745 To noon he fell, from noon to dewy eve, With his induftrious crew to build in Hell. Mean while the winged heralds by command Of fovran pow'r, with awful ceremony 750 And trumpet's found, throughout the hoft proclame A folemn council forthwith to be held At Pandemonium, the high capital Of Satan and his peers: their fummons call'd By place or choice the worthieft; they anon 755 With hundreds and with thousands trooping came 760 To mortal combat, or career with lance) 765 770 The fuburb of their ftraw-built citadel, New rubb'd with balm, expatiate and confer Their ftate affairs. So thick the aery croud 775 Swarm'd and were straiten'd; till, the fignal given, Behold a wonder! they but now who seem'd In bigness to furpafs earth's giant fons, Now lefs than fmalleft dwarfs, in narrow room 780 Or dreams he fees, while over-head the moon Sits arbitrefs, and nearer to the earth 785 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. Reduc'd their shapes immense, and were at large, 790 795 THE END OF THE FIRST BOOK, THE ARGUMENT. The confultation begun, Satan debates whether another battel be to be hazarded for the recovery of Heaven: Some advise it, others diffuade: A third propofal is preferred, mention'd before by Satan, to fearch 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 fhall be fent on this difficult fearch: Satan their chief undertakes alone the voyage, is honor'd and applauded. The council thus ended, the reft betake them several ways, and to feveral employments, as their inclinations lead them, to entertain the time till Satan return. He paffes on his journey to Hell gates, finds them shut, and who fate there to guard them, by whom at length they are open'd, and difcover to him the great gulf between Hell and Heaven; with what difficulty he paffes through, directed by Chaos, the Power of that place, to the fight of this new world which he fought. |