The confultation begun, Satan debates whether another battel be to be hazarded for the recovery of Heaven: Some advise it, others diffuade: A third propofal is preferr'd, mention'd before by Satan, to fearch the truth of that prophecy or tradition in Heaven concerning another world, and another kind of creature equal or not much inferior to themselves, about this time to be created: Their doubt who fhall be fent on this difficult fearch: Satan their chief undertakes alone the voyage, is honor'd and applauded. The council thus ended, the reft betake them feveral ways, and to feveral employments, as their inclinations lead them, to entertain the time till Satan return. He paffes on his journey to Hell gates, finds them fhut, and who fate there to guard them, by whom at length they are open'd, and difcover to him the great gulf between Hell and Heaven; with what difficulty he paffes through, directed by Chaos, the Power of that place, to the fight of this new world which he fought.
IGH on a throne of royal state, which far
Outfhone the wealth of Ormus and of Ind,
Or where the gorgeous east with richest hand
Show'rs on her kings barbaric pearl and gold,
Satan exalted fat, by merit rais'd
To that bad eminence; and from despair
Thus high uplifted beyond hope, afpires
Beyond thus high, infatiate to pursue
Vain war with Heav'n, and by fuccefs untaught
His proud imaginations thus difplay'd.
Pow'rs and Dominions, Deities of Heaven,
For fince no deep within her gulf can hold
Immortal vigor, though opprefs'd and fall'n,
I give not Heav'n for loft. From this defcent
Celestial virtues rifing, will appear
More glorious and more dread than from no fall,
And truft themselves to fear no fecond fate.
Me though just right, and the fix'd laws of Heaven
Did first create your leader, next free choice,
With what befides, in counfel or in fight,
Hath been achiev'd of merit, yet this lofs
Thus far at least recover'd, hath much more
Establish'd in a fafe unenvied throne,
Yielded with full confent. The happier ftate
In Heav'n, which follows dignity, might dra
Envy from each inferior; but who here
Will envy whom the highest place expofes
Foremost to stand against the Thund`rer's aim
Your bulwark, and condemns to greatest shar
Of endless pain? where there is then no good
For which to ftrive, no ftrife can grow up the
From faction; for none fure will clame in He
Precedence, none, whofe portion is so small
Of prefent pain, that with ambitious mind
Will covet more. With this advantage then
To union, and firm faith, and firm accord,
More than can be in Heav'n, we now return
To clame our juft inheritance of old,
Surer to profper than profperity
Could have affur'd us; and by what best way,
Whether of open war or covert guile,
We now debate; who can advise, may speak.
He ceas'd, and next him Moloch, fcepter'd Stood up, the strongest and the fierceft Spirit That fought in Heav'n, now fiercer by despai His truft was with th' Eternal to be deem'd Equal in ftrength, and rather than be lefs Car'd not to be at all; with that care loft
Went all his fear of God, or Hell, or worfe
He reck'd not, and these words thereafter spak My fentence is for open war: of wiles,
More unexpert, I boaft not: them let thofe Contrive, who need, or when they need, not n
For while they fit contriving, fhall the reft,
Millions that ftand in arms, and longing wait
The fignal to afcend, fit ling'ring here
Heav'n's fugitives, and for their dwelling-place
Accept this dark opprobrious den of fhame,
The prison of his tyranny who reigns
By our delay? no, let us rather choose,
Arm'd with Hell flames and fury, all at once
O'er Heav'n's high tow'rs to force refiftless way,
Turning our tortures into horrid arms
Against the torturer; when to meet the noise
Of his almighty engin he shall hear
Infernal thunder, and for lightning fee
Black fire and horror fhot with equal rage
Among his Angels, and his throne itself
Mix'd with Tartarean fulphur, and ftrange fire,
His own invented torments. But perhaps
The way
feems difficult and steep to scale
With upright wing against a higher foe.
Let fuch bethink them, if the fleepy drench
Of that forgetful lake benumm not still,
That in our proper motion we afcend
Up to our native feat: defcent and fall
To us is adverfe. Who but felt of late,
When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear
Infulting, and pursued us through the deep,
With what compulsion and laborious flight
We funk thus low? Th' afcent is easy then;
Th' event is fear'd; fhould we again provoke
Our stronger, fome worfe way his wrath may find
To our destruction; if there be in Hell
Fear to be worfe deftroy'd: what can be worfe
'Than to dwell here, driv'n out from blifs, condemn'd
In this abhorred deep to utter woe;
Where pain of unextinguishable fire
Muft exercise us without hope of end
The vaffals of his anger, when the fcourge
Inexorably, and the torturing hour,
Calls us to penance? More deftroy'd than thus
We should be quite abolish'd and expire.
What fear we then? what doubt we to incenfe
His utmost ire? which to the highth enrag'd,
Will either quite confume us, and reduce
To nothing this effential, happier far
Than miferable to have eternal being:
Or if our fubftance be indeed divine,
And cannot ceafe to be, we are at worst
On this fide nothing; and by proof we feel
Our pow'r fufficient to disturb his Heaven,
And with perpetual inroads to alarm,
Though inacceffible, his fatal throne:
Which, if not victory, is yet revenge.
He ended frowning, and his look denounc'd
Defp'rate revenge, and battel dangerous
To lefs than Gods. On th' other fide
Belial, in act more graceful and humane;
A fairer perfon loft not Heav'n; he feem'd
For dignity compos'd and high exploit:
But all was falfe and hollow; though his tongue
Dropt Manna, and could make the worse appear
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