"Of passion, I to them had quitted all, "At random yielded up to their misrule; "And know not that I call'd, and drew them thither, 630"My hell-hounds, to lick up the draff and filth "Which man's polluting sin with taint hath shed "With suck'd and glutted offal, at one sling "Of thy victorious arm, well-pleasing Son, 635 "Both Sin, and Death, and yawning grave, at last 66 Through Chaos hurl'd, obstruct the mouth of Hell "For ever, and seal up his rav'nous jaws. "Then heaven and earth renew'd shall be made pure "To sanctity, that shall receive no stain: 640"Till then, the curse pronounc'd on both precedes." Through multitude that sung: "Just are thy ways, 645 "Who can extenuate thee?" Next, to the Son, "New heaven and earth shall to the ages rise, Such was their song; Solstitial summer's heat. To the blank moon In synod unbenign: and taught the Fix'd Which of them, rising with the sun, or falling, Should prove tempestuous. To the winds they set 665 Their corners; when with bluster to confound Sea, air, and shore; the thunder when to roll With terror through the dark aërial hall. Some say he bid his angels turn askance The poles of earth, twice ten degrees and more, 675 Up to the tropic Crab; thence, down amain Had rounded still the horizon, and not known 695 Corrupt and pestilent. Now, from the north Bursting their brazen dungeon, arm'd with ice, 700 And Thrascias, rend the woods, and seas upturn: With adverse blast upturns them from the south Outrage from lifeless things: but Discord first, Death introduc'd, through fierce antipathy: 710 Beast now with beast 'gan war, and fowl with fowl, And fish with fish: to graze the herb all leaving Devour'd each other; nor stood much in awe Of man, but fled him; or, with countenance grim, Glar'd on him passing. These were from without715 The growing miseries, which Adam saw 720 Already in part, though hid in gloomiest shade, To sorrow abandoned; but worse felt within! And, in a troubled sea of passion tost, Thus to disburden sought with sad complaint: "O miserable, of happy! Is this the end "Of this new glorious world; and me so late "The glory of that glory, who now become "Accurs'd, of blessed? Hide me from the face "Of God, whom to behold was then my height 725"Of happiness! Yet well, if here would end "The misery! I deserv'd it, and would bear My own deservings; but this will not serve: "All that I eat, or drink, or shall beget, "Is propagated curse. O voice, once heard 730"Delightfully, Increase and multiply;' "Now death to hear! for what can I increase, "Or multiply, but curses on my head? "Who, of all ages to succeed, but, feeling "The evil on him brought by me, will curse 66 735 My head? Ill fare our ancestor impure: "For this we may thank Adam!' but his thanks "Shall be the execration. So, besides "Mine own that bide upon me, all from me "Shall with a fierce reflux on me rebound740"On me, as on their natural centre, light: Heavy, though in their place. O fleeting joys "Of Paradise, dear-bought with lasting woes! "Did I request thee, Maker! from my clay "To mould me man? Did I solicit thee 745 "From darkness to promote me, or here place "In this delicious garden? As my will "Concurr'd not to my being, it were but right "And equal to reduce me to my dust"Desirous to resign, and render back 750 "All I receiv'd-unable to perform 66 Thy terms too hard, by which I was to hold "The good I sought not. To the loss of that "(Sufficient penalty!) why hast thou added "The sense of endless woes? Inexplicable 755"Thy justice seems! Yet, to say truth, too late "I thus contest: then should have been refused "Those terms, whatever, when they were proposed; "Thou didst accept them: wilt thou enjoy the good, "Then cavil the conditions? And, though God 760 "Made thee without thy leave, what if thy son "Prove disobedient; and, reprov'd, retort, "Wherefore didst thou beget me? I sought it not!' "Wouldst thou admit for his contempt of thee "That proud excuse? yet him, not thy election, 765"But natural necessity, begot. "God made thee of choice his own, and of his own "To serve him; thy reward was of his grace; 66 Thy punishment then justly is at his will. "Be it so, for I submit; his doom is fair, 770"That dust I am, and shall to dust return: "O welcome hour whenever! Why delays "His hand to execute what his decree "Fix'd on this day? Why do I overlive? Why am I mock'd with death, and lengthen'd out 775 "To deathless pain? How gladly would I meet 66 Mortality-my sentence, and be earth "Insensible! How glad would lay me down, "As in my mother's lap! There I should rest, "And sleep secure; his dreadful voice no more 780"Would thunder in my ears; no fear of worse "To me, and to my offspring, would torment me "With cruel expectation! Yet one doubt "Pursues me still, lest all I cannot die; "Lest that pure breath of life, the spirit of man, 785 "Which God inspir'd, cannot together perish "With this corporeal clod: then, in the grave, "Or in some other dismal place, who knows "But I shall die a living death? O thought "Horrid, if true! Yet why? It was but breath 790 "Of life that sinn'd: what dies, but what had life "And sin? The body properly hath neither. "All of me then shall die: let this appease "The doubt, since human reach no further knows. "For though the Lord of all be infinite, 795 "Is his wrath also? Be it: man is not so, "But mortal doom'd. How can he exercise "Wrath without end, on man whom death must end? "Can he make deathless death? That were to make Strange contradiction, which to God himself 800 "Impossible is held, as argument 805 "Of weakness, not of power. Will he draw out, "In punish'd man, to satisfy his rigour, 810"Bereaving sense; but endless misery "From this day onward, which I feel begun But say "Comes thundering back with dreadful revolution |