BOOK SECOND
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��With heaven's artillery fraught, come rat- tling on Over the Caspian, then stand front to
front Hovering a space, till winds the signal
blow
To join their dark encounter in mid-air. So frowned the mighty combatants that
Hell Grew darker at their frown; so matched
they stood; 720
For never but once more was either like To meet so great a foe. And now great
deeds Had been achieved, whereof all Hell had
rung,
Had not the snaky Sorceress, that sat Fast by Hell-gate and kept the fatal key, Risen, and with hideous outcry rushed be- tween. " O father, what intends thy hand," she
cried, " Against thy only son ? What fury, O
son,
Possesses thee to bend that mortal dart Against thy father's head ? And know'st
for whom ? 730
For Him who sits above, and laughs the
while
At thee, ordained his drudge to execute Whate'er his wrauth, which He calls justice,
bids His wrauth, which one day will destroy ye
both ! " She spake, and at her words the hellish
Pest
Forbore: then these to her Satan re- turned: " So strange thy outcry, and thy words
so strange
Thou interposest, that my sudden hand, Prevented, spares to tell thee yet by deeds What it intends, till first I know of thee What thing thou art, thus double-formed,
and why, 741
In this infernal vale first met, thou call'st Me father, and that fantasm call'st my son. I know thee not, nor ever saw till now Sight more detestable than him and thee." To whom thus the Portress of Hell-gate
replied: "Hast thou forgot me, then; and do I
seem Now in thine eye so foul ? once deemed
so fair
��In Heaven, when at the assembly, and in
sight 749
Of all the Seraphim with thee combined In bold conspiracy against Heaven's King, All on a sudden miserable pain Surprised thee, dim thine eyes, and dizzy
swum In darkness, while thy head flames thick
and fast Threw forth, till on the left side opening
wide, Likest to thee in shape and countenance
bright, Then shining heavenly fair, a goddess
armed, Out of thy head I sprung. Amazement
seized All the host of Heaven; back they recoiled
afraid 759
At first, and called me Sin, and for a sign Portentous held me; but, familiar grown, I pleased, and with attractive graces won The most averse thee chiefly, who, full
oft
Thyself in me thy perfect image viewing, Becam'st enamoured; and such joy thou
took'st
With me in secret that my womb conceived A growing burden. Meanwhile war arose, And fields were fought in Heaven: wherein
remained (For what could else ?) to our Almighty
Foe
Clear victory ; to our part loss and rout 770 Through all the Empyrean. Down they
fell, Driven headlong from the pitch of Heaven,
down
Into this Deep; and in the general fall I also: at which time this powerful Key Into my hands was given, with charge to
keep These gates for ever shut, which none can
pass
Without my opening. Pensive here I sat Alone ; but long I sat not, till my womb, Pregnant by thee, and now excessive grown, Prodigious motion felt and rueful throes. At last this odious offspring whom thou
seest, 781
Thine own begotten, breaking violent way, Tore through my entrails, that, with fear
and pain
Distorted, all my nether shape thus grew Transformed : but he my inbred enemy
�� �
