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Had leisure, wondring at himself now more;
His Vifage drawn he felt to fharp and spare,
His Arms clung to his Ribs, his Legs entwining
Each other, till fupplanted down he fell
A monftrous Serpent on his Belly prone,
Reluctant, but in vain, a greater power.
Now rul'd him, punisht in the shape he fin'd,
According to his doom: he would have spoke,
But hifs for hifs return'd with forked tongue
To forked tongue, for now were all transform'd
Alike, to Serpents all as acceffories

To his bold Riot: dreadful was the din

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Of hiffing through the Hall, thick swarming now
With complicated monfters head and tail,
Scorpion and Afp, and Amphisbena dire,
Cerafter horn'd, Hydrus, and Ellops drear,
And Dipfas (not fo thick fwarm'd once the Soil
Bedropt with blood of Gorgon, or the Isle
Ophiufa) but still greatest he the midst,
Now Dragon grown, larger than whom the Sun
Ingender'd in the Pythian Vale on flime,
Huge Python, and his Power no lefs he feem'd
Above the reft still to retain; they all
Him follow'd ifluing forth to th' open Field,
Where all yet left of that revolted Rout
Heav'n-falln, in ftation ftood or just array,
Sublime with expectation when to fee

In Triumph iffuing forth their glorious Chief;
They faw, but other fight instead, a crowd
Of ugly Serpents; horror on them fell,

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And horrid sympathy; for what they saw,
They felt themselves now changing; down their arms,
Down fell both Spear and Shield, down they as fast,
And the dire hiss renew'd, and the dire form
Catcht by Contagion, like in punishment,

544

As in their crime. Thus was th'applause they meant,
Turn'd to exploding hifs, triumph to fhame [ftood
Caft on themselves from their own mouths. There
A Grove hard by, fprung up with this their change,
His will who reigns above, to aggravate
Their patience, laden with Fruit, like that
Which grew in Paradife, the bait of Eve
Us'd by the Tenipter: on that prospect strange
Their earnest Eyes they fix'd, imagining

For one frbidden Tree a multitude

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Now ris'n, to work them further woe or fhame; 555
Yet parcht with fcalding thirst and hunger fierce,
Though to delude them fent, could not abftain,
But on they roll'd in heaps, and up the Trees
Climbing, fate thicker than the fnaky locks
That curl'd Magara: greedily they pluck'd
The Frutage fair to fight, like that which grew
Near that bituminous Lake where Sodom flam'd;
This more delufive, not the touch, but tafte
Deceiv'd; they fondly thinking to allay
Their appetite with guft, inftead of Fruit
Chew'd bitter Ashes, which th' offended tafte
With fpattering noife rejected: oft they affay'd,
Hunger and thirst conftraining, drug'd as oft,
With hatefulleft difrelish writh'd their jaws

E

With foot and cinders fill'd; so oft they fell 570 Into the fame illufion, not as Man

[plagu'd

575

Whom they triumph'd once lapft. Thus were they
And worn with Famine, long and ceafless hiss,
Till their loft shape permitted, they refum'd,
Yearly enjoin'd, fome fay, to undergo
This annual humbling certain number'd days,
To dash their pride, and joy for Man feduc'd.
However fome tradition they difpers'd
Among the Heathen of their purchase got,

And Fabl'd how the Serpent, whom they call'd 580
Ophion with Eurynome, the wide

Encroaching Eve perhaps, had firft the rule
Of high Olympus, thence by Saturn driv’n
And Ops, e'er yet Dillaan Jove was born.
Mean while in Paradise the hellish pair
Too foon arriv'd, Sin there in power before,
Once actual, now in body, and to dwell
Habitual habitant; behind her Death

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Clofe following pace for pace, not mounted yet
On his pale Horse: to whom Sin thus began. s 90
Second of Satan fprung, all conquering Death,
What thinkft thou of our Empire now, tho' earn'd--
With travel difficult, not better far

Than ftill at Hell's dark threshold to have fate watch,
Unnam'd, undreaded, and thy self half starv'd? $95
Whom thus the Sin-born Monster answer'd foon.
To me, who with eternal Famine pine,
Alike is Hell, or Paradife, or Heaven,

There beft, where moft with ravin I may meet ;.

Which here, tho' plenteous, all too little fecms 6cc To ftuff this Maw, this vaft unhide-bound Corps.

To whom th' incestuous Mother thus reply'd. Thou therefore on these Herbs, and Fruits, and Flours Feed first, on each Beast next, and Fish, and Fowle, No homely morfels, and whatever thing 605 The Sithe of Time mowes down, devour unfpar'd, Till I in Man refiding through the Race His thoughts, his looks, words, actions all infect, And feafon him thý laft and sweetest prey.

This faid, they both betook them several ways, 610 Both to deftroy, or unimmortal make

All kinds, and for deftruction to mature
Sooner or later; which th' Almighty seeing,
From his tranfcendent Seat the Saints among,

To thofe bright Orders utter'd thus his voice. GIS
See with what heat thefe Dogs of Hell advance
To wafte and havoc yonder World, which I
So fair and good created, and had ftill
Kept in the State, had not the folly of Man
Let in these wafteful Furies, who impute
Folly to me; fo doth the Prince of Hell
And his Adherents, that with so much ease
1 fuffer them to enter and poffefs

A place fo heav'nly, and conniving feem

To gratifie my fcornful Enemies,

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That laugh, as if transported with some fit

Of Paffion, I to them had quitted all,

At random yielded up to their mifrule;

And know not that I call'd and drew them thither

.

My Hell-hounds, to lick up the draff and filth 630
Which mans polluting Sin with taint hath shed
On what was pure, till cramm'd and gorg'd, nigh burft
With fuckt and glutted offal, at one fling
Of thy victorious Arm, well-pleafing Son,
Both Sin, and Death, and yawning Grave at laft
Through Chaos hurl'd, obftruct the mouth of Hell
For ever, and feal up his ravenous Jawes.

634

Then Heav'n and Earth renew'd fhall be made pure
To fanctity that fall receive no ftain:

Till then the Curfe pronounc'd on both precedes. 640
He ended, and the heav' ly Audience loud
Sung Halleluja, as the found of Seas,
Through multitude that fung: Juft are thy ways,
Righteous are thy Decrees on all thy Works;
Who can extenuate thee? Next, to the Son,
Deftin'd reftorer of Mankind, by whom
New Heav'n and Earth fhall to the Ages rife,
Or down from Heav'n descend. Such was their song,
While the Creator calling forth by name

645

His mighty Angels gave them feveral charge, 650
As forted beft with prefent things. The Sun
Had first his precept so to move, so shine,
As might affect the Earth with cold and heat
Scarce tollerable, and from the North to call
Decrepit Winter, from the South to bring
Solftitial fummers heat. To the blanc Moon
Her office they prefcrib'd, to th' other five
Their planetary motions and afpects.
In Sextile, Square, and Trine, and Oppofite

658