560

In perfect phalanı, to the Dorian mood

550 Or Autes, and soft recorders; such as mais d To height of noblest temper heroes old Arming to battle ; and, instead of rage, Deliberate valour breath'u, firm and unrov'd With dread of death to flight or foul retreat; 555 Nor wanting power to mitigate and swage, With solemn touches, troubled thoughts, and chase Anguilh, and doubt, and fear, and sorrow', and pain, From mortal or imınortal minds. Thus they, Breathing united force, with fixed thought Mov'd op in silence to soft pipes, that charm'd Their painful steps o'er the burnt foil: and now Advanc'd in view they stand, a horrid front Of dreadful length and dazzling arms, in guise Of warriors old with order'd spear and shield, 565 Awaiting what command their mighty chief Had to impose. He through the armed files Darts his experienc'd eye, and soon traverse The whole battalion views, their order due, Their visages and stature as of gods;

570 Their number last he fums. And now his heart Di tends with pride, and hard'ning in his strength Glories : for never since created man Met such embodied force, as nam'd with these Could merit more than that finall infantry 575 Warr'd on by cranes; though all the giant brood Of Phlegra with th' heroic race were join'd, That fought at Thebes and Ilium, on each side Mix'd with auxiliar gods; and what resounds In fable or romance of Uther's son Begirt with British and Armoric knights ; And all who fince, baptiz'd or infidel, Joufted in Afpramont, or Montalban, Damasco, Marocco, or Trebifond;

580

Or whom Biserta sent from Afric shore,

585 When Charlemagne with all his peerage fell By Fontarabbia. Thus far thefe beyond Compare of mortal prowess, yet obferv'd Their dread commander : he, above the rele In shape and gesture proudly eminent,

590 Stood like a tow'r ; his form bad yet not lost All her original brightness, nor appear'd Less than archangel ruin'd, and th’excess Of glory' obscur'd: as when the fun new risen Looks through the horizontal milty air 595 Shorn of his beams; or from behind the moon, In dim eclipse, disastrous twilight fheds On half the nations, and with fear of change Perplexes monarchs. Darken'd lo, yet fhonc Above them all th’archangel : but his face 600 Deep scars of thunder had entrench’d, and care Sat on his faded cheek, but under brows Of dauntless courage, and considerate pride Waiting revenge: cruel his eye, but caft Signs of remorse and pallion to behold The fellows of his crime, the followers rather, (Far other once beheld in bliss,) condemn'd For ever now to have their lot in pain; Millions of spirits for his fault amerc'd Of heav'n, and from eternal fplendours flung 610 For his revolt; yet faithful how they stood, Their glory wither'd: as when heaven's fire Hath scath'd the forest-oaks, or mountain-pines, With singed top their Atately growth, though bare, Stands on the blasted heath. He now prepard 615 To speak; whereat their doubled ranks they bend From wing to wing, and half-inclose him round With all his peers: attention held them mute. Thrice he eilay'd, and thrice, in spite of fcorn, Tears, such as angels weep, burst forth: Atlalt 620

Words

605

623

Words interwove with fighs found out their way.

O myriads of immortal fpi'rits, O powers Matchless, but with th' Almighty; and that strife Was not inglorious, though th' event was dire, As this place testifies, and this dire change, Hateful to utter: but what power of mind, Forefeeing or presaging, from the depth Of knowledge paft or present, could have fear'd, How fach united force of gods, how such As stood like these, could ever know repulse ? 630 For who can yet believe, though after loss, That all these poiffant legions, whose exile Hath emptied heav'n, fhall fail to re-ascend, Self-rais'd, and repofefs their native feat ? For me be witness all the host of heaven,

635 If counsels different, or danger fhuan'd By me, have lost our hopes. But he who reigas Monarch in heaven, till then as one secure Sat on his throne, upheld by old repute, Confent or cultom, and his regal ftate

646 Put forth at full, but till his Arength conceal'd, Which tempted our attempt, and wrought our fall, Henceforth his might we know, and know our own, So as not either to provoke, or dread New war, provok'd; our better part remains;

645 To work in clofe defign, by fraud or guile, What force effected not; that he no less At length from us may find, who overcomes By force, hath overcome but half his foe. Space may produce new worlds; whereof so rife 650 There went a fame in heaven, that hé ere long Intended to create, and therein plant A generation, whom his choice regard Should favour equal to the fons, of heaven: Thither, if but to pry, shall be perhaps 655 Our first eruption, thither cr elsewhere:

For

E 3.

· 665

For this infernal pit fhall never hold
Celestial spi'rits in bondage, nor th' abyss
Long under darkness cover. But these thoughts
Full counsel must mature: peace is despair'd, 660
For who can think fubmiflion? War then, war
Open or understood, must be refolv'd.

He spake: and, to confirm his words, outflew
Millions of Alaming swords, drawn from the thighs
Of mighty Cherubim ; the sudden blaze
Far round illumin'd hell : highly they rag'd
Against the High'eft, and fierce with grasped arms
Clath'd on their founding shields the din of war,
Hurling defiance toward the vault of heaven.

There stood a hill not far, whose grifly top 670
Belch'd fire and rolling fmoke; the rest entire
Shone with a gloffy fcurf, undoubted fign,
That in his womb was hid metallic..

c. ore,
The work of sulphur. Thither wing'd with speed
A numerous brigade halten'd: as when bands 675
Of pioneers, with spade and pick-ax arm'd,
Forerun the royal camp, to trench a field,
Or cast a rampart. Mammon led them on;
Mammon, the least erected spi'rit that fell
From leav'n; for e'en in heav'n his looks and thoughts
Were always downward bent, admiring more
The riches of heav'n's pavement, trodden gold,
Than ought divine or holy else enjoy'd
In vision beatific: by him first
Níen alio, and by his fuggestion taught, 685
Ranfack'd the centre, and with impious hands
Rifled the bowels of their mother earth
For treasures better hid. Soon had his crew
Open'd into the hill a spacious wound,
And digg'd out ribs of gold. Let none admire 690
That riches grow in hell; that foil may best
Deserve the precious bane, And here let those

Who

681

Who boast in mortal things, and wond'ring tell
Of Babel, and the works of Memphian kings,
Learn how their greatest monuments of fame, 695
And strength and art are easily outdone
By spirits reprobate, and in an hour
What in an age they with inceffant toil
And hands innumerable scarce persorin.
Nigh on the plain in many cells, prepar'd, 700
That underneath had veins of liquid fire
Sluic'd from the lake, a second multitude
With wond'rous art found out the maliy ore,
Sev'ring each kind, and scumm'd the bullion drofs:
A third as soon had form’d within the ground 705
A various mould, and from the boiling cells
By strange conveyance fill’å each hollow nook,.
As in an organ, from one blast of wind,
To many a row of pipes the found-board breathes.
Anon out of the earth a fabric huge

710
Rose like an exhalation, with the found:
Of dulcet symphonies and voices fweet,
Built like a temple, where pilasters round.
Were fet, and Doric pillars overlaid
With golden architrave ; nor did there want 715
Cornice or freeze, with boffy sculptures graven;
The roof was fretted gold. Not Babylon,
Nor great Alcairo such magnificence
Equall'd in all their glories, to in thrine.
Belus or Serapis their gods, or feat.

720 Their kings, when Egypt with Affyria Atrove In. wealth and luxury. Th? ascending pile Stood fix'd ber stately height; and strait the doors Opening their brazen folds discover wide Within her ample spaces, o'er the smooth

775 And level pavement: from the arched roof, Pendent by subtile magic, many a row Of starry lamps and blazing creflets, fed

With

E A