And reft can never dwell, hope never comes
That comes to all; but torture without end
Still urges, and a fiery deluge, fed-
With ever-burning fulphur unconfum'd:
Such place Eternal Juftice had prepar'd
For those rebellious, here their pris'on ordain'd
In utter darkness, and their portion fet
As far remov'd from God and light of heav'n,
As from the centre thrice to th' utmost pole.
O how unlike the place from whence they fell
There the companions of his fall, o'erwhelm'd
With floods and whirlwinds of tempestuous fire,
He foon difcerns; and welt'ring by his fide
One next himself in pow'r, and next in crime,
Long after known in Palestine, and nam'd
Beelzebub. To whom th' arch-enemy,.

70

75

80.

L. 74. Centre.] Fr. Ital. Span. Lat. from the Gr. i.e. a point an aftronomical term; the middle point of a circle. Here, the middle point of the earth, i. e. three times as far from heaven as the two poles are distant from the equator; which is a vast distance indeed,

Ibid. Pole.] Fr. Lat. Gr. i. e. turning round; an astronomical term; the two ends of an imaginary circle, on which aftronomers fay the world turns round from east to weft daily. The poles are two, the artick, or north pole, and the antarelick, or fouth pole.

2.

L. 80. Palestine.] Heb. i. e. Sprinkled with duft and fand; because it is a very dry land; a country of Afia upon the Mediterranean · fea. It was called, I. Canaan, from Canaan the son of Ham. Philiftea, or Palestine, from a mighty people defcended from Mizraim, another of his fons, Gen. x. 14. who inhabited fome part of it. 3. The land of promife, because God promifed to give it to Abraham and his pofterity for an inheritance. 4. Judea, from Judah, whofe offspring had it long in poffeffion. And, 5. The Holy Land; because it was honoured with God's extraordinary prefence, worship, mercies, bleffings, miracles, above all countries upon earth, and with the nativity, life, actions, and doctrine of the holy Jefus and his apoftles.

L. 81. Beelzebub.] Baal-zebub, or Bel zebub, Heb. i. e. the lord of flies; either becaufe the people believed that he drove away and deftroyed flies, which very much infefted them, or becaufe multitudes of thefe vermin fwarmed about the blood of the facrifices offered to him. He was worshipped first at Babylon, and then every where, but chiefly by the people of Ekron, 2 Kings i. 2. Here it is the name of one grand prince of the devils, and next

And thence in heav'n call'd Satan, with bold words
Breaking the horrid filence, thus began:

If thou beeft he; but O how fall'n! how chang'd
From him, who in the happy realms of light,
85
Cloath'd with tranfcendent brightnefs, didft outfhine
Myriads though bright! if he whom mutual league,
United thoughts and counfels, equal hope
And hazard in the glorious enterprize,

Join'd with me once, now mifery hath join'd
In equal ruin: into what pit thou feeft

From what height fall'n, fo much the ftronger prov'd
He with his thunder; and till then who knew

The force of thofe dire arms? Yet not for those,
Nor what the potent victor in his rage
Can elfe inflict, do 1 repent or change,

Though chang'd in outward luftre, that fix'd mind,
And high difdain from sense of injur'd merit,
That with the Mightieft rais'd me to contend;
And to the fierce contention brought along
Innumerable force of fpirits arm'd,

That durft diflike his reign, and me preferring,
His utmost pow'r with adverfe pow'r oppos'd
In dubious battle on the plains of heaven,

90

95

100%

196

And shook his throne. What though the field be loft?
All is not loft; th' unconquerable will,
And study of revenge, immortal hate,
And courage never to fubmit or yield,

And what is elfe, not to be overcome;

That glory never shall his wrath or might

110

to Satan; our Saviour calls him, the prince of the devils, Mattl xii. 24.

L. 82. Satan] Heb. i. e. the adverfary; the very prince of all devils. As there are different orders and degrees of the holy angels, fo there are still among the wicked ones; their chief prince is called Satan, Bel-zebub, the old Serpent, &c.; for as every good angel is not a Michael, or a Gabriel, fo every devil is not a Satan, a Lucifer, &c. and a kingdom is afcribed to him, Matth. xii. 26.. Eph. ii. 2

Extort from me. To bow and fue for grace
With fuppliant knee, and deify his power,
Who from the terror of this arm fo late
Doubted his empire; that were low indeed,
That were an ignominy' and shame beneath
This downfal; fince by fate the ftrength of gods
And this empyreal substance cannot fail;
Since through experience of this great event
In arms not worfe, in forefight much advanc'd,
We may with more fuccessful hope refolve
To wage by force or guile eternal war,
Irreconcileable to our grand foe,
Who now triumphs, and in th' excefs of joy
Sole reigning holds the tyranny of heav'n.

