صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

Mountains of ice, that flop th' imagin'd way
Beyond Petfora eastward, to the rich
Cathaian coaft. The aggregated foil
Death with his mace petrifick, cold and dry,
As with a trident fmote, and fix'd as firm
As Delos floating once; the rest his look
Bound with Gorgonian rigour not to move;
And with Afphaltick flime, broad as the gate,
Deep to the roots of hell the gather'd beach

295

They faften'd, and the mole immense wrought on, 300
Over the foaming deep high arch'd; a bridge
Of length prodigious, joining to the wall
Immoveable of this new fenceless world
Forfeit to Death; from hence a paffage broad,
Smooth, eafy, inoffenfive, down to hell.
So, if great things to fmall may be compar'd,
Xerxes, the liberty of Greece to yoke,
From Sufa his Memnonian palace high
Came to the sea, and over Hellefpont

305

turn; which is a cold planet, according to the aftrologers, being fær

from us.

L. 292. Petfora,] or Petzorka; Ruf. A province in the north of Mufcovy, under the arctick circle, upon the Icy Sea, on the weft fide of the river aby; fo called from the capital city, which standeth in a lake of the fame name. There is a river fo called, which falleth into that ocean, at the mouth of the Waygats.

L. 293. Cathay,] or Catae. A province of Tartary, having the frozen ocean on the north, and China on the fouth. It is called Cara Kitaia, and Ava, by the Tartars, i. e. Black China; because the inhabitants were fun-burnt; whereas thofe of China, at least in the northern provinces, are white.

L. 307, Xerxes.] Perf. i. e. the grand warrior. The fourth king of Perfia, and firft of that name. He was the fecond fou of Darius, i. e. the avenger, (Abafuerus is the fcriptural name, i. e. one that defeats the fchemes of another man,) and the nephew of Cyrus the Great, i. e. the fun.

L. 308. Sufa.] Heb. i. e. a lily; becaufe many lilies grow thereabout. So Jericho is called the city of palm trees, Deut. xxxiv. 3. and Florence in Italy, from abundance of flowers there. It is called Shufhan; and there Ahafuerus held his court, Efth. i. 2.; and hence the whole country was called Sufiana.

L. 309. Hellefpont.] Lat. Gr. i. e. the fea of Helle, daughter of A

Bridging his way, Europe with Afia join'd,`

* 3:0

And fcourg'd with many a ftroke th' indignant waves.
Now had they brought the work by wondrous art
Pontifical, a ridge of pendent rock,

Over the vex'd abyfs, following the track
Of Satan, to the self-fame place where he
First lighted from his wing, and landed safe
From out of Chaos, to the outside bare
Of this round world: with pins of adamant,

315

And chains, they made all faft; too fast they made,

And durable; and now in little space

320

The confines met of empyrean heav'n,

And of this world, and on the left hand hell

With long reach interpos'd; three several ways
In fight, to each of these three places led.

And now their way to earth they had defcry'd,
To-Paradise first tending; when behold
Satan, in likeness of an angel bright,

325

Betwixt the Centaur and the Scorpion fteering

thamas king of Thebes in Greece; who, flying with her brother Phryrus from the indignation of her mother-in-law, perished there. It is a narrow fea, between the Propontis or White fea, and the head of the Archipelago, not above ten or twelve leagues in length; at the mouth, it is a large league and a half broad, and at the narrowest, about seven furlongs over. It is the entrance into Conftan

tinople from the Archipelago, and divides Europe from Asia.

L. 310. Europe.] Phen. i. e. a white face, of a fair countenance; because the people of it are whiter and fairer than thofe of Afia and Africa. One of the four grand quarters of the world; though it be leaft of all, yet it is moft confiderable now for all manner of arts, fciences, arms, laws and learning in the world, &c. It is about 3300 miles in length, and 2300 in breadth.

Ibid. Afia.] Phen. i. e. the middle; because it (especially Leffer Afia) lies in the middle of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The third quarter of the world, larger than the other two, and very famous for being the original feat of man's creation, fall, and redemption; for the first and most renowned tranfactions of mankind, recorded in facred writ, and all ancient histories.

