Sad sleep, who fain his eyes in rest would steep; Sleep's but a shorter death, death's but a longer sleep. And now th' world and dreams themselves were drown'd A dreadful noise, which every creature daunts; With haste to Piuto, who their counsel wants. Their hoarse base horns like fenny bitterns sound; Th' earth shakes, dogs howl, and heaven itself astound Shuts all his eyes; the stars in clouds their candles drown'd. Mean time hell's iron gates by fiends beneath Are open flung; which framed with wondrous art To every guilty soul yields entrance eath; * But never wight, but he, could thence depart, Who dying once was death to endless death. So where the liver's channel to the heart Pays purple tribute, with their three-forked mace Three Tritons stand, and speed his flowing race, But stop the ebbing stream, if once it back would pace. * Easy. The porter to the infernal gate is Sin, A shapeless shape, a foul deformed thing, Nor nothing, nor a substance; as those thin And empty forms which through the ayer fling Their wandering shapes, at length are fasten'd in The chrystal sight.-It serves, yet reigns as king: It lives, yet's death; it pleases, full of pain: Monster! ah who, who, can thy being feign? Thou shapeless shape, live death, pain pleasing, servile reign. Of that first woman, and the old serpent bred, By lust and custom nurs'd; whom when her mother Saw so deformed, how fain would she have fled Her birth and self? But she her dam would smother And all her brood, had not he rescued Who was his mother's sire, his children's brother: Eternity, who yet was born and died : His own creator, earth's scorn, heaven's pride, Her former parts her mother seems resemble, Yet only seems to flesh and weaker sight; For she with art and paint could fine dissemble Her loathsome face; her back parts, black as night, Like to her horrid sire would force to tremble The boldest heart;—to the eye that meets her right She seems a lovely sweet of beauty rare; But at the parting, he that shall compare, Hell will more lovely deem, the devil's self more fair. Her rosy cheek, quick eye, her naked breast, And whatsoe'er loose fancy might entice, She bare expos'd to sight, all lovely dress'd Who drenched in hell, dreams all of paradise: Close by her sat Despair, sad ghastly spright, About her thousand deaths, but more within : Pale, pined cheeks, black hair, torn, rudely dight; Short breath, long nails, dull eyes, sharp pointed chin: Light, life, heaven, earth, herself, and all she fled. Fain would she die but could not; yet half dead, A breathing corse she seem'd, wrapt up in living lead. In th' entrance Sickness, and faint Languor dwelt, Who with sad groans toll out their passing knell; Late fear, fright, horror, that already felt The torturer's claws, preventing death and hell. Within loud Grief, and roaring Pangs that swelt In sulphur flames, did weep, and howl, and yell. And thousand souls in endless dolour lie, Who burn, fry, hiss, and never cease to cry, "Oh that I ne'er had liv'd! oh that I once could die?" And now the Infernal Powers through th' ayer driving, For speed their leathern pinions broad display; Now at eternal Death's wide gate arriving, Sin gives them passage; still they cut their way, Till to the bottom of hell's palace driving They enter Dis' deep conclave: there they stay, Waiting the rest, and now they all are met, A full foul senate, now they all are set, The horrid courts, big swol'n with th' hideous counsel sweat. The mid'st but lowest,-in hell's heraldry The deepest is the highest room,-in state Sat lordly Lucifer: his fiery eye, Much swoln with pride, but more with rage and hate, As censor muster'd all his company; Who round about with awful silence sate. This do, this let rebellious spirits gain, Change God for Satan, heaven's for hell's sov'reign: Ah wretch! who with ambitious cares opprest, Good never; who wilt serve thy lusting mood, But pulled it down, hath high and firmly stood. Fool serve thy towering lust, grow still, still crave, Rule, reign, this comfort from thy greatness have, Now at thy top thou art a great commanding slave. Thus fell that prince of darkness, onee a bright And shining star; he wilful turned away So now the first in hell, in flames he reigns, Crown'd once with joy and light; crown'd now with fire and pains. As where the warlike Dane the sceptre sways, Who now, when he had overlooked his train, Rising upon his throne with bitter strain, Thus 'gan to whet their rage, and chide their frustrate pain. The speech of Satan, which occupies eighteen stanzas, is too long for insertion. He begins with lamenting the universal peace in which the world reposed, and the extention of divine truth by the propagation of the Gospel. Spring-tides of light divine the air surround, And bring down heav'n to earth; deaf ignorance Vext with the day, her head in hell hath drown'd, Fond superstition, frighted with the glance Of sudden beams, in vain hath crost her round, Truth and religion every where.advance Their conquering standards: Error's lost and fled: Earth burns in love to heaven; heaven yields her bed To earth; and common grown, smiles to be rayished. That little swimming Isle above the rest, Spite of our spite, and all our plots, remains, And grows in happiness; but late our nest, Where we, and Rome, and blood, and all our trains Monks, nuns, dead and live idols, safe did rest: |