214
��PARADISE LOST
��Bridging his way, Europe with Asia joined, 3 10
And scourged with many a stroke the in- dignant waves.
Now had they brought the work by won- drous art
Pontifical a ridge of pendent rock Over the vexed Abyss, following the track Of Satan, to the self-same place where he First lighted from his wing and landed safe From out of Chaos to the outside bare Of this round World. With pins of ada- mant And chains they made all fast, too fast
they made
And durable; and now in little space 320 The confines met of empyrean Heaven And of this World, and on the left baud
Hell, With long reach interposed; three several
ways
In sight to each of these three places led. And now their way to Earth they had de- scried,
To Paradise first tending, when, behold Satan, in likeness of an Angel bright, Betwixt the Centaur and the Scorpion steer- ing
His zenith, while the Sun in Aries rose ! Disguised he came; but those his children dear 330
Their parent soon discerned, though in
disguise.
He, after Eve seduced, unminded slunk Into the wood fast by, and, changing shape To observe the sequel, saw his guileful act By Eve, though all unweeting, seconded Upon her husband saw their shame that
sought
Vain covertures; but, when he saw descend The Son of God to judge them, terrified He fled, not hoping to escape, but shun The present fearing, guilty, what his wrauth 340
Might suddenly inflict; that past, returned By night, and, listening where the hapless
pair
Sat in their sad discourse and various plaint, Thence gathered his own doom; which un- derstood
Not instant, but of future time, with joy And tidings fraught, to Hell he now re- turned,
And at the brink of Chaos, near the foot Of this new wondrous pontifice, unhoped
��Met who to meet him came, his offspring dear.
Great joy was at their meeting, and at sight 35 o
Of that stupendious bridge his joyencreased.
Long he admiring stood, till Sin, his fair
Inchanting daughter, thus the silence
broke : " O Parent, these are thy rnagiiific deeds,
Thy trophies ! which thou view'st as not thine own;
Thou art their Author and prime Archi- tect.
For I no sooner in my heart divined
(My heart, which by a secret harmony
Still moves with thine, joined in connexion sweet)
That thou on Earth hadst prospered, which thy looks 360
Now also evidence, but straight I felt
Though distant from thee worlds between, yet felt
That I must after thee with this thy son ;
Such fatal consequence unites us three.
Hell could no longer hold us in her bounds,
Nor this unvoyageable gulf obscure
Detain from following thy illustrious track.
Thou hast achieved our liberty, confined
Within Hell-gates till now; thou us im- powered
To fortify thus far, and overlay 370
With this portentous bridge the dark Abyss.
Thine now is all this World ; thy virtue hath won
What thy hands builded not; thy wisdom gained,
With odds, what war hath lost, and fully avenged
Our foil in Heaven. Here thou shalt Mon- arch reign,
There didst not; there let him still victor sway,
As battle hath adjudged, from this new World
Retiring, by his own doom alienated,
And henceforth monarchy with thee divide
Of all things, parted by the empyreal bounds, 380
His quadrature, from thy orbicular World,
Or try thee now more dangerous to his
Throne."
Whom thus the Prince of Darkness an- swered glad:
" Fair daughter, and thou, son and grand- child both,
�� �
