¡¶Paradise Lost ¢ó¡· THE ARGUMENT God sitting on an flying toed; so t at ells tan in perverting mankind; clears ice and isdom from all imputation, ed Man free and able enougo ood empter; yet declares o by . to ation of o God again declares, t Grace cannot be extended to tisfaction of divine justice; Man y of God by aspiring to God-ed to deat dye, unless some one can be found sufficient to anss ion, pronounces ation above all Names in o adore o te tan aligermost Orb; y; o te of aires, and ters above t t flo it: o t of t Orb, but first co tending a zealous desire to beion and Man ion, and is directed; alig on Mount Nipes. 1 , ofspring of -born, Or of ternal Coeternal beam May I express t, And never but in unapproac D from Eternitie, d thee, [ 5 ] Brig essence increate. Or tream, ain he Sun, Before t, and at the voice Of God, as le didst invest [ 10 ] ters dark and deep, on from te. t noh bolder wing, Escapt tygian Pool, taind In t obscure sojourn, w [ 15 ] tter and through middle darkness borne ites to th Orphean Lyre I sung of Cernal Night, taugo venture down t, and up to reascend, [ 20 ] t safe, And feel tal Lamp; but thou Revisitst not t rowle in vain to find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn; So t thir Orbs, [ 25 ] Or dim suffusion veild. Yet not the more Cease I to wander w Cleer Spring, or shadie Grove, or Sunnie hill, Smit chief th [ 30 ] t was, and warbling flow, Nig: nor somtimes forget te, So hem in renown, Blind thamyris and blind M?onides, [ 35 ] And tiresias and Ps old. 2 ts, t voluntarie move he wakeful Bird Sings darkling, and in s Covert hid tunes urnal Note. the Year [ 40 ] Seasons return, but not to me returns Day, or t approach of Evn or Morn, Or sight of vernal bloom, or Summers Rose, Or flocks, or heards, or human face divine; But cloud in stead, and ever-during dark [ 45 ] Surrounds me, from the chearful wayes of men Cut off, and for the Book of knowledg fair Presented h a Universal blanc Of Natures o mee expungd and rasd, And one entrance quite s out. [ 50 ] So mucial light Shrough all her powers Irradiate, t eyes, all mist from thence Purge and disperse, t I may see and tell Of to mortal sight. [ 55 ] Noher from above, From ts down his eye, once to view: About ities of heaven [ 60 ] Stood tarrs, and from receivd Beatitude past utterance; on t image of , beheld Our t Parents, yet two [ 65 ] Of mankind, in t, Reaping immortal fruits of joy and love, Uninterrupted joy, unrivald love In blissful solitude; hen surveyd an there [ 70 ] Coasting t In the dun Air sublime, and ready now to stoop On tside of t seemd Firm land imbosomd Firmament, [ 75 ] Uncertain which, in Ocean or in Air. 3 high, , present, future he beholds, to his onely Son foreseeing spake. Onely begotten Son, seest t rage [ 80 ] transports our adversarie, whom no bounds Prescribd, no barrs of he chains on the main Abyss ide interrupt can he seems On desparate reveng, t shall redound [ 85 ] Upon his own rebellious head. And now traint broke loose he wings his way Not farr off s of light, Directly toed orld, And Man t, o assay [ 90 ] If roy, or worse, By some false guile pervert; and s For man will o his glozing lyes, And easily transgress the sole Command, Sole pledge of his obedience: So will fall, [ 95 ] ? e, he had of mee All and right, Sufficient to ood, to fall. Suced all thereal Powers [ 100 ] And Spirits, botood and them who faild; Freely tood wood, and fell who fell. Not free, hey have givn sincere Of true allegiance, constant Faith or Love, t do, appeard, [ 105 ] Not praise could they receive? pleasure I from such obedience paid, hen ill and Reason (Reason also is choice) Useless and vain, of freedom both despoild, Made passive botie, [ 110 ] Not mee. to right belongd, So ed, nor can justly accuse te, As if predestination over-ruld te Decree [ 115 ] Or hemselves decreed t, not I: if I foreknew, Foreknowledge , ain unforeknown. 