So fpake th' apoftate angel, though in pain;
Vaunting aloud, but rack'd with deep despair :
And him thus anfwer'd foon his bold compeer :

O Prince, O chief of many throned powers, 'That led th' imbattled Seraphim to war Under thy conduct, and in dreadful deeds Fearless, endanger'd heav'n's perpetual King,

115

120

125

130

And put to proof his high fupremacy,

Whether upheld by ftrength, or chance, or fate;
Too well I fee, and rue the dire event,

That with fad overthrow and foul defeat

135

Hath loft us heav'n, and all this mighty host
In horrible deftruction laid thus low,

L. 116. Fate.] Fr. Lat. i. e. the Speech or decree of God; a word much used by the Stoicks, and other heathen philofophers, for the providence of God; the eternal and unchangeable course of things, the unalterable law of nature, destiny.

L. 128. Powers.] Fr. from the Lat. fuch angels as have ability, authority, might and force in heaven. Here, fuch princes among the fallen angels who ftill retained that high order among themfelves which they had before their fall.

L. 129. Seraphim] and Seraph; Heb. i. e. burning and flaming like fire, to fhow the vast love and zeal of thofe bleffed fpirits to God. In fcripture this word denotes holy angels of the first order of the celeftial hierarchy. Here Satan, who had been one of that high and happyorder.

As far as gods and heav'nly effences

Can perish for the mind and spi'rit remains
Invincible, and vigour foon returns,

Though all our glory' extinct, and happy state
Here fwallow'd up in endless mifery.

140

But what if he our conqu❜ror (whom I now

Of force believe almighty, fince no less

Than fuch could have o'erpower'd fuch force as ours)

Have left us thus our spi'rit and strength entire

146

Strongly to fuffer and support our pains,
That we may fo fuffice his vengeful ire,

Or do him mightier fervice as his thralls
By right of war, whate'er his bus'nefs be
Here in the heart of hell to work in fire,
Or do his errands in the gloomy deep;
What can it then avail, though yet we feel
Strength undiminish'd, or eternal being

To undergo eternal punishment?

Whereto with speedy words th' arch-fiend reply'd :

Fall'n Cherub, to be weak is miferable

Doing or fuffering: but of this be fure,
To do ought good never will be our task,
But ever to do ill our fole delight,
As be'ing the contrary to his high will
Whom we refift. If then his providence
Out of our evil feek to bring forth good,
Our labour must be to pervert that end,

And out of good still to find means of evil;
Which oft-times may fucceed, fo as perhaps
Shall grieve him, if I fail not, and disturb
His inmoft counfels from their deftin'd aim.
But fee the angry victor hath recall'd

150

155

160

165

L. 157. Cherub] in the fingular number, and Cherubim in the plural, Heb. i. e. fulness of knowledge; angels of the first order, first mentioned, Gen. iii. 24. They were reprefented in the tabernacle and temple in human fhape, with two wings, Exod. xxv. 18. 2 Chron. iii. 10.

170

His minifters of vengeance and pursuit

Back to the gates of heav'n: the fulphurous hail
Shot after us in ftorm, o'erblown, hath laid
The fiery furge, that from the precipice
Of heav'n receiv'd us falling; and the thunder,
Wing'd with red lightning and impetuous rage,
Perhaps hath spent his fhafts, and ceafes now
To bellow through the vaft and boundless deep.
Let us not flip th' occafion, whether fcorn,
Or fatiate fury yield it from our foe.

Seeft thou yon dreary plain, forlorn and wild,
The feat of defolation, void of light,
Save what the glimmering of these livid flames
Cafts pale and dreadful? Thither let us tend
From off the toffing of these fiery waves;
There reft, if any reft can harbour there;
And re-affembling our afflicted powers,
Confult how we may henceforth most offend
Our enemy, our own lofs how repair,
How overcome this dire calamity,

175

180

185

What reinforcement we may gain from hope,
If not, what refolution from despair.

190

Thus Satan talking to his nearest mate
With head uplift above the wave, and eyes
That sparkling blaz'd, his other parts befides
Prone on the flood, extended long and large
Lay floating many a rood, in bulk as huge
As whom the fables name of monftrous fize,
Titanian, or Earth-born, that warr'd on Jove,

195

L. 170. Minifters.] Fr. Lat. fervants. Here, the executioners of God's vengeance upon thefe rebels: the holy angels. See Pfal.ciii. 20.

Heb. i: e.

L. 198. Titanian,] like to Titan, Lat. Gr. from the earth or mud. The fable is thus; Titan was the elder brother of Saturn; he gave the right of inheritance to him, upon condition that nore of his male children fhould live, fo the government fhould return to him and his iffue. But finding that Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto were brought up fecretly, he, with his fons, made war upon Saturn, took him, his wife and children, prifoners, until