Among them be arriv'd, in his right hand
Grafping ten thoufand thunders, which he fent
Before him, fuch as in their foul infix'd
Plagues they aftonifh'd all refiftance loft,
All courage; down their idle weapons dropt:
O'er fhields, and hems, and helmed heads he rode 840
·Of Thrones and mighty Seraphim proftrate,
That wish'd the mountains now might be again
Thrown on them, as a fhelter from his ire.
Nor less on either fide tempeftnous fell
His arrows, from the fourfold vifag'd Four
Diftinct with eyes, and from the living wheels
Diftinct alike with multitude of eyes;
One spirit in them rul'd, and ev'ry eye
Glar'd lightning, and fhot forth pernicious fire
Among th' accurs'd, that wither'd all their strength,
And of their wonted vigour left them drain'd, 851
Exhaufted, fpiritlefs, afflicted, fall'n.
Yet half his strength he put not forth, but check'd
His thunder in mid volley; for he meant
Not to destroy, but root them out of heav'n:
The overthrown be rais'd, and as a herd
Of goats or timorous flock together throng'd,
Drove them before him thunder fti.k, purfu'd
With terrors and with furies to the bounds
And crystal wall of heav'n; which op'ning wide, 860
Roll'd inward, and a spacious gap difclos'd
Into the wafteful deep: the monstrous fight
Struck them with horror backward, but far worse
Urg'd them behind: headlong themfelves they threw
Down from the verge of heav'n; eternal wrath 865
Burnt after them to the bottomless pit.
Hell heard th' infufferable noise, hell saw Heav'n running from Heav'n, and would have fled Affrighted; but ftrict Fate had caft too deep Her dark foundations, and too fast had bound. Nine days they fell: confounded Chaos roar'd, And felt tenfold confusion in their fall Through his anarchy, fo huge a rout Incumber'd him with ruin: Hell at laft
Yawning receiv'd them whole, and on them clos'd;
Hell, their fit habitation, fraught with fire
Unquenchable, the houfe of woe and pain.
Difburden'd heav'n rejoic'd, and foon repair'd
Her mural breach, returning whence it roll'd.
Sole victor from th' expulfion of his foes,
Meffiab his triumphal chariot turn'd ;
To meet him all his faints, who filent ftood
Eye-witneffes of his Almighty acts,
With jubilee advanc'd: and as they went,
Shaded with branching palm, each order bright, 885
Sung triumph, and him fung victorious King,
Son, Heir, and Lord, to whom dominion giv'n,
Worthieft to reign: he celebrated rode
Triumphant through mid heav'n, into the courts
And temple of his mighty Father thron'd
On high; who into glory him receiv'd,
Where now he fits at the right hand of blifs.
Thus measuring things in heav'n by things on earth, At thy request, and that thou may't beware. By what is paft, to thee I have reveal'd
What might have elfe to human race been hid;
The discord which befel, and war in heav'n
Among th' angelic pow'rs, and the deep fall
Of thofe too high afpiring, who rebell'd
With Satan; he who envies now thy ftate,
Who now is plotting how he may feduce
Thee also from obedience, that, with him
Bereav'd of happiness thou may'st partake
His punishment, eternal mifery;
Which would be all his folace and revenge,
As a defpite done against the Moft High,
Thee once to gain companion of his woe.
But liften not to his temptations; warn
Thy weaker; let it profit thee t' have hear’d
By terrible example the reward
Of difobedience; firm they might have stood,
Net fell; remember, and fear to tranfgrefs.
Raphael, at the request of Adam, relates how and where fore this world was first created; that God, after the expelling of Satan and his angels out of heaven, declared his pleafure to create another world, and other creatures to dwell therein; fends his Son with glory and attendance of angels to perform the work of creation in fix days the angels celebrate with hymns the performance thereof, and his reafcenfion into heaven.
ESCEND from Heav'n, Urania, by that name
Dif rightly thou art call'd, whofe voice divine
Following, above th' Olympian hill I foar,
Above the flight of Pegafean wing.
