Anfwer'd. I know thee, ftranger, who thou art, 990
That mighty leading Angel, who of late
Made head against Heav'ns King, though overthrown,
1 faw and heard, for fuch a numerous Hoft
Fled not in filence through the frighted deep
With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout,
Confufion worle confounded; and Heav'n Gates Pour'd out by millions her victorious Bands Pursuing. I upon my Frontiers here
Keep refidence; if all I can will ferve,
That little which is left fo to defend,
Encroacht on fill through our inteftine broiles,
Weakning the Sceptre of old Night: firft Hell
Your dungeon ftretching far and wide beneath;
Now lately Heav'n and Earth, another World
Hung o'er my Realm, link'd in a golden Chain reOS
To that fide Heav'n from whence your Legions fell:
If that way be your walk, you have not far;
So much the nearer danger; go and speed;
Havock and fpoil and ruin are my gain.
He ceas'd; and Satan ftaid not to reply,
But glad that now his Sea should find a shore,
With fresh alacrity and force renew'd
Springs upward like a Pyramid of fire
Into the wild expanfe, and through the shock
Of fighting Elements, on all fides round
Environ'd wins his way; harder befet
And more endanger'd, than when Argo pafs'd
Through Bosporus betwixt the juftling Rocks:
Or when Vlyffes on the Larbord funn'd
Charybdis, and by th' other whirlpool fteer'd. 1020
So he with difficulty and labour hard
Mov'd on, with difficulty and labour he;
But he once paft, foon after when man fell,
Stange alteration! Sin and Death amain
Following his track, fuch was the will of Heav'n, 1025
Pav'd after him a broad and beat'n way
Over the dark Abyfs, whofe boiling Gulf
Tamely endur'd a Bridge of wond'rous length
From Hell continu'd reaching th' utmost Orbe
Of this frail World; by which the Spirits perverfe
With eafie intercourfe pafs to and fro
To tempt or punish mortals, except whom
God and good Angels guard by special grace.
But now at laft the facred influence
Of light appears, and from the walls of Heav'n
Shoots far into the bofom of dim Night
A glimmering dawn; here Nature first begins
Her fartheft verge, and Chaos to retire
As from her utmost works a brok'n foe
With tumult lefs and with lefs hoftile din, 1040
That Satan with lefs toil, and now with ease
Wafts on the calmer wave with dubious light
And like a weather-beaten Veffel holds
Gladly the Port, though Shrouds and Tackle torn;
Or in the emptier wafte, resembling Air, 1945
Weighs his spread wings, at leasure to behold
Far off th' Empyreal Heav'n, extended wide
In circuit, undetermin'd fquare or round.
With Opal Towrs and Battlements adorn'd
Of living Saphire, once his native Seat ;
And faft by hanging in a golden Chain
This pendant world, in bignefs as a Star
Of fmalleft Magnitude close by the Moon.
Thither full fraught with mifchievous revenge,
Accurft, and in a curfed hour he hies.
The End of the Second Book.
ཝ/༠༧ ༡༨༧༧/།0 པཱཋ༠)། /A༧ ་དཔེ /AV A༧ ༦ VD ༡ རྒྱགO)A༤༧དཉྩེན༠
The ARGUMENT.
God fitting on his Throne fees Satan flying towards this World, then newly created; fhews him to the Son who fat at his right hand; foretells the fuccefs of Satan in perverting Mankind; clears his own Fuftice and Wisdom from all imputation, having created Man free, and "able enough to have withflood his Tempter; yet declares his purpose of Grace towards him, in regard he fell not of his own malice, as did Satan, but by bim feduc'd. The Son of God renders praifes to his Father for the manifeftation of his gracious purpofe towards Man; but God again declares, that Grace cannot be extended towards Man without the fatiffaction of divine Juftice; Man hath
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