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《Paradise Lost Ⅲ》
THE ARGUMENT
God sitting on his Throne sees Satan flying towards this world, then newly created; shews him to the Son who sat at his right hand; foretells the success of Satan in perverting mankind; clears his own Justid Wisdom from all imputation, having created Man free and able enough to have withstood h99lib.is Tempter; yet declares his purpose of grace towards him, in regard he fell not of his own malice, as did Satan, but by him seduct. The Son of God renders praises to his Father for the maion of his gracious purpose towards Man; but God again declares, that Grace ot be ext9９lib.eowards Man without the satisfa of divine justice; Man hath offehe majesty of God by aspiring to God-head, and therefore with all his Progeed to death must dye, unless some one be found suffit to answer for his offence, and undergo his Punishment. The Son of G9９ｌｉｂ.
elf or meet,
Ied and undon, hath : [ 235 ]
Behold mee then, mee for him, life for life
I offer, o thine anger fall;
At mee man; I for his sake will leave
Thy bosom, and this glorie o thee
Freely put off, and for him lastly dye [ 240 ]
Well pleasd, o Death wreck all his rage;
Under his gloomie power I shall not long
Lie vanquisht; thou hast givo possess
Life in my self for ever, by thee I live,
Though now to Death I yield, and am his ９９lｉｂ.t>due [ 245 ]
All that of me die, yet that debt paid,
Thou wilt not leave me in the loathsom grave
His prey, nor suffer my unspotted Soule
For ever with corruptioo dwell;
But I shall rise Victorious, and subdue [ 250 ]
My Vanquisher, spoild of his vanted spoile;
Death his deaths wound shall then receive, and stoop
Inglorious, of his mortal sting disarmd.
7
I through the ample Air in Triumph high
Shall lead Hell Captive maugre Hell, and show [ 255 ]
The powers of darkness bound. Thou at the sight
Pleasd, out of Heaven shalt look down and smile,
While by thee raisd I ruin all my Foes,
Death last, and with h藏书网
hee
As from a sed root shall be restord,
As many as are restord, without thee none.
His crime makes guiltie all his Sons, thy merit [ 290 ]
Imputed shall absolve them who renounce
Thir own bhteous and unrighteous deeds,
And live iransplanted, and from thee
Receive new life. So Man, as is most just,
Shall satisfie for Man, be judgd and die, [ 295 ]
And dying rise, and rising with him raise
His Brethren, ransomd with his own dear life.
8
So Heavnly love shall outdoo Hellish hate,
Giving to death, and dying to redeeme,
So dearly to redeem what Hellish hate [ 300 ]
So easily destroyd, and still destroyes
In those who, when they may, accept not grace.
Nor shalt thou by desding to assume
Mans Nature, lessn rade thine own.９9ｌib?
e.
Because thou hast, though Thrond in highest bliss [ 305 ]
Equal to God, and equally enjoying
God-like fruition, quitted all to save
A World from utter loss, and hast been found
By Merit more then Birthright Son of God,
Found worthiest to be so by being Good, [ 310 ]
Farr more the h; because in thee
Love hath abounded more then Glory abounds,
Therefore thy Humiliation shall exalt
With thee thy Manhood also to this Throne;
Here shalt thou sit inate, here shalt Reign [ 315 ]
Both God a藏书网nd Man, Son both of God and Man,
Anointed universal King, all Power
I give thee, reign for ever, and assume
Thy Merits; uhee as Head Supream
Thrones, Prins, Powers, Dominions I reduce: [ 320 ]
All ko thee shall bow, of them that bide
In Heaven, or Earth, or under Earth in Hell;
>en thou attended gloriously from Heavn
Shalt in the Sky appeer, and from thee send
The summoning Argels to proclaime [ 325 ]
Thy dread Tribunal: forthwith from all Windes
The living, and forthwith the cited dead
Of all past Ages to the general Doom
Shall hastn, such a peal shall rouse thir sleep.
Then all thy Saints assembld, thou shalt judge [ 330 ]
Bad men and Angels, they arraignd shall sink
Beh thy Sentence; Hell her numbers full,
Theh shall be for ever shut. Mean while
The W藏书网orld shall burn, and from her ashes spring
New Heavn ah, wherein the just shall dwell [ 335 ]
And 藏书网after all thir tribulations long
See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds,
With Joy and Love triumphing, and fair Truth.
9
Then thou thy regal Scepter.. shalt lay by,
Fal Scepter then no more shall need, [ 340 ]
God shall be All in All. But all ye Gods,
Adore him, who to pass all this dies,
Adore the Son, and honour him as mee.
