The dark unbottom'd infinite abyss, And through the palpable obfcure find out His uncouth way, or fpread his aery flight Upborne with indefatigable wings Over the vast abrupt, ere he arrive The happy ile? what strength, what art can Suffice, or what evafion bear him fafe Through the ftri&t fenteries and stations thick Of Angels watching round? Here he had need All circumfpection, and we now no less Choice in our fuffrage; for on whom we fend, 415 · The weight of all and our last hope relies. This faid, he fat; and expectation held His look fufpenfe, awaiting who appear'd To fecond, or oppose, or undertake The perilous attempt: but all fat mute, Pond'ring the danger with deep thoughts; and each
In others count'nance read his own dismay
Astonish'd: none among the choice and prime
Of those Heav'n-warring champions could be found So hardy as to proffer or accept
Alone the dreadful voyage; till at last
Satan, whom now tranfcendent glory rais'd Above his fellows, with monarchal pride Confcious of highest worth, unmov'd thus fpake. O Progeny of Heav'n, empyreal Thrones, With reafon hath deep filence and demur Seis'd us, though undismay'd: long is the way And hard, that out of Hell leads up to light; Our prison strong; this huge convex of fire, Outrageous to devour, immures us round
when an affair of difficulty is pro- Jam nova progenies cœlo dimitti
pofed, fuch as fending a spy into the Trojan camp, or a fingle combat with Hector, Iliad. VII. 92.
Ninefold, and gates of burning adamant Barr'd over us prohibit all egrefs.
These pass'd, if any pafs, the void profound Of uneffential Night receives him next Wide gaping, and with utter lofs of being Threatens him, plung'd in that abortive gulf. If thence he scape into whatever world, Or unknown region, what remains him less Than unknown dangers, and as hard escape? But I should ill become this throne, O Peers, And this imperial fovranty, adorn'd With splendor, arm'd with pow'r, if ought propos'd And judg'd of public moment, in the shape Of difficulty or danger could deter
muring them round ninefold, and of the gates of burning adamant, he alludes to what Virgil fays in the fame book, of Styx flowing nine times round the damn'd, and of the gates of Hell.
novies Styx interfufa coercet. ver. 439.
Porta adverfa ingens folidoque a- damante columnæ. ver. 552.
434. - this huge convex of fire,] This huge vault of fire, bending down on all fides round us. Convex is fpoken properly of the exterior surface of a globe, and con
cave of the interior surface which is hollow but the poets do not always fpeak thus exactly, but ufe them promifcuously; and hence in Virgil cæli convexa and Supera convexa in feveral places. And what is here the convex of fire is afterwards call'd the fiery concave, ver. 635.
438.-the void profound] Inane profundum, as Lucretius has it in feveral places.
fential, void of being; darknefs 439. Of uneffential Night] Unefapproaching nearest to, and being the best refemblance of non-entity. Hume. 450.-Where
Me from attempting. Wherefore do' I affume 450 Thefe royalties, and not refufe to reign, Refufing to accept as great a fhare
Of hazard as of honor, due alike
To him who reigns, and fo much to him due Of hazard more, as he above the rest
455 High honor'd fits? Go therefore mighty Powers, Terror of Heav'n, though fall'n; intend at home, While here shall be our home, what best may ease The prefent mifery, and render Hell More tolerable; if there be cure or charm To refpite, or deceive, or flack the pain Of this ill mansion: intermit no watch
Τῷ νυν χρη Λυκίοισι μετα πρωτ
Εσαμεν, ηδε μαχης καυτερης αντι βολήσαι· &c.
Why boaft we, Glaucus, our exténded reign,
Where Xanthus' ftreams enrich the Lycian plain,
Our numerous herds that range the fruitful field,
And hills where vines their purple harvest yield,
Our foaming bowls with purer nectar crown'd,
Our feafts enhanc'd with mufic's fprightly found?
Against a wakeful foe, while I abroad
Through all the coafts of dark deftruction feek Deliverance for us all: this enterprise
None shall partake with me. Thus faying rose The Monarch, and prevented all reply,
Prudent, left from his refolution rais'd
Others among the chief might offer now (Certain to be refus'd) what erft they fear'd; 479 And fo refus'd might in opinion stand
His rivals, winning cheap the high repute Which he through hazard huge muft earn. But they Dreaded not more th' adventure than his voice Forbidding; and at once with him they rofe; 475
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