend, and fuch a frown
Each caft at th' other, as when two black clouds,
With Heav'n's artillery fraught, come rattling on
Over the Cafpian, then ftand front to front
Hovering a space, till winds the fignal blow
To join their dark encounter in mid air:
So frown'd the mighty combatants, that Hell
Grew darker at their frown, fo match'd they stood;
For never but once more was either like
To meet fo great a foe: and now great deeds
Had been achiev'd, whereof all Hell had rung,
Had not the fnaky forceress that sat
Faft by Hell gate, and kept the fatal key,
Ris'n, and with hideous outcry rufh'd between.
O Father, what intends thy hand, the cry'd,
Against thy only Son? What fury', O Son,
Poffeffes thee to bend that mortal dart
Against thy Father's head? and know'ft for whom ;
For him who fits above and laughs the while
At thee ordain'd his drudge, to execute
Whate'er his wrath, which he calls juftice, bids;
His wrath, which one day will deftroy ye both.
She fpake, and at her words the hellish peft 735 Forbore, then thefe to her Satan return'd.
So ftrange thy outcry, and thy words fo ftrange
Thou interpofeft, that my fudden hand
Prevented fpares to tell thee yet by deeds
What it intends; till firft I know of thee,
What thing thou art, thus double-form'd, and why In this infernal vale firft met thou call'st
Me Father, and that phantafm call'ft my Son;
I know thee not, nor ever faw till now
Sight more deteftable than him and thee.
T'whom thus the portress of Hell gate reply'd.
Haft thou forgot me then, and do I feem
Now in thine eye fo foul? once deem'd so fair
In Heav'n, when at th' assembly, and in fight
Of all the Seraphim with thee combin'd
In bold confpiracy against Heav'n's king,
All on a fudden miserable pain
Surpris'd thee, dim thine eyes, and dizzy swum
In darkness, while thy head flames thick and fast
Threw forth, till on the left fide opening wide,
Likest to thee in shape and count'nance bright,
Then shining heav'nly fair, a Goddess arm'd
Out of thy head I fprung: amazement feis'd
All th' hoft of Heav'n; back they recoil'd afraid
At first, and call'd me Sin, and for a fign
Portentous held me; but familiar grown,
I pleas'd, and with attractive graces won
The most averfe, thee chiefly, who full oft
Thyself in me thy perfect image viewing
Becam'ft enamour'd, and fuch joy thou took'st
With me in fecret, that my womb conceiv'd
A growing burden. Mean while war arose,
And fields were fought in Heav'n; wherein remain’d
(For what could elfe?) to our almighty foe
Clear victory, to our part lofs and rout
Through all the empyréan: down they fell
Driv'n headlong from the pitch of Heaven, down
Into this deep, and in the general fall
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