955 Undaunted, to meet there whatever power Or spirit of the nethermost abyss Might in that noise reside, of whom to ask Which way the nearest coast of darkness lies Bord'ring on light; when straight behold the throne Of Chaos, and his dark pavilion spread 960 Wide on the wasteful deep; with him enthron'd Sat sable-vested Night, eldest of things, The consort of his reign; and by them stood Of Demogorgon! Rumour next and Chance, 965 And Tumult and Confusion all embroil'd, And Discord with a thousand various mouths. T'whom Satan turning boldly, thus: "Ye powers And spirits of this nethermost abyss, Chaos and ancient Night, I come no spy, 970 With purpose to explore or to disturb The secrets of your realm; but, by constraint Wand'ring this darksome desert, as my way Lies through your spacious empire up to light, 975 What readiest path leads where your gloomy bounds Confine with heav'n; or if some other place, From your dominion won, th' ethereal King 980 I travel this profound; direct my course; To her original darkness, and your sway (Which is my present journey), and once more Erect the standard there of ancient Night: 985 Yours be th' advantage all, mine the revenge.' With falt'ring speech and visage incompos'd, Answer'd: 'I know thee, stranger, who thou art, 990 That mighty leading angel, who of late Made head against heav'n's King, though overthrown. I saw and heard; for such a numerous host Fled not in silence through the frighted deep, With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout, 995 Confusion worse confounded; and heav'n-gates 1000 1005 He ceas'd; and Satan staid not to reply, Mov'd on, with difficulty and labour he; But, he once past, soon after, when man fell, 1010 1015 1020 Following his track, such was the will of Heaven, 1025 Pav'd after him a broad and beaten way Over the dark abyss, whose boiling gulf Tamely endur'd a bridge of wondrous length, From hell continued reaching th' utmost orb Of this frail world; by which the spirits perverse 1030 To tempt or punish mortals, except whom Of light appears, and from the walls of heaven 1035 1040 That Satan with less toil, and now with ease Gladly the port, though shrouds and tackle torn; 1045 1050 Thither, full fraught with mischievous revenge, 1055 BOOK III. THE ARGUMENT. God, sitting on his throne, sees Satan flying towards this world, then newly created; shows him to the Son, who sat at his right hand; foretels the success of Satan in perverting mankind; clears his own justice and wisdom from all imputation, having created man free, and able enough to have withstood his tempter; yet declares his purpose of grace towards him, in regard he fell not of his own malice, as did Satan, but by him seduced. The Son of God renders praises to his Father for the manifestation of his gracious purpose towards man: but God again declares, that grace cannot be extended towards man without the satisfaction of divine justice: man hath offended the majesty of God by aspiring to Godhead, and therefore, with all his progeny, devoted to death, must die, unless some one can be found sufficient to answer for his offence, and undergo his punishment. The Son of God freely offers himself a ransom for man: the Father accepts him, ordains his incarnation, pronounces his exaltation above all names in heaven and earth; commands all the angels to adore him. They obey, and hymning to their harps in full quire, celebrate the Father and the Son. Mean while Satan alights upon the bare convex of this world's outermost orb; where wandering he first finds a place, since called the Limbo of Vanity: what persons and things fly up thither: thence comes to the gate of heaven, described ascending by stairs, and the waters above the firmament that flow about it: his passage thence to the orb of the sun; he finds there Uriel, the regent of that orb, but first changes himself into the shape of a meaner angel; and, pretending a zealous desire to behold the new creation, and man whom God had placed here, inquires of him the place of his habitation, and is directed: alights first on mount Niphates. HAIL, holy Light! offspring of heav'n first-born, May I express thee unblam'd? since God is light, 5 Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee, · Of God, as with a mantle, didst invest The rising world of waters dark and deep, Won from the void and formless infinite, 10 Thee I revisit now with bolder wing, Escap'd the Stygian pool, though long detain'd 15 Through utter and through middle darkness borne, Taught by the heav'nly muse to venture down 20 Though hard and rare: thee I revisit safe, So thick a drop serene hath quench'd their orbs, 25 30 So were I equall'd with them in renown, 35 40 45 Of nature's works to me expung'd and ras'd, 50 So much the rather thou, celestial Light, Shine inward, and the mind through all her powers Irradiate, there plant eyes, all mist from thence Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell Of things invisible to mortal sight. 55 Now had th' Almighty Father from above, From the pure empyréan where he sits High thron'd above all highth, bent down his eye, His own works, and their works, at once to view; 60 Stood thick as stars, and from his sight receiv'd 'Only begotten Son, seest thou what rage And man there plac'd, with purpose to assay 80 85 90 95 100 And spirits, both them who stood, and them 'who fail'd; Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell. Not free, what proof could they have giv'n sincere 105 Not what they would? what praise could they receive, 110 Not me? They therefore, as to right belong'd, Their Maker, or their making, or their fate, Their will, dispos'd by absolute decree 115 They trespass, authors to themselves in all Or high foreknowledge; they themselves decreed Both what they judge, and what they choose; for so I form'd them free and free they must remain, Till they enthrall themselves; I else must change 125 Their freedom, they themselves ordain'd their fall. 130 |