Made vifible, th' Almighty Father fhines, Whom else no creature can behold; on thee Imprefs'd th' effulgence of his glory' abides, Transfus'd on thee his ample Spirit rests.
He heav'n of heav'ns, and all the powers therein, 390 By thee created; and by thee threw down Th' afpiring dominations: thou that day
Thy Father's dreadful thunder didst not spare, Nor ftop thy flaming chariot-wheels, that shook Heav'n's everlafting frame, while o'er the necks 395 Thou drov'it of warring angels difarray'd.
Back from pursuit thy powers with loud acclaim Thee only' extoll'd, Son of thy Father's might, To execute fierce vengeance on his foes.
Not fo on man: him through their malice fall'n, 400 Father of mercy' and grace, thou didst not doom So ftrictly, but much more to pity' incline: No fooner did thy dear and only Son Perceive thee purpos'd not to doom frail man So ftriatly, but much more to pity' inclin'd, He to appease thy wrath, and end the ftrife Of mercy' and justice in thy face discern'd, Regardless of the blifs wherein he fat Second to thee, offer'd himself to die For man's offence. O unexampled love! Love no where to be found lefs than divine! Hail Son of God, Saviour of men! thy name Shall be the copious matter of my fong Henceforth, and never fhall my harp thy praise Forget, nor from thy Father's praise disjoin.
Thus they in heav'n, above the starry sphere, Their happy hours in joy and hymning spent. Mean while upon the firm opacous globe
Of this round world, whose first convex divides The luminous inferiour orbs, inclos'd From Chaos, and th' inroad of darkness old,
Satan alighted walks. A globe far off
It feem'd, now feems a boundless continent
Dark, wafte, and wild, under the frown of night Starlefs expos'd, and ever-threat'ning storms Of Chaos bluft'ring round, inclement sky; Save on that fide which from the wall of heaven, Though diftant far, fome fmall reflection gains Of glimmering air less vex'd with tempeft loud. Here walk'd the fiend at large in fpacious field: 430 As when a vulture on Imaus bred,
Whofe fnowy ridge the roving Tartar bounds, Diflodging from a region scarce of prey,
To gorge the flesh of lambs or yeanling kids,
On hills where flocks are fed, flies toward the fprings
Of Ganges or Hydafpes, Indian streams;
But in his way lights on the barren plains Of Sericana, where Chineses drive
With fails and wind their cany waggons light. So on this windy fea of land, the fiend Walk'd up and down alone, bent Alone, for other creature in this place, Living or lifeless, to be found was none; None yet, but ftore hereafter from the earth Up hither like aëreal vapours flew
Of all things tranfitory' and vain, when fin With vanity had fill'd the works of men ;
Both all things vain, and all who in vain things. Built their fond hopes of glory' or lafting fame, Or happiness in this or th' other life;
All who have their reward on earth, the fruits Of painful fuperftition and blind zeal, Nought feeking but the praife of men, here find Fit retribution, empty as their deeds; All th' unaccomplish'd works of Nature's hand, Abortive, monftrous, or unkindly mix'd, Diffolv'd on earth, fleet hither, and in vain,
Till final diffolution, wander here;
Not in the neighb'ring moon, as fome have dream'd; Thofe argent fields more likely habitants, Tranflated faints, or middle fpirits, hold a Betwixt th' angelical and human kind: Hither of ill-join'd fons and daughters born Firft from the ancient world thofe giants came With many a vain exploit, though then renown'd': The builders next of Babel on the plain
Of Sennaar, and still with vain defign.
New Babels, had they wherewithal, would build : Others came fingle; he who to be deem'd A god, leap'd fondly into Etna flames, Empedocles; and he who to enjoy. Plato's Elyfium, leap'd into the fea, Cleombrotus; and many more too long,
Embryos, and idiots, eremites, and friers
White, black, and gray, with all their trumpery. 475% Here pilgrims roam, that ftray'd fo far to feek In Golgotha him dead, who lives in heaven; And they who to be fure of Paradise,
Dying put on the weeds of Doninic,. Or in Franciscan think to pafs difguis'd; ~ They pass the planets feven, and pass the fix'd, And that crystalline sphere whofe balance weighs - The trepidation talk'd, and that first mov'd : And now Saint Peter at heaven's wicket seems To wait them with his keys, and now at foot Of heaven's afcent they lift their feet, when lo
A violent crofs wind from either coaft Blows them tranfverfe, ten thoufand leagues awry Into the devious air: then might ye fee
Cowls, hoods, and habits, with their wearers, toft, 490 And flutter'd into rags; then reliques, beads, Indulgences, difpenfes, pardons, bulls,
The sport of winds: all these upwhirl'd aloft
Fly o'er the backside of the world far off Into a limbo large and broad, fince call'd The Paradife of Fools, to few unknown Long after, now unpeopled, and untrod.
All this dark globe the fiend found as he pafs'd; And long he wander'd, till at last a gleam Of dawning light turn'd thitherward in haste His travell'd steps: far diftant he deseries, Afcending by degrees magnificent Up to the wall of Heav'n, a ftructure high; At top whereof, but far more rich, appear'd The work as of a kingly palace-gate, With frontispiece of diamond and gold Embellish'd; thick with fparkling orient gems The portal fhone, inimitable on earth By model, or by fhading pencil drawn. The stairs were fuch as whereon Jacob faw Angels afcending and defcending, bands Of guardians bright, when he from Efau fled. To Padan-Aram, in the field of Luz Dreaming by night under the open fky,
And waking cry'd, This is the gate of heav'n. Each ftair myfterioufly was meant, nor stood There always, but drawn up to heav'n fometimes Viewlefs; and underneath a bright sea flow'd Of jafper, or of liquid pearl, whereon Who after came from earth, failing arriv'd Wafted by angels, or flew o'er the lake Rapt in a chariot drawn by fiery steeds. The stairs were then let down, whether to dare The fiend by easy' ascent, or aggravate His fad exclufion from the doors of blifs: Direct against which open'd from beneath, Just o'er the blissful seat of Paradise, A paffage down to th' earth, a paffage wide, Wider by far than that of after-times
Over mount Sion, and, tho' that were large, Over the promis'd land to God fo dear; By which, to vifit oft thofe happy tribes, On high behefts his angels to and fro.
Pafs'd frequent, and his eye with choice regard From Paneas, the fount of Jordan's flood, To Beerfaba, where the Holy Land. Borders on Egypt and th' Arabian shore ;
So wide the opening feem'd, where bounds were fet To darkness, fuch as bound the ocean-wave. Satan from hence, now on the lower ftair, That feal'd by fteps of gold to heaven-gate, Looks down with wonder at the fudden view Of all this world at once. As when a scout. Through dark and defert ways with peril gone All night, at last by break of cheerful dawn Obtains the brow of fome high-climbing hill, Which to his eye difcovers unaware The goodly profpect of fome foreign land Firft feen, or fome renown'd metropolis With glift'ring fpires and pinnacles adorn'd, Which now the rifing fun gilds with his beams: Such wonder feiz'd, tho' after Heaven feen, The fpi'rit malign, bat much more envy feiz'd, At fight of all this world beheld fo fair.
Round he furveys (and well might, where he food So high above the circling canopy
Of night's extended fhade) from eastern point Of Libra, to the fleecy ftar that bears Andromeda far off Atlantic feas,
Beyond th' horizon; then from pole to pole.
He views in breadth; and without longer paufe
Down right into the world's firft region throws His flight precipitant, and winds with eafe Through the pure marble air his oblique way, Amongt innumerable ftars, that fhone
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