undertakes alone the Voyage, is honour'd and applauded. The Council thus ended, the reft betake them feveral ways, and to feveral imployments, as their inclinations lead them, to entertain the time 'till Satan return. He paffes on bis Journey to Hell Gates, finds them fput, and who fate there to guard them, by whom at length they are open'd, and difcover to him the Gulf between Hell and Heaven; with what difficulty be paffes through, directed by Chaos, the Power of that place, to the fight of this new World which he fought.

C4

IGH on a Throne of Royal State, which far

HIGH
Gutrone the wealth of Ormus and of ind,

Or where the gorgeous Eaft with richeft hand
Showrs on her Kings Barbaric Pearl and Gold,
Satan exalted fat, by merit rais'd

To that bad eminence; and from despair
Thus high uplifted beyond hope, afpires
Beyond thus high, infatiate to purfue
Vain War with Heav'n, and by fuccefs untaught
His proud imaginations thus display'd.

Powers and Dominions, Deities of Heav'n,
For fince no deep within her gulph 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

IS

20

More glorious and more dread than from no fall,
And truft themfelves to fear no fecond fate:
Me though just right, and the fix'd Laws of Heav'n
Did first create your Leader, next free choice,
With what befides, in Council or in Fight,
Hath been atchiev'd of merit, yet this lofs
Thus far at least recover'd, hath much more
Eftablish'd in a fafe unenvied Throne,
Yielded with full confent. The happier state
In Heav'n, which follows dignity, might draw 25
Envy from each inferiour; but who here
Will envy whom the highest place expofes
Foremost to fland against the Thunderer's aim
Your bulwark, and condemns to greatest share

Of endless pain? Where there is then no good 30
For which to strive, 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 prosperity

35

Could have affur'd us; and by what beft way, 4* Whether of open War or covert guile,

45

We now debate; who can advife may speak.
He ceas'd, and next him Moloc, fceptred King
Stood up, the strongest and the fierceft Spirit
That fought in Heav'n, now fiercer by despair:
His truft was with th' Eternal to be deem'd
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 hereafter fpake: so
My fentence is for open War of Wiles,

More unexpert, I boaft not: them let those
Contrive who need, or when they need, not now;
For while they fit contriving, fhall the reft,
Millions that ftand in Arms, and longing wait 55
The Signal to ascend, fit ling'ring here
Heav'ns fugitives, and for their dwelling place
Accept this dark opprobrious Den of shame,
The Prifon of his Tyranny who reigns

C S

By our delay? no, let us rather chufe,

Arm'd with Hell flames and fury, all at once
O'er Heav'ns high Towrs to force refiftless way,
Turning our Tortures into horrid Arms
Against the Torturer; when to meet the noise
Of his Almighty Engine he shall hear
Infernal Thunder, and for Lightning fee
Black fire and horrour fhot with equal rage
Among his Angels; and his Throne it felf
Mixt with Tartarean Sulphur, and ftrange fire,
His own invented Torments. But perhaps
The way seems 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 still,
That in our proper motion we afcend
Up to our native feat: defcent and fall

To us is adverfe. Who but felt of late

To lefs tha

& farer per

When the fierce Foe hung on our broken Rere
Infulting and purfu'd us through the Deep,
With what compulfion and laborious flight
We funk thus low? Th' afcent is eafie then;
Th' event is fear'd; fhould we again provoke
Our stronger, fome worfe way his wrath may find
To our deftruction: if there be in Hell

Fear to be worse deftroy'd: what can be worfe 85
Than to dwell here, driv'n out from Blifs, condemn'd
In this abhorred Deep to utter woe;
Where pain of unextinguishable fire
Muft exercise us without hope of end

Arall was

Dropt Manna

The better R

Matureft Co

To Vice ind