The Complete Poetry of John Milton (115 page)

   385     
High proof ye now have giv’n to be the Race

               
Of
Satan
(for I glorie in the name,

               
Antagonist of Heav’ns Almightie King)

               
Amply have merited of me, of all

               
Th’ Infernal Empire, that so neer Heav’ns dore

   390     
Triumphal with triumphal act have met,

               
Mine with this glorious Work, and made one Realm

               
Hell and this World, one Realm, one Continent

               
Of easie thorough-fare. Therefore while I

               
Descend through Darkness, on your Rode with ease

   395     
To my associate Powers, them to acquaint

               
With these successes, and with them rejoyce,

               
You two this way, among those numerous Orbs

               
All yours, right down to Paradise descend;

               
There dwell and Reign in bliss, thence on the Earth

   400     
Dominion exercise and in the Air,

               
Chiefly on Man, sole Lord of all declar’d,

               
Him first make sure your thrall, and lastly kill.

               
My Substitutes I send ye, and Create

               
Plenipotent on Earth, of matchless might

   405     
Issuing from mee: on your joynt vigor now

               
My hold of this new Kingdom all depends,

               
Through Sin to Death expos’d by my exploit.
³⁹

               
If your joynt power prevail, th’ affaires of Hell

               
No detriment need fear, goe and be strong.

   410  
      
       So saying he dismiss’d them, they with speed

               
Thir course through thickest Constellations held

               
Spreading thir bane; the blasted Starrs lookt wan,

               
And Planets, Planet-strook,
⁴⁰
real Eclips
⁴¹

               
Then sufferd. Th’ other way
Satan
went down

   415     
The Causey
⁴²
to Hell Gate; on either side

               
Disparted
Chaos
over built exclaimd,

               
And with rebounding surge the barrs assaild,

               
That scorn’d his indignation: through the Gate,

               
Wide open and unguarded,
Satan
pass’d,

   420     
And all about found desolate; for those

               
Appointed to sit there, had left thir charge,

               
Flown to the upper World; the rest were all

               
Farr to the inland retir’d, about the walls

               
Of
Pandæmonium
, Citie and proud seat

   425     
Of
Lucifer
, so by allusion calld,

               
Of that bright Starr to
Satan
paragond.
⁴³

               
There kept thir Watch the Legions, while the Grand

               
In Council sate, sollicitous what chance

               
Might intercept thir Emperour sent, so hee

   430     
Departing gave command, and they observ’d.
⁴⁴

               
As when the
Tartar
from his
Russian
Foe

               
By
Astracan
⁴⁵
over the Snowie Plains

               
Retires, or
Bactrian
Sophi
⁴⁶
from the horns

               
Of
Turkish
Crescent, leaves all waste beyond

   435     
The Realm of
Aladule
, in his retreat

               
To
Tauris
or
Casbeen.
⁴⁷
So these the late

               
Heav’n-banisht Host, left desert utmost Hell

               
Many a dark League, reduc’t
⁴⁸
in careful Watch

               
Round thir Metropolis, and now expecting

   440     
Each hour their great adventurer from the search

               
Of Forrein Worlds: he through the midst unmarkt,

               
In shew plebeian Angel militant

               
Of lowest order, past; and from the dore

               
Of that
Plutonian
Hall, invisible

   445     
Ascended his high Throne, which under state
⁴⁹

               
Of richest texture spred, at th’ upper end

               
Was plac’t in regal lustre. Down a while

               
He sate, and round about him saw unseen:

               
At last as from a Cloud his fulgent head

   450     
And shape Starr bright appeer’d, or brighter, clad

               
With what permissive glory since his fall

               
Was left him, or false glitter: All amaz’d

               
At that so sudden blaze the
Stygian
throng

               
Bent thir aspect, and whom they wish’d beheld,

   455     
Thir mighty Chief returnd: loud was th’ acclaim:

               
Forth rush’d in haste the great consulting Peers,

               
Rais’d from thir dark
Divan
,
⁵⁰
and with like joy

               
Congratulant approach’d him, who with hand

               
Silence, and with these words attention won.