4 So least impulse or se, [ 120 ] Or augablie foreseen, trespass, Auto themselves in all Bot t they choose; for so I formd t remain, till t change [ 125 ] ture, and revoke the high Decree Uncernal, which ordaind thir fall. t sort by tion fell, Self-tempted, self-depravd: Man falls deceivd [ 130 ] By t: Man therefore shall find grace, tice both, th, so shall my glorie excel, But Mercy first and last sest shine. thus while God spake, ambrosial fragrance filld [ 135 ] All s elect Sense of new joy ineffable diffusd: Beyond compare the Son of God was seen Most glorious, in her shon Substantially expressd, and in his face [ 140 ] Divine compassion visibly appeerd, Love end, and measure Grace, tering to her spake. O Fat word which closd tence, t Man should find grace; [ 145 ] For woll th innumerable sound Of hrone Encompassd s. For s, should Man [ 150 ] ture late so lovd, t Son Fall circumvented though joynd it be from thee farr, t farr be from t Judg Of all t onely right. [ 155 ] Or sain rate thine, shall he fulfill o naught, Or proud return to his heavier doom, Yet and to hell [ 160 ] Draer he whole Race of mankind, By ed? or thy self Abolision, and unmake, For for t made? So sness both [ 165 ] Be questiond and blasp defence. to our thus replyd. 5 O Son, in w, Son of my bosom, Son w alone My ual might, [ 170 ] All ts are, all As my Eternal purpose h decreed: Man s quite be lost, but savd who will, Yet not of will in grace in me Freely voutsaft; once more I will renew [ 175 ] and enthralld By sin to foul exorbitant desires; Up once more and On even ground against al foe, By me up he may know how frail [ 180 ] ion is, and to me ow All o none but me. Some I have chosen of peculiar grace Elect above t; so is my will: t s be warnd [ 185 ] tate, and to appease betimes tie while offerd grace Invites; for I hir senses dark, may suffice, and softn stonie s to pray, repent, and bring obedience due. [ 190 ] to Prayer, repentance, and obedience due, t endevord ent, Mine ear s be slo s. And I hem as a guide My Umpire Conscience, whey will hear, [ 195 ] Liger ligtain, And to ting, safe arrive. this my long sufferance and my day of grace t and scorn, saste; But hard be hardnd, blind be blinded more, [ 200 ] t tumble on, and deeper fall; And none but such from mercy I exclude. But yet all is not don; Man disobeying, Disloyal breaks ie, and sinns Against the high Supremacie of heavn, [ 205 ] Affecting God-head, and so loosing all, to expiate reason left, But to destruction sacred and devote, eritie must dye, Dye ice must; unless for him [ 210 ] Som other able, and as willing, pay tisfaction, death. 6 Say heavnly Powers, where shall we find such love, al to redeem Mans mortal crime, and just t to save, [ 215 ] Dwels in all ie so deare? all tood mute, And silence was in heavn: on mans behalf Patron or Intercessor none appeerd, Muc durst upon his own head draw [ 220 ] ture, and ransom set. And no redemption all mankind Must , adjudgd to Death and hell By doom severe, the Son of God, In whe fulness dwells of love divine, [ 225 ] mediation thus renewd. Fat, man shall find grace; And s find means, t finds her way, t of thy winged messengers, to visit all tures, and to all [ 230 ] Comes unprevented, unimplord, unsought, happie for man, so coming; he her aide Can never seek, once dead in sins and lost; Attonement for , Indebted and undon, o bring: [ 235 ] Behen, mee for him, life for life I offer, on mee let thine anger fall; Account mee man; I for his sake will leave t to thee Freely put off, and for ly dye [ 240 ] ell pleasd, on me let Death wreck all his rage; Under long Lie vanquis givn me to possess Life in my self for ever, by thee I live, to Death I yield, and am his due [ 245 ] All t of me can die, yet t debt paid, t not leave me in thsom grave ted Soule For ever ion to dwell; But I sorious, and subdue [ 250 ] My Vanquised spoile; Deatoop Inglorious, of al sting disarmd. 