L. 328. Centaur.] Lat. from the Gr. i. e. pricking, a bull. A fabulous monster, half man half horse. This fable rofe from a

His zenith, while the fun in Aries rofe:
Difguis'd he came; but thofe his children dear
Their parent foon difcern'd, though in disguise.
He, after Eve seduc'd, unminded flunk
Into the wood faft by, and changing shape
To' obferve the fequel, faw his guileful act
By Eve, though all unweeting, feconded

330

335

Upon her husband, faw their fhame that fought

Vain covertures; but when he faw defcend
The Son of God to judge them, terrify'd
He fled, not hoping to escape, but shun
The prefent, fearing guilty what his wrath
Might fuddenly inflict; that pafs'd, return'd
By night, and lift'ning where the hapless pair
Sat in their fad difcourfe, and various plaint,
Thence gather'd his own doom; which understood
Not inftant, but of future time, with joy
And tidings fraught, to hell he now return'd;
And at the brink of Chaos, near the foot

340

345

Of this new wondrous pontifice, unhop'd

Met, who to meet him came, his offspring dear.

Great joy was at their meeting, and at fight

350

Of that ftupendous bridge his joy increas'd.
Long he admiring ftood, till Sin, his fair.
Inchanting daughter, thus the filence broke :
O parent, these are thy magnifick deeds,

Thy trophies, which thou view'ft as not thine own; 355
Thou art their author, and prime architect:

For I no fooner in my heart divin'd,

My heart, which by a fecret harmony

Still moves with thine, join'd in connection fweet,

people of Theffaly, who firft broke horses to war, and riding upon horfeback, drove their cattle before them. Other men feeing them at a distance, thought they were but one creature and fo the poor Americans thought of the Spaniards, when they firft invaded them upon horfes.

That thou on earth hadft profper'd, which'thy looks 360-
Now alfo evidence, but ftrait 1 felt

Though diftant from thee worlds between, yet felt
That I must after thee with this thy fon;
Such fatal confequence unites us three.
Hell could no longer hold us in her bounds,
Nor this unvoyageable gulf obfcure

Detain from following thy illuftrious track.
Thou hast achiev'd our liberty, confin'd
Within hell-gates till now: thou us impower'd
To fortify thus far, and overlay

365

370

With this portentous bridge, the dark abyss.
Thine now is all this world; thy virtue' hath won
What thy hands builded not, thy wifdom gain'd
With odds what war hath loft, and fully' aveng'd
Our foil in heav'n; here thou fhalt monarch reign, 375,
There didft not; there let him ftill victor fway,
As battle hath adjudg'd, from this new world
Retiring, by his own doom alienated,
And henceforth monarchy with thee divide
Of all things parted by th' empyreal bounds,
His quadrature, from thy orbicular world,
Or try thee now more dangerous to his throne.
Whom thus the prince of darkness anfwer'd glad :
Fair daughter, and. thou fon and grandchild both,
High proof ye now have giv'n to be the race
Of Satan, (for I glory in the name,
Antagonist of heav'n's Almighty King),
Amply have merited of me, of all

Th' infernal empire, that fo near heav'n's door
Triumphal with triumphal act have met,

Mine with this glorious work, and made one realm,
Hell and this world, one realm, one continent
Of eafy thorough-fare. Therefore while I
Defcend through darkness, on your road with cafe:

380

385

3900

To my affociate pow'rs, them to acquaint
With thefe fucceffes, and with them rejoice;
You two this way, among thefe numerous orbs,
All yours, right down to Paradife defcend;

395

There dwell, and reign in blifs; thence on the earth Dominion exercife, and in the air,

Chiefly on man, fole lord of all declar'd;

Him first make sure your thrall, and laftly kill.
My fubftitutes I fend ye, and create
Plenipotent on earth, of matchless might
Iffuing from me on your joint vigour now
My hold of this new kingdom all depends,
Through fin to death expos'd by my exploit.
If your joint pow'r prevail, th' affairs of hell
No detriment need fear; go, and be strong.

400

405

So faying, he difmifs'd them; they with fpeed 410 Their courfe through thickeft conftellations held, Spreading their bane; the blafted ftars look'd wan, And planets, planet-ftruck, real eclipse

Then fuffer'd. Th' other way Satan went down
The caufey to hell-gate: on either fide

415

Difparted Chaos over-built exclaim'd,

And with rebounding furge the bars affail'd,

That fcorn'd his indignation: through the gate,
Wide open and unguarded, Satan pass'd,
And all about found defolate; for those

4201

Appointed to fit there, had left their charge,
Flown to the upper world ; the rest were all

Far to th' inland retir'd, about the walls

Of Pandemonium, city and proud feat

Of Lucifer, fo by allufion call'd,

425

Of that bright ftar to Satan paragon'd.

There kept their watch the legions, while the grand
In council fat, folicitous what chance
Might intercept their empe'ror fent; fo he
Departing gave command, and they obferv'd.

430

« السابقةمتابعة »