With hundreds and with thousands trooping came
Attended: all access was thronged; the gates
And porches wide, but chief the spacious hall,
(Though like a covered field, where champions bold
Wont ride in armed, and at the Soldan's chair
Defied the best of Panim chivalry

To mortal combat, or career with lance,)
Thick swarmed, both on the ground, and in the air,
Brush'd with the hiss of rustling wings. As bees
In spring-time, when the sun with Taurus rides,
Pour forth their populous youth about the hive
In clusters: they among fresh dews and flowers
Fly to and fro, or on the smoothed plank,
The suburb of their straw-built citadel,
New rubbed with balm, expatiate, and confer
Their state affairs: so thick the airy crowd
Swarmed and were straitened; till, the signal given,
Behold a wonder! they, but now who seemed
In bigness to surpass Earth's giant sons,

Now less than smallest dwarfs, in narrow room
Throng numberless, like that Pygmëan race
Beyond the Indian mount; or fairy elves,
Whose midnight revels, by a forest-side,
Or fountain, some belated peasant sees,

Or dreams he sees, while, over-head, the moon
Sits arbitress, and nearer to the earth

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Wheels her pale course: they, on their mirth and dance Intent, with jocund music charm his ear:

At once with joy and fear his heart rebounds.

Thus incorporeal spirits to smallest forms

Reduced their shapes immense, and were at large,
Though without number still, amidst the hall

Of that infernal court. But far within,
And in their own dimensions like themselves,
The great Seraphic lords, and Cherubim,
In close recess, and secret conclave sat;
A thousand demi-gods on golden seats,
Frequent and full. After short silence then,
And summons read, the great consult began.

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BOOK II.

THE ARGUMENT.

THE Consultation begun, Satan debates whether another battle be to be hazarded for the recovery of Heaven: some advise it, others dissuade. A third proposal is preferred, mentioned before by Satan, to search 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 shall be sent on this difficult search: Satan their chief undertakes alone the voyage, is honoured and applauded. The council thus ended, the rest betake them several ways and to several employments, as their inclinations lead them, to entertain the time till Satan return. He passes on his journey to Hellgates; finds them shut, and who sat there to guard them; by whom at length they are opened, and discover to him the great gulf between Hell and Heaven: with what difficulty he passes through, directed by Chaos, the Power of that place, to the sight of this new world which he sought.

HIGH on a throne of royal state,-which far
Outshone the wealth of Ormus, and of Ind;
Or where the gorgeous East with richest hand
Showers on her kings Barbaric pearl and gold,-
Satan exalted sat, by merit raised

To that bad eminence: and, from despair
Thus high uplifted beyond hope, aspires
Beyond thus high; insatiate to pursue

Vain war with Heaven, and, by success untaught,
His proud imaginations thus displayed:—

"Powers and Dominions, Deities of Heaven!
"For, since no deep within her gulf can hold
"Immortal vigour, though oppressed and fallen,
"I give not Heaven for lost. From this descent

"Celestial virtues rising, will appear

"More glorious and more dread than from no fall, "And trust themselves to fear no second fate.

"Me though just right and the fixed laws of Heaven

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“Did first create your leader; next, free choice,
"With what besides, in council or in fight,
"Hath been achieved of merit; yet this loss,
"Thus far at least recovered, hath much more
"Established in a safe unenvied throne,

"Yielded with full consent. The happier state
"In Heaven, which follows dignity, might draw
Envy from each inferior; but who here
"Will envy whom the highest place exposes
"Foremost to stand against the Thunderer's aim
"Your bulwark, and condemns to greatest share
“Of endless pain? Where there is then no good
"For which to strive, no strife can grow up there
"From faction; for none sure will claim in Hell
"Precedence; none, whose portion is so small
"Of present 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 Heaven, we now return
"To claim our just inheritance of old;
"Surer to prosper than prosperity

"Could have assured us; and by what best way,
"Whether of open war or covert guile,

"We now debate: who can advise, may speak."

He ceased; and next him Moloch, sceptred king, Stood up, the strongest and the fiercest spirit That fought in Heaven, now fiercer by despair: His trust was with the Eternal to be deemed Equal in strength; and rather than be less Cared not to be at all; with that care lost Went all his fear: of God, or Hell, or worse, He reck'd not: and these words thereafter spake. "My sentence is for open war: of wiles, "More unexpert, I boast not; them let those "Contrive who need, or when they need,-not now. "For, while they sit contriving, shall the rest, "Millions that stand in arms, and longing wait "The signal to ascend, sit lingering here

"Heaven's fugitives; and for their dwelling-place
"Accept this dark, opprobrious den of shame,
"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 Heaven's high towers to force resistless way
Turning our tortures into horrid arms

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Against the Torturer; when, to meet the noise

"Of his almighty engine he shall hear

"Infernal thunder; and, for lightning, see
"Black fire and horror shot with equal rage

Among his angels: and his throne itself

"Mixed with Tartarean sulphur, and strange fire,
"His own invented torments. But perhaps
"The way seems difficult and steep, to scale
"With upright wing against a higher foe.
"Let such bethink them, (if the sleepy drench
"Of that forgetful lake benumb not still,)
"That in our proper motion we ascend
"Up to our native seat: descent and fall
"To us is adverse. Who but felt of late,

"When the fierce Foe hung on our broken rear

"Insulting, and pursued us through the deep,
"With what compulsion and laborious flight
"We sunk thus low? The ascent is easy then :-
"The event is feared; should we again provoke
"Our stronger, some worse way his wrath may find
"To our destruction; if there be in Hell

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"Fear to be worse destroyed: what can be worse
"Than to dwell here, driven out from bliss, condemned
"In this abhorred deep to utter woe;

"Where pain of unextinguishable fire
"Must exercise us without hope of end,
"The vassals of his anger, when the scourge
"Inexorable, and the torturing hour

"Calls us to penance? more destroyed than thus,
"We should be quite abolished, and expire.
"What fear we then? what doubt we to incense

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"His utmost ire? which, to the height enraged,
"Will either quite consume us, and reduce
"To nothing this essential; happier far
"Than miserable to have eternal being!
"Or if our substance be indeed divine,
"And cannot cease to be, we are at worst
"On this side nothing; and by proof we feel
"Our power sufficient to disturb his Heaven,
"And with perpetual inroads to alarm,
"Though inaccessible, his fatal throne:
"Which, if not victory, is yet revenge.

He ended frowning, and his look denounced
Desperate revenge, and battle dangerous,
To less than gods. On the other side uprose
Belial, in act more graceful and humane:
A fairer person lost not Heaven; he seemed
For dignity composed and high exploit:
But all was false and hollow; though his tongue
Dropt manna, and could make the worse appear
The better reason, to perplex and dash
Maturest councils; for his thoughts were low:
To vice industrious, but to nobler deeds
Timorous and slothful; yet he pleased the ear,
And with persuasive accent thus began:

"I should be much for open war, O peers!
"As not behind in hate; if what was urged,
"Main reason to persuade immediate war,
"Did not dissuade me most, and seem to cast
"Ominous conjecture on the whole success:
"When he who most excels in fact of arms,
"In what he counsels and in what excels
"Mistrustful, grounds his courage on despair
"And utter dissolution, as the scope

"Of all his aim, after some dire revenge.

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"First, what revenge? The towers of Heaven are filled

"With armed watch, that render all access

"Impregnable: oft on the bordering deep

"Encamp their legions; or, with obscure wing,

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