7 I triumph high Sive maugre hell, and show [ 255 ] t t Pleasd, out of look down and smile, hee raisd I ruin all my Foes, Deat, and the Grave: titude of my redeemd [ 260 ] Ser , and returne, Fato see thy face, wherein no cloud Of anger s peace assurd, And reconcilement; h shall be no more t in tire. [ 265 ] Silent yet spake, and breatal love to mortal men, above which only shon Filial obedience: as a sacrifice Glad to be offerd, tends the will [ 270 ] Of Fation seisd All t mean, and wend ondring; but soon ty thus replyd: O the only peace Found out for mankind under hou [ 275 ] My sole complacence! how dear, to me are all my t created, t for him I spare t o save, By loosing t. [ 280 ] t redeem, ture also to ture joyn; And be th, Made flesime shall be, of Virgin seed, By hou in Adams room [ 285 ] though Adams Son. As in hee As from a second root sord, As many as are restord, thee none. ie all [ 290 ] Imputed shem who renounce teous and unrighteous deeds, And live in transplanted, and from thee Receive ne just, Sisfie for Man, be judgd and die, [ 295 ] And dying rise, and rising h him raise h his own dear life. 8 So doo e, Giving to deato redeeme, So dearly to redeem w e [ 300 ] So easily destroyd, and still destroyes In t not grace. Nor s to assume Mans Nature, lessn or degrade thine owne. Because t, t bliss [ 305 ] Equal to God, and equally enjoying God-like fruition, quitted all to save A orld from utter loss, and been found By Merit more t Son of God, Found to be so by being Good, [ 310 ] Farr more t or hee Love hen Glory abounds, tion s ito throne; t incarnate, Reign [ 315 ] Both of God and Man, Anointed universal King, all Power I give thee, reign for ever, and assume ts; under thee as head Supream thrones, Princedoms, Powers, Dominions I reduce: [ 320 ] All knees to t bide In h in hell; tended gloriously from heavn S in thee send to proclaime [ 325 ] tribunal: forth from all indes ted dead Of all past Ages to the general Doom Sn, suchir sleep. ts assembld, t judge [ 330 ] Bad men and Angels, they arraignd shall sink Beneatence; hell her numbers full, t. Mean while the orld shall burn, and from her ashes spring New shall dwell [ 335 ] And after all tribulations long See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds, itriumpruth. 9 ter s lay by, For regal Scepter then no more shall need, [ 340 ] God s all ye Gods, Adore o compass all this dies, Adore the Son, and honour him as mee. No sooner y ceast, but all titude of Angels [ 345 ] Loud as from numbers number, s As from blest voices, uttering joy, heavn rung ith Jubilee, and loud hosannas filld ternal Regions: lo too the ground [ 350 ] ition do t and Gold, Immortal Amarant, a Flour which once In Paradise, fast by tree of Life Began to bloom, but soon for mans offence [ 355 ] to it grehere grows, And flours aloft s of Life, And w of heavn Rowls ore Elisian Flours ream; it never fade ts elect [ 360 ] Bind t locks inh beams, No Pavement t like a Sea of Jasper shon Impurpld ial Roses smild. took, [ 365 ] und, t glittering by thir side Like Quivers Of croduce tures high; No voice exempt, no voice but well could joine [ 370 ] Melodious part, such concord is in heavn. t tent, Immutable, Immortal, Infinite, Eternal King; thor of all being, Fountain of Lighy self invisible [ 375 ] Amidst tness t w through a cloud Dra t Shrine, Dark ts appeer, [ 380 ] Yet dazle brig Seraphim Approac, but hir eyes, t tion first, Begotten Son, Divine Similitude, In cloud [ 385 ] Made visible, ty Father shines, ure can behee Impresst the effulgence of his Glorie abides, transfusd on t rests. 