With awful reverence prone; and as a God Extol him equal to the Highest in Heaven: Nor fail'd they to express how much they praised, 480 That for the general safety he despised His own: For neither do the Spirits damn'd Lose all their virtue; lest bad men should boast 485 Their specious deeds on earth, which glory excites, 490 495 O shame to men! Devil with Devil damn'd Of creatures rational, though under hope Of heavenly grace: and, God proclaiming peace, Yet live in hatred, enmity, and strife 500 Among themselves, and levy cruel wars, Wasting the earth, each other to destroy : As if (which might induce us to accord) That, day and night, for his destruction wait. 505 The Stygian council thus dissolved; and forth In order came the grand infernal Peers: Midst came their mighty Paramount, and seem'd Than Hell's dread Emperor, with pomp supreme 510 And Godlike imitated state him round A globe of fiery Seraphim enclosed With bright emblazonry and horrent arms. With trumpets' regal sound the great result : 515 Toward the four winds four speedy Cherubim With deafening shout return'd them loud acclaim. 520 Thence more at ease their minds, and somewhat raised By false presumptuous hope, the ranged Powers Disband; and, wandering, each his several way Pursues, as inclination or sad choice 530 Leads him perplex'd, where he may likeliest find 525 535 Prick forth the aery knights, and couch their spears Till thickest legions close; with feats of arms From either end of Heaven the welkin burns. 540 545 Into the Euboic sea. Others more mild, Retreated in a silent valley, sing With notes angelical to many a harp Their own heroic deeds and hapless fall By doom of battle; and complain that fate 550 Free virtue should enthral to force or chance. (What could it less when spirits immortal sing?) Suspended Hell, and took with ravishment The thronging audience. In discourse more sweet (For eloquence the soul, song charms the sense,) 556 Others apart sat on a hill retired, In thoughts more elevate, and reason'd high 560 565 570 Might yield them easier habitation, bend Four ways their flying march, along the banks 575 Into the burning lake their baleful streams`; Cocytus, named of lamentation loud Heard on the rueful stream; fierce Phlegethon, 580 Whose waves of torrent fire inflame with rage. Lethe, the river of oblivion, rolls 585 590 A gulf profound, as that Serbonian bog Where armies whole have sunk: The parching air At certain revolutions, all the damn'd Are brought; and feel by turns the bitter change 595 Of fierce extremes, extremes by change more fierce, From beds of raging fire, to starve in ice 600 Their soft ethereal warmth, and there to pine Immovable, infix'd, and frozen round, Periods of time, thence hurried back to fire. 605 Both to and fro, their sorrow to augment, All in one moment, and so near the brink; All taste of living wight, as once it fled 610 In confused march forlorn, the adventurous bands, 615 No rest through many a dark and dreary vale 620 Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens, and shades of death, A universe of death: which God by curse Created evil, for evil only good; Where all life dies, death lives, and nature breeds, Abominable, inutterable, and worse Than fables yet have feign'd, or fear conceived, Meanwhile the adversary of God and Man, 625 Satan, with thoughts inflamed of highest design, 630 He scours the right hand coast, sometimes the left; Of Ternate and Tidore, whence merchants bring 635 640 Ply stemming nightly toward the pole: so seem'd Hell bounds, high reaching to the horrid roof, And thrice threefold the gates; three folds were brass, Three iron, three of adamantine rock 646 Impenetrable, impaled with circling fire, Yet unconsumed. Before the gates there sat, On either side a formidable shape: The one seem'd woman to the waist, and fair; 650 But ended foul in many a scaly fold Voluminous and vast; a serpent arm'd With mortal sting: About her middle round A cry of Hellhounds never ceasing bark'd With wide Cerberian mouths full loud, and rung 655 A hideous peal; yet, when they list, would creep, If aught disturb'd their noise, into her womb, 660 And kennel there; yet there still bark'd and howl'd, |