No sooner had th Almighty ceast, but all
The multitude of Angels with a shout [ 345 ]
Loud as from numbers without number, sweet
As from blest voices, uttering joy, Heavn rung
With Jubilee, and loud Hosannas filld
Th eternal Regions: lowly reverent
Towards either Throhey bow, and to the ground [ 350 ]
With solemn adoration down they cast
Thir s ih Amarant and Gold,
Immortal Amarant, a Flour whice
In Paradise, fast by the Tree of Life
Began to bloom, but soon for mans offence [ 355 ]
To Heavn removd where first it grew, there grows,
And flours aloft shading the Fount of Life,
And where the river of Bliss through midst of Heavn
Rowls ore Elisian Flours her Amber stream;
With these that never fade the Spirits elect [ 360 ]
Bind thir resple locks ihd with beams,
Now in loose Garlands thick thrown off, the bright
Pavement that like a Sea of Jasper shon
Impurpld with Celestial Roses smild.
Then d again thir goldn Harps they took, [ 365 ]
Harps ever tund, that glittering by thir side
Like Quivers hung, and with Pr?amble sweet
Of charmi?t>ng symphohey introduce
Thir sacred Song, and waken raptures high;
No voice exempt, no voice but well could joine [ 370 ]
Melodious part, such cord is in Heavn.
Thee Father first they sung Omnipotent,
Immutable, Immortal, Infinite,
Eternal King; thee Author of all being,
Fountain of Light, thy self invisible [ 375 ]
Amidst the glorious brightness where thou sitst
Thrond inaccessible, but when thou shadst
The full blaze of thy beams, and through a cloud
Drawn round about thee like a radiant Shrine,
Dark with excessive bright thy skirts appeer, [ 380 ]
Yet dazle Heavn, that brightest Seraphim
Approaot, but with both wings veil thir eyes,
Thee hey sang of all Creat９9ｌｉｂ.ion first,
Begotten Son, Divine Similitude,
In whose spicuous tnance, without cloud [ 385 ]
Made visible, th Almighty Father shines,
Whom else no Creature behold; on thee
Impresst the effulgence of his Glorie abides,
Transfusd on thee his ample Spirit rests.
10
Hee Heavn of Heavens and all the Powers therein [ 390 ]
By thee created, and by thee threw down
Th Aspiring Dominations: thou that d.ay
Thy Fathers dreadful Thunder didst not spare,
Nor stop thy flaming Chariot wheels, that shook
Heavns everlasting Frame, while ore the necks [ 395 ]
Thou drovst of warring Angels disarraid.
Back from pursuit thy Powers with loud acclaime
Thee oolld, Son of thy Fathers might,
To execute fierce vengean his foes,
Not so on Man; him through their malice falln, [ 400 ]
Father of Mercie and Grace, thou didst not 藏书网doome
So strictly, but much more to pitie ene:
No sooner did thy dear and onely Son
Perceive thee purposd not to doom frail Man
So strictly, but much more to pitie end, [ 405 ]
He to appease thy wrauth, a.he strife
Of Merd Justi thy face disd,
Regardless of the Bliss wherei
Sed to thee, offerd himself to die
For mans offence. O unexampld love, [ 410 ]
Love no where to be fouhen Divine!
Hail Son of God, Saviour of Men, thy Name
Shall be the atter of my Song
Heh, and never shall my Harp thy praise
Fet, nor from thy Fathers praise disjoine. [ 415 ]
Thus they in Heavn, above the starry Sphear,
Thir happie hours in joy and hymning spent.