10 herein [ 390 ] By ted, and by threw down tions: t day t not spare, Nor stop t w shook ing Frame, whe necks [ 395 ] t of warring Angels disarraid. Back from pursuit th loud acclaime tolld, Son of t, to execute fierce vengeance on his foes, Not so on Man; heir malice falln, [ 400 ] Fat not doome So strictly, but muco pitie encline: No sooner did thy dear and onely Son Perceive t to doom frail Man So strictly, but muco pitie enclind, [ 405 ] o appease trife Of Mercy and Justice in thy face discernd, Regardless of t Second to to die For mans offence. O unexampld love, [ 410 ] Love no hen Divine! hy Name Ster of my Song hy praise Forget, nor from thers praise disjoine. [ 415 ] tarry Sphear, t. Mean whe firm opacous Globe Of t convex divides the luminous inferior Orbs, enclosd [ 420 ] From Ch inroad of Darkness old, Satan alighted walks: a Globe farr off It seemd, noinent Dark, e, and Starless exposd, and ever-tning storms [ 425 ] Of Cring round, inclement skie; Save on t side whe wall of heavn tant farr some small reflection gaines Of glimmering air less vext empest loud: large in spacious field. [ 430 ] 11 As wur on Imaus bred, artar bounds, Dislodging from a Region scarce of prey to gorge the flesh of Lambs or yeanling Kids On ohe Springs [ 435 ] Of Ganges or reams; But in s on the barren Plaines Of Sericana, where Chineses drive it: So on the Fiend [ 440 ] alkd up and do on his prey, Alone, for oture in this place Living or liveless to be found was none, None yet, but store er from th Up her like Aereal vapours flew [ 445 ] Of all transitorie and vain, when Sin ity he works of men: Bothings Built ting fame, Or her life; [ 450 ] All ws Of painful Superstition and blind Zeal, Naug the praise of men, here find Fit retribution, emptie as thir deeds; All t ures hand, [ 455 ] Abortive, monstrous, or unkindly mixt, Dissolvd on eart her, and in vain, till final dissolution, wander here, Not in the neighbouring Moon, as some have dreamd; t Fields more likely ants, [ 460 ] translated Saints, or middle Spirits hold Bet th Angelical and human kinde: ers born First from t orld ts came it, then renownd: [ 465 ] t of Babel on the Plain Of Sennaar, and still h vain designe New Babels, hall, would build: Oto be deemd A God, leapd fondly into ?tna flames [ 470 ] Empedocles, and o enjoy Platos Elysium, leapd into the Sea, Cleombrotus, and many more too long, Embryos and Idiots, Eremits and Friers e, Black and Grey, rumperie. [ 475 ] strayd so farr to seek In Golgotha him dead, who lives in heavn; And to be sure of Paradise Dying put on the weeds of Dominic, Or in Franciscan to pass disguisd; [ 480 ] ts seven, and pass t, And t Crystalline Sphear whose ballance weighs trepidation talkt, and t first movd; And no Peter at seems to t foot [ 485 ] Of t t, when loe A violent cross Bloransverse ten thousand Leagues awry Into t ye see Coost [ 490 ] And flutterd into Raggs, then Reliques, Beads, Indulgences, Dispenses, Pardons, Bulls, t of inds: all t Fly ore the orld farr off Into a Limbo large and broad, since calld [ 495 ] to few unknown Long after, norod; All the Fiend found as he passd, And long ill at last a gleame Of dae [ 500 ] ravelld steps; farr distant he descries Ascending by degrees magnificent Up to tructure high, At top w farr more rich appeerd te [ 505 ] itispice of Diamond and Gold Imbellis Gemmes tal sable on Earth By Model, or by shading Pencil drawn. 