Page:The Complete Poetical Works of John Milton.djvu/256

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��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,

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