40

Sometimes tow‘ards Heav'n, and the full-blazing sun, Which now sat high in his meridian tower: 30 Then, nuch revolving, thus in sighs began.

“O thou, that, with surpassing glory crown'd, Look'st from thy sole dominion like the God of this new world; at whose sight all the stars Hide their diminish'd heads; to thee I call, 35 But with no friendly voice, and add thy name, O Sun! to tell thee how I bate thy beams, That bring to my remembrance from what state I fell, how glorious once above thy sphere; Till pride and worse ambition threw me down Warring in Heav'n against Heav'n's matchless King: Ah! wh-refore! he deserv'd no such return From me, whom he created what I was In that bright eminence, and with his good Upbraided none; nor was his service hard. 45 What could be less than to afford him praise, The easiest recompence, and pay him thanks, How due ! yet all his good prov'd ill in me, And wrought but malice ; lifted up so high I 'sdein'd subjection, and thought one step higher 50 Would set me high'st, and in a moment quit The debt immense of endless gratitude, So burdensome still paying, still to owe, Forgetful what from him I still receiv'd, And understood not that a grateful mind

55 By owing owes not, but still pays, at once Indebted and discharg'd; what burden then? O had his pow'rful destiny ordain'd Me some inferior angel, I had stood Then happy; no unbounded hope had rais'd 60 Ambition! Yet why not? some other power As grat inight have aspir'd, and me, though mean, Drawn to his part; but other pow'rs as great Fell not. but stand unshaker, from within Or from without, to all temptations arm’d. 65 Hadst thou the sanje free will and pow'r to stand ? Thou ladst : whom hast thou then or what to' accuse,

But Heav'n's free love dealt equally to all ?
Be then his love accurs’d, since love or hate,
Tome alike, it deals eternal woe.
Nay, curs'd be thou; since against bis thy will
Chose freely what it now so justly rues.
Me miserable! which way shall I fly
Infinite wrath, and infinite despair?
Which way I fly is Hell; myself am Hell;

75
And, in the lowest deep, a lower deep
Still threat'ning to devour me opens wide,
To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heaven.
O then at last relent: is there no place
Left for repentance, none for pardon left?

80 None left but by submission; and that word Disdain forbids me, and my dread of shame Among the spi'rits beneath, whom I seduc'd With other promises and other vaunts Than to submit, boasting I could subdue

85 Th’Omnipotent. Ay me! they little know How dearly I abide that boast so vain, Under what torments inwardly I groan, While they adore me on the throne of Hell. With diadem and sceptre high advancd,

90 The lower still I fall, only supreme In misery; such joy ambition finds. But say I could repent, and could obtain, By act of grace, my former state; how soon Would height recal high thoughts, how soon unsay 95 What feign'd submission swore ! ease would recant Vows made in pain, as violent and void : For never can true reconcilement grow Where wounds of deadly hate have pierc'd so deep; Which would but lead me to a worse relapse 100 And heavier fall: so should I purchase dear Short intermission bought with double smart. This knows my Punisher; therefore as far From granting be, as I from begging peace : All hope excluded thus, behold, in stead

105 of us out-cast, exild, his new delight,

Mankind created, and for him this world.
So farewell hope, and with hope farewell fear,
Farewell remorse! all good to me is lost;
Evil, be thou my good! by thee at least

110
Divided empire with Heav'n's King I hold,
By ther, and more than half perhaps will reign;
As man ere long, and this new world, shall know."

Thus while he spake, each passion dimm'd his face Thrice chang'd with pale, ire, envy, and despair; 115 Which marrd hris borrow'd visage, and betray'd Him counterfeit, if any eye beheld: For heav'nly minds from such distr-mpers foul Are ever clear. Whereof he soon aware, Each perturbation smooth'd with outward calın, 120 Artificer of firaud; and was the first That practis'd falsehood under saintly show, Deep malice to conceal, couchi'd with revenge: Yet not enough had practis'd to deceive Uriel once warn'd; whose eye pursued him down 125 The way he went, and on th' Assyrian mount Saw him disfigur'd, more than could befal Spirit of happy sort: his gestures fierce He mark'd and mad demeanour, then alone, As he suppos'd, all unobserv'd, unseen.

130 So on he fares, and to the border comes Of Eden, where delicious Paradise, Now nearer, crowns with her inclosure green, As with a rural mound, the champaign head Of a steep wilderness, whose hairy sides

135 With thicket overgrown, grotesqne and wild, Access deny'd; and over head up grew Insuperable height of loftiest shade, Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching palm, Asylvan scene, and, as the ranks ascend; 140 Shade above shade, a woody theatre Of staleliest view. Yet higher than their

tops The verdrous wall of Paradise up sprung: Which to our general sire gave prospect large Into his nether empire Deiglab'ring round.

145

And higher than that wail a circling row
Of goodliest trees, loaden with fairest fruit,
Blossoms and fruits at once of golden hue,
App-ar'd, with gay enamell'd colours mix'd :
On which the sun more glad impress'd his beams 150
Than in fair evening cloud, or humid bow,
When God hath show'rd the earth; so lovely seem'u
That landscape: and of pure now purer air
Meets his approach, and to the hxart inspires
Vernal delight and joy, able to drive

155
All sadness but despair: now gentle gales,
Fanning their odor;ferous wings, dispense
Native perfumes, and whisper whence they stole
Those balmy spoils. As when to them who sail
Beyond the Cape of Hope, and now are past 160
Mozambic, off at sea north-east winds blow
Sabean odours from the spicy shore
Of Araby the blest; with such delay
Well pleas’d they slack their course, and many a

league,
Cheer'd with the grateful smell, old Ocean smiles: 165
So entertaind those odorous sweets the fiend,
Who came their bane, though with them better pleas'd
Than Asmodëus with the fishy lume
That drove him, though enamour'd, from the'spouse
Of Tobit's son, and with a vengeance sent

170 From Medea post to Egypt. there fast bound,

Now to th' ascent of that steep savage hill
Satan had journey'd on, pensive and slow;
But further way found none, so thick entwinti,
As one continued brake, the undergrowth

175
Of shrubs and tangling bushes hac perplex'd
All path of man or beast that passid Uliat ways
One gate there only was, and that look'd east
On th'other side: which when th'arch-felon saw',
Due entrance he disdain'l, and, in contempt, 180
At one slight bound high overltap'd all bound
Of hill or highest wall, and sheer within
Lights on his feet. As when a prowling woli,
Whom lunger drives to seek new haunt for prey,

Watching where shepherds pen their flocks at eve, 185
In hurdled cotes amid the field secure,
Leaps o'er the fence with ease into the fold:
Or as a thief, bent to unhoard the cash
Of some rich burgher, whose substantial doors,
Cross-barr'd and bolted fast, fear no assault,

190
In at the window climbs, or o'er the tiles :
So clomb this first grand thief into God's fold;
So since into his church lewd hirelings climb.
Thence up he flew, and on the tree of life,
The middle tree and highest there that grew,

195 Sat like a cormorant; yet not true life Thereby regain'd, but sat devising death To them who liv'd; nor on the virtue thought Of that life-giving plant, but only us'd For prospect, what, well us’d, had been the pledge 200 Of immortality. So little knows Any, but God alone, to value right The good before him, but perverts best things To worst abuse, or to their meanest use. Beneath him with new wonder now he views, 205 To all delight of human sense exposid, In narrow room Nature's whole wealth, yea more, A Heav'n on Earth: for blissful Paradise Of God the garden was, by him in th' east Of Eden planted; Eden stretch'd her line

210 From Aurap eastward to the royal towers Of great Seleucia, built by Grecian kings, Or where the sons of Eden long before Dwelt in Telassar: in this pleasant soil His far more pleasant garden God ordain'dir

215 Out of the fertile ground he caus'd to grow All trees of noblest kind for sight, smell, taste; And all amid them stood the tree of life, High eminent, blooming ambrosial fruit of vegetable gold; and next to life,

220 Our death, the tree of knowledge, grew fast by, Knowledge of good bought dear by knowing ill. Southward through Edeu went a river large,