Mean while upon the firm opacous Globe
Of this round World, whose first vex divides
The luminous inferior Orbs, enclosd [ 420 ]
From Chaos and th inroad of Darkness old,
Satan alighted walks: a Globe farr off
It seemd, now seems a boundless ti
Dark, waste, and wild, uhe frown of Night
Starless exposd, and ever-threatning storms [ 425 ]
Of Chaos blustring round, i skie;
Save on that side which from the wall of Heavn
Though distant farr some small refle gaines
Of glimmering air less vext with tempest loud:
Here walkd the Fiend at large in spacious field. [ 430 ]
11
As when a Vultur on Imaus bred,
Whose snowie ridge the roving Tartar bounds,
Dislodging from a Region scarce of prey
Te the fle藏书网sh of Lambs or yeanling Kids
On Hills where Flocks are fed, flies toward the Springs [ 435 ]
Of Ganges or Hydaspes, Indian streams;
But in his way lights on the barren Plaines
Of Seria, where eses drive
With Sails and Wind thir ie Waggons light:
So on this windie Sea of Land, the Fiend [ 440 ]
Walkd up and down alo on his prey,
Alone, for other Creature in this place
Living or liveless to be found was none,
, but store hereafter from the earth
Up hither like Aereal vapours flew [ 445 ]
Of all things transitorie and vain, when Sin
With vanity had filld the works of men:
Both all things vain, and all who in vain things
Built thir fond hopes of Glorie or lasting fame,
Or happiness in this or th other life; [ 450 ]
All who have thir reward oh, the fruits
Of painful Superstition and blind Zeal,
Naught seeking but the praise of men, here find
Fit retributioie as thir deeds;
All th unaplisht works of Natures hand, [ 455 ]
Abortive, monstrous, or unkindly mixt,
Dissolvd oh, fleet hither, and in vain,
Till final dissolution, wander here,
Not in the neighb Moon, as some have dreamd;
Those argent Fields more likely habitants, [ 460 ]
Translated Saints, or middle Spirits hold
Betwixt th Angelical and Human kinde:
Hither of ill-joynd Sons and Daughters born
First from the a World those Giants came
With many a vain exploit, though then renownd: [ 465 ]
The builders of Babel on the Plain
Of Sennaar, and still with vain designe
New Babels, had they wherewithall, would build:
Others came single; he who to be deemd
A God, leapd fondly into ?tna flames [ 470 ]
Empedocles, and hee who to enjoy
Platos Elysium, leapd into the Sea,
brotus, and many more too long,
Embryos and Idiots, Eremits and Friers
White, Blad Grey, with all thir trumperie. [ 475 ]
Here Pilgrims roam, that strayd so farr to seek
In Golgotha him dead, who lives in 99liｂ?Heavn;
And they who to be sure of Paradise
Dying put on the weeds of Dominic,
Or in Francis think to pass disguisd; [ 480 ]
They pass the Plas seven, and pass the fixt,
And that Crystalline Sphear whose ballance weighs
The Trepidation talkt, and that first movd;
And now Saier at Heavns Wicket seems
To wait them with his Keys, and now at foot [ 485 ]
Of Heavns asbbr>t they lift thir Feet, when loe
A violent cross wind from either Coast
Blows them transverse ten thousand Leagues awry
Into the devious Air; then might ye see
Cowles, Hoods and Habits with thir wearers tost [ 490 ]
And flutterd ints, then Reliques, Beads,
Indulgences, Dispenses, Pardons, Bulls,
The sport of Winds: all these upwhirld aloft
Fly ore the backside of the World farr off
Into a Limbe and broad, since calld [ 495 ]
The Paradise of Fools, to few unknown
Long after, now unpeopld, and untrod;
All this dark Globe the Fiend found as he passd,
And long he wanderd, till at last a gleame
Of dawning light turnd thither-ward in haste [ 500 ]
His travelld steps; farr distant he descries
Asding by degrees magnifit
Up to the wall of Heaven a Structure high,
At top whereof, but farr more rich appeerd
The work as of a Kingly Palace Gate [ 505 ]
With Frontispice of Diamond and Gold
Imbellisht, thick with sparkling orient Gemmes
The Portal shon, inimitable oh
By Model, or by shading Pencil drawn.
12
The Stairs were such as whereon Jacob saw [ 510 ]
Angels asding and desding, bands
Of Guardians bright, when he from Esau fled
To Padan-Aram in the field of Luz,
Dreaming by night uhe open Skie,
And waking crid, This is the Gate of Heavn [ 515 ]
Each Stair mysteriously was meant, nor stood
There alwayes, but drawn up to Heavn somtimes
Viewless, and underh a bright Sea flowd
Of Jasper, or of liquid Pearle, whereon
Who after came from Earth, sayling arrivd, [ 520 ]
Wafted by Angels, or flew ore the Lake
Rapt in a Chariot drawn by fiery Steeds.
The Stairs were the down, whether to dare
The Fiend by easie ast, ravate
His sad exclusion from the dores of Bliss. [ 525 ]
Direct against which opnd from beh,
Just ore the blissful seat of Paradise,
A passage down to th Earth, a passage wide,
Wider by farr then that.99lｉｂ. of after-times
Over Mount Sion, and, though that were large, [ 530 ]
Over the Promisd Land to God so dear,
By which, to visit oft those happy Tribes,
On high behests his Ao and fro
Passd frequent, and his eye with choice regard
From Pahe fount of Jo?rdans flood [ 535 ]
To Beersaba, where the Holy Land
Borders on ?gypt and th Arabian shoare;
So wide the opning seemd, where bounds were set
To darkness, such as bound the O wave.
Satan from henow on the lower stair [ 540 ]
That scald by steps of Gold to Heav?n Gate
Looks down with wo the sudden view
Of all this World at once. As when a Scout
Through dark a wayes with peril gone
All night; at last by break of chearful dawne [ 545 ]
Obtains the brow of some high-climbing Hill,
Which to his eye discovers unaware
The goodly prospect of some forein land
First-seen, or some renowropolis
With glistering Spires and Pinnacles adornd, [ 550 ]
Whiow the Rising Sun guilds with his beams.
Such wonder seisd, though after Heaven seen,
The Spirit maligne, but much more envy seisd
At sight of all this World beheld so faire.
13
Round he surveys, and well might, where he stood [ 555 ]
So high above the cirg opie
Of Nights extended shade; from Eastern Point
Of Libra to the fleecie Starr that bears
Andromeda farr off Atlantic Seas
Beyond th Horizon; then from Pole to Pole [ 560 ]
He views ih, and without longer pause
Dht into the Worlds first Region throws
His flight precipitant, and windes with ease
Through the pure marble Air his oblique way
Amongst innumerable Starrs, that shon [ 565 ]
Stars distant, but nigh hand seemd other Worlds,
Or other Worlds they seemd, or happy Iles,
Like those Hesperian Gardens famd of old,
Fortunate Fields, and Groves and flourie Vales,
Thrice happy Iles, but who dwelt happy there [ 570 ]
He stayd not to enquire: above them all
The golden Sun in splendor likest Heaven
Allurd his eye: Thither his course he bends
Through the calm Firmament; but up or downe
By ter, or etric, hard to tell, [ 575 ]
Or Longitude, whe.９9ｌib? hat pute [ 580 ]
Days, months, & years, towards his all-chearing Lamp
Turn swift thir various motions, or are turnd
By his Magic beam, that gently warms
The Univers, and to eaart
With gentle pe..ion, though unseen, [ 585 ]
Shoots invisible vertue even to the deep:
So wondrously was set his Statiht.
There lands the Fiend, a spot like which perhaps
Astronomer in the Suns lut Orbe
Through his glazd Optic Tube yet never saw. [ 590 ]
The place he found beyond expressiht,
pard with aught oh, Medal or Stone;
Not all parts like, but all alike informd
With radiant light, as glowing Iron with fire;
If mettal, part seemd Gold, part Silver cleer; [ 595 ]
If stone, Carbuncle most or Chrysolite,
Rubie or Topaz, to the Twelve that shon
In Aarons Brest-plate, and a stone besides
Imagind rather oft then elsewhere seen,
That stone, or like to that which here below [ 600 ]
Philosophers in vain so long have sought,
In vain, though by thir powerful Art they binde
Volatil Hermes, and call up unbound
In various shapes old Proteus from the Sea,
Draind through a Limbec to his Native forme. [ 605 ]
14
What wohen if fields and region here
Breathe forth Elixir pure, and Rivers r.un
Potable Gold, when with ouous touch
Th Arch-chimi>?９９lib? so farr from us remote
Produces with Terrestrial Humor mixt [ 610 ]
Here in the dark so many precious things
Of clorious and effect so rare?
Here matter o gaze the Devil met
Undazld, farr and wide his eye ands,
Fht no obstacle found here, nor shade, [ 615 ]
But all Sun-shine, as when his Beams at Noon
Culminate from th ?quator, as they now
Shot upward still direct, wheno way round
Shadow from body opaque fall, and the Aire,
No where so cleer, sharpnd his visual ray [ 620 ]
To objects distant farr, whereby he soon
Saw within kenn a glori>９９lｉb?ous Aand,
The same whom John saw also in the Sun:
His back was turnd, but not his brightness hid;
Of beaming sunnie Raies, a golden tiar [ 625 ]
Circld his Head, nor less his Locks behind
Illustrious on his Shoulders fledge with wings
Lay waving round; on som great charge imployd
He seemd, or fixt in cogitation deep.
Glad was the Spirit impure as now in hope [ 630 ]
To find who might direct his wandring flight
To Paradise the happie seat of Man,
His journies end and inning woe.
But first he casts to ge his prop?9９liｂ?er shape,
Which else might work him danger or delay: [ 635 ]
And now a stripling Cherube he appeers,
Not of the prime, yet such as in his face
Youth smild Celestial, and to every Limb
Sutable grace diffusd, so well he feignd;
Under a et his flowing haire [ 640 ]
In curles oher cheek plaid, wings he wore
Of many a colourd plume sprinkld with Gold,
His habit fit for speed suct, and held
Before his det steps a Silver wand.
15
He drew not nigh unheard, the Angel bright, [ 645 ]
Ere he drew nigh, his radiant visage turnd,
Admonisht by his ear, and strait was known
Th Argel Uriel, one of the seavn
Who in Gods preseneerest to his Throne
Stand ready at and, and are his Eyes [ 650 ]
That run through all the Heavns, or down to th Earth
Bear his swift errands over moist and dry,
Ore Sea and Land; him Satan thus accostes;
Uriel, for thou of those seavn Spirits that stand
In si