Loud as from numbers without number, sweet
As from blest voices, uttering joy, Heav’n rung
With Jubilee, and loud Hosanna’s filld
Th’ eternal Regions: lowly reverent
350
Towards either Throne they bow, and to the ground
With solemn adoration down they cast
Thir Crowns inwove with Amarant and Gold,
Immortal Amarant, a Flowr which once
In Paradise, fast by the Tree of Life
355
Began to bloom, but soon for mans offence
To Heav’n remov’d where first it grew, there grows,
And flowrs aloft shading the Fount of Life,
And where the river of Bliss through midst of Heavn
Rowls o’re Elisian Flowrs her Amber stream;
360
With these that never fade the Spirits Elect
Bind thir resplendent locks inwreath’d with beams,
Now in loose Garlands thick thrown off, the bright
Pavement that like a Sea of Jasper shon
Impurpl’d with Celestial Roses smil’d.
365
Then Crown’d again thir gold’n Harps they took,
Harps ever tun’d, that glittering by thir side
Like Quivers hung, and with Præamble sweet
Of charming symphonie they introduce
This sacred Song, and waken raptures high;
370
No voice exempt, no voice but well could join
Melodious part, such concord is in Heav’n.
Thee Father first they sung Omnipotent,
Immutable, Immortal, Infinite,
Eternal King; thee Author of all being,
375
Fountain of Light, thy self invisible
Amidst the glorious brightness where thou sit’st
Thron’d inaccessible, but when thou shad’st
The full blaze of thy beams, and through a cloud
Drawn round about thee like a radiant Shrine,
380
Dark with excessive bright thy skirts appeer,
Yet dazle Heav’n, that brightest Seraphim
Approach not, but with both wings veil thir eyes.
Thee next they sang of all Creation first,
Begotten Son, Divine Similitude,
385
In whose conspicuous count’nance, without cloud
Made visible, th’ Almighty Father shines,
Whom else no Creature can behold; on thee
Impresst th’ effulgence of his Glorie abides,
Transfus’d on thee his ample Spirit rests.
390
Hee Heav’n of Heav’ns and all the Powers therein
By thee created, and by thee threw down
Th’ aspiring Dominations: thou that day
Thy Fathers dreadful Thunder didst not spare,
Nor stop thy flaming Chariot wheels, that shook
395
Heav’ns everlasting Frame, while o’re the necks
Thou drov’st of warring Angels disarraid.
Back from pursuit thy Powers with loud acclaim
Thee only extoll’d, Son of thy Fathers might,
To execute fierce vengeance on his foes,
400
Not so on Man; him through their malice fall’n,
Father of Mercie and Grace, thou didst not doom
So strictly, but much more to pitie encline:
No sooner did thy dear and onely Son
Perceive thee purpos’d not to doom frail Man
405
So strictly, but much more to pitie enclin’d,
He to appease thy wrauth, and end the strife
Of Mercy and Justice in thy face discern’d,
Regardless of the Bliss wherein hee sat
Second to thee, offerd himself to die
410
For mans offence. O unexampl’d love,
Love no where to be found less then Divine!
Hail Son of God, Saviour of Men, thy Name
Shall be the copious matter of my Song
Henceforth, and never shall my Harp thy praise
415
Forget, nor from thy Fathers praise disjoin.
Thus they in Heav’n, above the starry Sphear,
Thir happie hours in joy and hymning spent.
Mean while upon the firm opacous19 Globe
Of this round World, whose first convex divides
420
The luminous inferior Orbs, enclos’d
From Chaos and th’ inroad of Darkness old,
Satan alighted walks: a Globe farr off
Dark, waste, and wild, under the frown of Night
425
Starless expos’d, and ever-threatning storms
Of Chaos blustring round, inclement skie;
Save on that side which from the wall of Heav’n
Though distant farr som small reflection gains
Of glimmering air less vext with tempest loud:
430
Here walk’d the Fiend at large in spacious field.