The meaning, not the name, I call: for thou
Nor of the Mufes nine, nor on the top
Of old Olympus dwell'ft; but heav'nly born,
Before the hills appear'd, or fountain flow'd,
Thou with eternal Wifdom didst converse,
Wisdom thy fifter, and with her didst play
In prefence of th' Almighty Father, pleas'd
With thy celeftial fong. Up-led by thee,
Into the Heav'n of Heav'ns I have prefum'd,
An earthly gueft, and drawn empyreal air,
Thy temp'ring; with like fafety guided down,
Return me to my native element :
Left from this flying unrein'd (as once
Bellerophon, though from a lower clime),
Difmounted, on th' Aleian field I fall,
Erroneous there to wander, and forlorn.
Half yet remains unfung, but narrow bound
Within the visible diurnal sphere;
Standing on earth, not rapt above the pole,
More fafe I fing with moral voice, unchang'd
To hoarfe or mute, though fall'n on evil days,
On evil days though fall'n, and evil tongues;
In darkness, and with dangers compafs'd round,
And folitude; yet not alone while thou
Vifit' my flumbers nightly, or when morn
Purples the caft; ftill govern thou my fong,
Urania, and fit audience find, though few.
But drive far off the barbarous diffonance
Of Bacchus and his revellers, the race
Of that wild rout that tore the Thracian bard
In Rhodope, where woods and rocks had ears
To rapture, till the favage clamour drown'd
Both harp and voice; nor could the Mufe defend
Her fon. So fail not thou, who thee implores;
For thou art heav'nly, the an empty dream.
Say, goddefs, what enfu'd when Raphael,
The affable Arch-angel, had for warn'd
Adam by dire example to beware
Apoftafy, by what befel in Heav'n
To thofe apoftates. left the like befal
In Paradife to Adam, or his race,
Charg'd not to touch the interdicted tree,
If they tranfgrefs, and flight that fole command,
So eafily obey'd, amid the choice
Of all taftes elfe to pleafe their appetite,
Though wand'ring He with his conforted Eve
The story heard attentive, and was fill'd
With admiration and deep muse to hear
Of things fo high and firange, things to their thought So unimaginable as hate in Heav'n,
And war fo near the peace of God in blifs,
With fuch confufion: but the evil foon
Driv'n back rebounded as a flood on thofe
From whom it fprung, impoffible to mix
With blessedness. Whence Adam foon repeal'd
The doubts that in his heart arofe: and now
Led on, yet finlefs, with defire to know
What nearer might concern him, how this world
Of Heav'n and earth confpicuous firft began,
When, and whereof created, for what cause,
What within Eden, or without was done
Before his memory, as one whofe drought
Yet fcarce allay'd ftill eyes the current stream,
Whofe liquid murmur heard, new thirst excites,
Proceeded thus to afk his heav'nly guest.
Great things, and full of wonder in our ears,
Far diff'ring from this world, thou haft reveal'd,
Divine interpreter, by favour fent
Down from the empyrean to forwarn
Us timely of what might elfe have been our lofs,
Unknown which human knowledge could not reach:
For which to th' infinitely good we owe
Immortal thanks, and his admonishment
Receive with folemn purpose to obferve
Immutably his fov'reign will, the end
Of what we are. But fince thou haft vouchfaf'd
Gently for our inftruction to impart
Things above earthly thought, which yet concern'd
Our knowing, as to higheft wisdom feem'd,
Deign to defcend now lower, and relate
What may no less perhaps avail us known,
How first began this Heav'n, which we behold
Distant fo high, with moving fires adorn'd
Innumerable; and this which yields or fills
All fpace, the ambient air wide interfus'd
Embracing round this florid earth; what cause
Mov'd the Creator, in his holy reft
Through all eternity, fo late to build
In Chaos; and the work begun, how foon
Abfolv'd; if unforbid thou may'st unfold
What we not to explore the fecrets afk
Of his eternal empire, but the more
To magnify his works, the more we know.
And the great light of day yet wants to run
Much of his race though steep; fufpence in Heav'n
Held by thy voice, thy potent voice, he hears,
And longer will delay to hear thee tell
His generation, and the rifing birth
Of nature from the unapparent deep:
Or if the star of ev'ning and the moon
Hafte to thy audience, night with her will bring 105
Silence, and fleep lift'ning to thee will watch;
Or we can bid his abfence, till thy fong
End, and difmifs thee ere the morning thine.
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