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Might suddenly inflict; that past, return’d By Night, and listning where the hapless Paire Sate in thir sad discourse, and various plaint, Thence gatherd his own doom, which understood Not instant, but of future time. With joy And tidings fraught, to Hell he now return’d, And at the brink of Chaos, neer the foot Of this new wondrous Pontifice, unhop’t Met who to meet him came, his Ofspring dear. Great joy was at thir meeting, and at sight Of that stupendious Bridge his joy encreas’d. Long hee admiring stood, till Sin, his faire Inchanting Daughter, thus the silence broke.

      O Parent, these are thy magnific deeds,

       Thy Trophies, which thou view’st as not thine own,

       Thou art thir Author and prime Architect:

       For I no sooner in my Heart divin’d,

       My Heart, which by a secret harmonie

       Still moves with thine, joyn’d in connexion sweet,

       That thou on Earth hadst prosper’d, which thy looks

       Now also evidence, but straight I felt

       Though distant from thee Worlds between, yet felt

       That I must after thee with this thy Son;

       Such fatal consequence unites us three:

       Hell could no longer hold us in her bounds,

       Nor this unvoyageable Gulf obscure

       Detain from following thy illustrious track.

       Thou hast atchiev’d our libertie, confin’d

       Within Hell Gates till now, thou us impow’rd

       To fortifie thus farr, and overlay

       With this portentous Bridge the dark Abyss.

       Thine now is all this World, thy vertue hath won

       What thy hands builded not, thy Wisdom gain’d

       With odds what Warr hath lost, and fully aveng’d

       Our foile in Heav’n; here thou shalt Monarch reign,

       There didst not; there let him still Victor sway,

       As Battel hath adjudg’d, from this new World

       Retiring, by his own doom alienated,

       And henceforth Monarchie with thee divide

       Of all things, parted by th’ Empyreal bounds,

       His Quadrature, from thy Orbicular World,

       Or trie thee now more dang’rous to his Throne.

      Whom thus the Prince of Darkness answerd glad.

       Fair Daughter, and thou Son and Grandchild both,

       High proof ye now have giv’n to be the Race

       Of Satan (for I glorie in the name, Antagonist of Heav’ns Almightie King) Amply have merited of me, of all Th’ Infernal Empire, that so neer Heav’ns dore Triumphal with triumphal act have met, Mine with this glorious Work, & made one Realm Hell and this World, one Realm, one Continent Of easie thorough-fare. Therefore while I Descend through Darkness, on your Rode with ease To my associate Powers, them to acquaint With these successes, and with them rejoyce, You two this way, among those numerous Orbs All yours, right down to Paradise descend; There dwell & Reign in bliss, thence on the Earth Dominion exercise and in the Aire, Chiefly on Man, sole Lord of all declar’d, Him first make sure your thrall, and lastly kill. My Substitutes I send ye, and Create Plenipotent on Earth, of matchless might Issuing from mee: on your joynt vigor now My hold of this new Kingdom all depends, Through Sin to Death expos’d by my exploit. If your joynt power prevaile, th’ affaires of Hell No detriment need feare, goe and be strong.

      So saying he dismiss’d them, they with speed

       Thir course through thickest Constellations held

       Spreading thir bane; the blasted Starrs lookt wan,

       And Planets, Planet-strook, real Eclips

       Then sufferd. Th’ other way Satan went down The Causey to Hell Gate; on either side Disparted Chaos over built exclaimd, And with rebounding surge the barrs assaild, That scorn’d his indignation: through the Gate, Wide open and unguarded, Satan pass’d, And all about found desolate; for those Appointed to sit there, had left thir charge, Flown to the upper World; the rest were all Farr to the inland retir’d, about the walls Of Pandemonium, Citie and proud seate Of Lucifer, so by allusion calld, Of that bright Starr to Satan paragond. There kept thir Watch the Legions, while the Grand In Council sate, sollicitous what chance Might intercept thir Emperour sent, so hee Departing gave command, and they observ’d. As when the Tartar from his Russian Foe By Astracan over the Snowie Plaines Retires, or Bactrian Sophi from the hornes Of Turkish Crescent, leaves all waste beyond The Realme of Aladule, in his retreate To Tauris or Casbeen. So these the late Heav’n-banisht Host, left desert utmost Hell Many a dark League, reduc’t in careful Watch Round thir Metropolis, and now expecting Each hour their great adventurer from the search Of Forrein Worlds: he through the midst unmarkt, In shew plebeian Angel militant Of lowest order, past; and from the dore Of that Plutonian Hall, invisible Ascended his high Throne, which under state Of richest texture spred, at th’ upper end Was plac’t in regal lustre. Down a while He sate, and round about him saw unseen: At last as from a Cloud his fulgent head And shape Starr bright appeer’d, or brighter, clad With what permissive glory since his fall Was left him, or false glitter: All amaz’d At that so sudden blaze the Stygian throng Bent thir aspect, and whom they wish’d beheld, Thir mighty Chief returnd: loud was th’ acclaime: Forth rush’d in haste the great consulting Peers, Rais’d from thir dark Divan, and with like joy Congratulant approach’d him, who with hand Silence, and with these words attention won.

      Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Vertues, Powers,

       For in possession such, not onely of right,

       I call ye and declare ye now, returnd

       Successful beyond hope, to lead ye forth

       Triumphant out of this infernal Pit

       Abominable, accurst, the house of woe,

       And Dungeon of our Tyrant: Now possess,

       As Lords, a spacious World, to our native Heaven

       Little inferiour, by my adventure hard

       With peril great atchiev’d. Long were to tell

       What I have don, what sufferd, with what paine

       Voyag’d the unreal, vast, unbounded deep

       Of horrible confusion, over which

       By Sin and Death a broad way now is pav’d

       To expedite your glorious march; but I

       Toild out my uncouth passage, forc’t to ride

       Th’ untractable Abysse, plung’d in the womb

       Of unoriginal Night and Chaos wilde, That jealous of thir secrets fiercely oppos’d My journey strange, with clamorous uproare Protesting Fate supreame; thence how I found The new created World, which fame in Heav’n Long had foretold, a Fabrick wonderful Of absolute perfection, therein Man Plac’t in a Paradise, by our exile Made happie: Him by fraud I have seduc’d From his Creator, and the more to increase Your wonder, with an Apple; he thereat Offended, worth your laughter, hath giv’n up Both his beloved Man and all his World, To Sin and Death a prey, and so to us, Without our hazard, labour or allarme, To range in, and to dwell, and over Man To rule, as over all he should have rul’d. True is, mee also he hath judg’d, or rather Mee not, but the brute Serpent in whose shape Man I deceav’d: that which to mee belongs, Is enmity, which he will put between Mee and Mankinde; I am to bruise his heel; His Seed, when is not set, shall bruise my head: A World who would not purchase with a bruise, Or much more grievous pain? Ye have th’ account Of my performance: What remaines, ye Gods, But up and enter now into full bliss.

      So

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