As when a Vultur on Imaus20 bred,
Whose snowie ridge the roving Tartar bounds,
Dislodging from a Region scarce of prey
To gorge the flesh of Lambs or yeanling Kids
435
On Hills where Flocks are fed, flies toward the Springs
Of Ganges or Hydaspes, Indian streams;
But in his way lights on the barren plains
Of Sericana, where Chineses drive
With Sails and Wind thir canie Waggons light:
440
So on this windie Sea of Land, the Fiend
Walk’d up and down alone bent on his prey,
Alone, for other Creature in this place
Living or liveless to be found was none,
None yet, but store hereafter from the earth
445
Up hither like Aereal vapours flew
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,
450
Or happiness in this or th’ other life;
All who have thir reward on Earth, the fruits
Of painful Superstition and blind Zeal,
Naught seeking but the praise of men, here find
Fit retribution, emptie as thir deeds;
455
All th’ unaccomplisht works of Natures hand,
Abortive, monstrous, or unkindly21 mixt,
Dissolv’d on Earth, fleet hither, and in vain,
Till final dissolution, wander here,
Not in the neighbouring Moon, as some22 have dreamd;
460
Those argent Fields more likely habitants,
Translated Saints,23 or middle Spirits hold
Betwixt th’ Angelical and Human kind:
Hither of ill-joynd Sons and Daughters born
First from the ancient World those Giants came
465
With many a vain exploit, though then renownd:
The builders next 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
470
A God, leap’d fondly into Ætna flames,
Empedocles, and hee who to enjoy
Plato’s Elysium, leap’d into the Sea,
Cleombrotus, and many more too long,
Embryo’s and Idiots, Eremits and Friers
475
White, Black and Grey,24 with all thir trumperie.
Here Pilgrims roam, that stray’d so farr to seek
In Golgotha him dead, who lives in Heav’n;
And they who to be sure of Paradise
&nb
sp; Dying put on the weeds of Dominic,
480
Or in Franciscan think to pass disguis’d;
They pass the Planets seven, and pass the fixt,
And that Crystalline Sphear whose ballance weighs
The Trepidation25 talkt, and that first mov’d;
And now Saint Peter at Heav’ns Wicket seems
485
To wait them with his Keys, and now at foot
Of Heav’ns ascent 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
490
Cowls, Hoods and Habits with thir wearers tost
And fluttered into Raggs, then Reliques, Beads,
Indulgences, Dispenses, Pardons, Bulls,
The sport of Winds: all these upwhirld aloft
Fly o’re the backside of the World farr off
495
Into a Limbo large and broad, since calld
The Paradise of Fools, to few unknown
Long after, now unpeopl’d, and untrod;
All this dark Globe the Fiend found as he pass’d,
And long he wanderd, till at last a gleam
500
Of dawning light turnd thither-ward in haste
His traveird steps; farr distant he descries
Ascending by degrees magnificent
Up to the wall of Heav’n a Structure high,
At top whereof, but farr more rich appeerd
505
The work as of a Kingly Palace Gate
With Frontispice of Diamond and Gold
Imbellisht, thick with sparkling orient Gemms
The Portal shon, inimitable on Earth
By Model, or by shading Pencil drawn.
510
The Stairs were such as whereon Jacob saw
Angels ascending and descending, bands
Of Guardians bright, when he from Esau fled
To Padan-Aram in the field of Luz,
Dreaming by night under the open Skie,
515
And waking cri’d, This is the Gate of Heav’n.26
Each Stair mysteriously27 was meant, nor stood
There alwayes, but drawn up to Heav’n somtimes
Viewless, and underneath a bright Sea flow’d
Of Jasper, or of liquid Pearl, whereon
520
Who after came from Earth, sayling arriv’d,
Wafted by Angels, or flew o’re the Lake
Rapt in a Chariot drawn by fiery Steeds.28
The Stairs were then let down, whether to dare
The Fiend by easie ascent, or aggravate
525
His sad exclusion from the dores of Bliss.
Direct against which op’n’d from beneath,
Just o’re the blissful seat of Paradise,
A passage down to th’ Earth, a passage wide,
Wider by farr then that of after-times
530
Over Mount Sion, and, though that were large,
Over the Promis’d Land to God so dear,
By which, to visit oft those happy Tribes,
On high behests his Angels to and fro
Pass’d frequent, and his eye with choice regard
535
From Paneas29 the fount of Jordans flood
To Beërsaba, where the Holy Land
Borders on Ægypt and th’ Arabian shoar;
So wide the op’ning seemd, where bounds were set
To darkness, such as bound the Ocean wave.
540
Satan from hence now on the lower stair
That scal’d by steps of Gold to Heav’n Gate
Looks down with wonder at the sudden view
Of all this World at once. As when a Scout
Through dark and desart wayes with peril gone
545
All night; at last by break of chearful dawn
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 renown’d Metropolis
550
With glistering Spires and Pinnacles adornd,
Which now the Rising Sun guilds with his beams.