   460  
      
       Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Vertues, Powers,

               
For in possession such, not onely of right,

               
I call ye and declare ye now, returnd

               
Successful beyond hope, to lead ye forth

               
Triumphant out of this infernal Pit

   465     
Abominable, accurst, the house of woe,

               
And Dungeon of our Tyrant: Now possess,

               
As Lords, a spacious World, t’ our native Heav’n

               
Little inferiour, by my adventure hard

               
With peril great atchiev’d. Long were to tell

   470     
What I have don, what sufferd, with what pain

               
Voyag’d th’ unreal, vast, unbounded deep

               
Of horrible confusion, over which

               
By Sin and Death a broad way now is pav’d

               
To expedite your glorious march; but I

   475     
Toild out my uncouth
⁵¹
passage, forc’t to ride

               
Th’ untractable Abyss, plung’d in the womb

               
Of unoriginal
⁵²
Night
and
Chaos
wild,

               
That jealous of thir secrets fiercely oppos’d

               
My journey strange, with clamorous uproar

   480     
Protesting Fate supream; thence how I found

               
The new created World, which fame in Heav’n

               
Long had foretold, a Fabrick wonderful

               
Of absolute perfection, therein Man

               
Plac’t in a Paradise, by our exile

   485     
Made happie: Him by fraud I have seduc’d

               
From his Creator, and the more to increase

               
Your wonder, with an Apple; he thereat

               
Offended, worth your laughter,
⁵³
hath giv’n up

               
Both his beloved Man and all his World,

   490     
To Sin and Death a prey, and so to us,

               
Without our hazard, labour, or allarm,

               
To range in, and to dwell, and over Man

               
To rule, as over all he should have rul’d.

               
True is, mee also he hath judg’d, or rather

   495     
Mee not, but the brute Serpent in whose shape

               
Man I deceav’d: that which to mee belongs,

               
Is enmity, which he will put between

               
Mee and Mankind; I am to bruise his heel;

               
His Seed, when is not set, shall bruise my head:

   500     
A World who would not purchase with a bruise,

               
Or much more grievous pain? Ye have th’ account

               
Of my performance: What remains, ye Gods,

               
But up and enter now into full bliss.

           
      
       So having said, a while he stood, expecting

   505     
Thir universal shout and high applause

               
To fill his ear, when contrary he hears

               
On all sides, from innumerable tongues

               
A dismal universal hiss, the sound

               
Of public scorn; he wonderd, but not long

   510     
Had leasure, wondring at himself now more;

               
His Visage drawn he felt to sharp and spare,

               
His Armes clung to his Ribs, his Leggs entwining

               
Each other, till supplanted
⁵⁴
down he fell

               
A monstrous Serpent on his Belly prone,

   515     
Reluctant, but in vain, a greater power

               
Now rul’d him, punisht in the shape he sin’d,

               
According to his doom: he would have spoke,

               
But hiss for hiss returnd with forked tongue

               
To forked tongue, for now were all transform’d

   520     
Alike, to Serpents all as accessories

               
To his bold Riot:
⁵⁵
dreadful was the din

               
Of hissing through the Hall, thick swarming now

               
With complicated
⁵⁶
monsters, head and tail,

               
Scorpion and Asp, and
Amphisbæna
dire,

   525     
Cerastes
hornd,
Hydrus
, and
Ellops
drear,

               
And
Dipsas
(not so thick swarm’d once the Soil

               
Bedropt with blood of
Gorgon
, or the Isle

               
Ophiusa
) but still greatest hee the midst,

               
Now Dragon grown, larger then whom the Sun

   530     
Ingenderd in the
Pythian
Vale on slime,

               
Huge
Python
, and his Power no less he seem’d

               
Above the rest still to retain; they all

               
Him follow’d issuing forth to th’ open Field,

               
Where all yet left of that revolted Rout

   535     
Heav’n-fall’n, in station stood or just array,

               
Sublime
⁵⁷
with expectation when to see

               
In Triumph issuing forth thir glorious Chief;

               
They saw, but other sight instead, a crowd

               
Of ugly Serpents; horror on them fell,