Such wonder seis’d, though after Heaven seen,
The Spirit maligne, but much more envy seis’d
At sight of all this World beheld so fair.
555
Round he surveys, and well might, where he stood
So high above the circling Canopie
Of Nights extended shade; from Eastern Point
Of Libra to the fleecie Starr30 that bears
Andromeda farr off Atlantic Seas
560
Beyond th’ Horizon; then from Pole to Pole
He views in bredth, and without longer pause
Down right into the Worlds first Region throws
His flight precipitant, and winds with ease
Through the pure marble Air his oblique way
565
Amongst innumerable Starrs, that shon
Stars distant, but nigh hand seemd other Worlds,
Or other Worlds they seemd, or happy Iles,
Like those Hesperian Gardens fam’d of old,31
Fortunate Fields, and Groves and flowrie Vales,
570
Thrice happy Iles, but who dwelt happy there
He stayd not to enquire: above them all
The golden Sun in splendor likest Heav’n
Allur’d his eye: Thither his course he bends
Through the calm Firmament; but up or down
575
By center, or eccentric,32 hard to tell,
Or Longitude, where the great Luminarie
Alooff the vulgar Constellations thick,
That from his Lordly eye keep distance due,
Dispenses Light from farr; they as they move
580
Thir Starry dance in numbers that compute
Days, months, and years, towards his all-chearing Lamp
Turn swift thir various motions, or are turnd
By his Magnetic beam, that gently warms
The Univers, and to each inward part
585
With gentle penetration, though unseen,
Shoots invisible vertue ev’n to the deep:
So wondrously was set his Station bright.
There lands the Fiend, a spot like which perhaps
Astronomer in the Sun’s lucent Orb
590
Through his glaz’d Optic Tube yet never saw.33
The place he found beyond expression bright,
Compar’d with aught on Earth, Mettal or Stone;
Not all parts like, but all alike informd34
With radiant light, as glowing Iron with fire;
595
If mettal, part seemd Gold, part Silver cleer;
If stone, Carbuncle most or Chrysolite,
Rubie or Topaz, to the Twelve that shon
In Aarons Brest-plate, and a stone35 besides
Imagind rather oft then elsewhere seen,
600
That stone, or like to that which here below
Philosophers in vain so long have sought,
In vain, though by thir powerful Art they bind
Volatil Hermes, and call up unbound
In various shapes old Proteus from the Sea,
605
Draind through a Limbec to his Native form.
What wonder then if fields and regions here
Breathe forth Elixir pure, and Rivers run
Potable Gold, when with one vertuous touch
Th’ Arch-chimic Sun so farr from us remote
610
Produces with Terrestrial Humor mixt
Here in the dark so many precious things
Of colour glorious and effect so rare?
Here matter new to gaze
the Devil met
Undazl’d, farr and wide his eye commands,
615
For sight no obstacle found here, nor shade,
But all Sun-shine, as when his Beams at Noon
Culminate from th’ Æquator, as they now
Shot upward still direct, whence no way round
Shadow from body opaque can fall, and th’ Air,
620
No where so cleer, sharp’n’d his visual ray
To objects distant farr, whereby he soon
Saw within kenn a glorious Angel stand,
The same whom John saw also in the Sun:36
His back was turnd, but not his brightness hid;
625
Of beaming sunnie Raies, a golden tiar
Circl’d his Head, nor less his Locks behind
Illustrious on his Shoulders fledge with wings
Lay waving round; on som great charge imploy’d
He seemd, or fixt in cogitation deep.
630
Glad was the Spirit impure; as now in hope
To find who might direct his wandring flight
To Paradise the happie seat of Man,
His journies end and our beginning woe.
But first he casts to change his proper shape,
635
Which else might work him danger or delay:
And now a stripling Cherub he appeers,
Not of the prime, yet such as in his face
Youth smil’d Celestial, and to every Limb
Sutable grace diffus’d, so well he feign’d;
640
Under a Coronet his flowing hair
In curls on either cheek plaid, wings he wore
Of many a colourd plume sprinkl’d with Gold,
His habit fit for speed succinct, and held
Before his decent37 steps a Silver wand.
645
He drew not nigh unheard, the Angel bright,
Ere he drew nigh, his radiant visage turnd,
Admonisht by his ear, and strait was known
Th’ Arch-Angel Uriel,38 one of the seav’n
Who in Gods presence, neerest to his Throne
650
Stand ready at command, and are his Eyes39