12 tairs were such as whereon Jacob saw [ 510 ] Angels ascending and descending, bands Of Guardians bright, when he from Esau fled to Padan-Aram in the field of Luz, Dreaming by nighe open Skie, And e of heavn [ 515 ] Eacair mysteriously , nor stood t drao imes Vie Sea flowd Of Jasper, or of liquid Pearle, whereon er came from Earth, sayling arrivd, [ 520 ] afted by Angels, or flehe Lake Rapt in a C draeeds. tairs down, wo dare t, or aggravate he dores of Bliss. [ 525 ] Direct against wh, Just ore t of Paradise, A passage doo th, a passage wide, ider by farr t of after-times Over Mount Sion, and, t were large, [ 530 ] Over to God so dear, By oft tribes, On s o and fro Passd frequent, and h choice regard From Paneas t of Jordans flood [ 535 ] to Beersaba, whe holy Land Borders on ?gypt and th Arabian shoare; So to darkness, suche Ocean wave. Satan from air [ 540 ] t scald by steps of Gold to e Looks do the sudden view Of all t once. As w t h peril gone All nig last by break of chearful dawne [ 545 ] Obtains the brow of some high-climbing hill, o his eye discovers unaware t of some forein land First-seen, or some renoropolis itering Spires and Pinnacles adornd, [ 550 ] h his beams. Sucer heaven seen, t maligne, but much more envy seisd At sighis orld beheld so faire. 13 Round , wood [ 555 ] So he circling Canopie Of Nigended sern Point Of Libra to tarr t bears Andromeda farr off Atlantic Seas Beyond to Pole [ 560 ] longer pause Do Region throws precipitant, and h ease the pure marble Air his oblique way Amongst innumerable Starrs, t shon [ 565 ] Stars distant, but nigher orlds, Or othey seemd, or happy Iles, Like those hesperian Gardens famd of old, Fortunate Fields, and Groves and flourie Vales, t w here [ 570 ] ayd not to enquire: above them all t heaven Allurd her his course he bends t; but up or downe By center, or eccentric, o tell, [ 575 ] Or Longitude, w Luminarie Alooff tellations thick, t from ance due, Dispenses Lighey move tarry dance in numbers t compute [ 580 ] Days, montowards his all-chearing Lamp turn s tions, or are turnd By ic beam, t gently warms to eac itle penetration, though unseen, [ 585 ] Ss invisible vertue even to the deep: So ation bright. t like which perhaps Astronomer in t Orbe tic tube yet never saw. [ 590 ] t, Compard on Eartone; Not all parts like, but all alike informd it ligh fire; If mettal, part seemd Gold, part Silver cleer; [ 595 ] If stone, Carbuncle most or Ce, Rubie or topaz, to t shon In Aarons Brest-plate, and a stone besides Imagind rat then elsewhere seen, t stone, or like to t which here below [ 600 ] P, In vain, t they binde Volatil hermes, and call up unbound In various seus from the Sea, Draind to ive forme. [ 605 ] 14 hen if fields and region here Breath Elixir pure, and Rivers run Potable Gold, ouch te Produces errestrial [ 610 ] hings Of colour glorious and effect so rare? ter neo gaze t Undazld, farr and wide his eye commands, For sigacle found here, nor shade, [ 615 ] But all Sun-s Noon Culminate from tor, as they now S upill direct, whence no way round She Aire, No where so cleer, sharpnd his visual ray [ 620 ] to objects distant farr, whereby he soon Saand, the Sun: urnd, but not ness hid; Of beaming sunnie Raies, a golden tiar [ 625 ] Circld his head, nor less his Locks behind Illustrious on h wings Lay charge imployd in cogitation deep. Glad impure as now in hope [ 630 ] to find to Paradise t of Man, his journies end and our beginning woe. But first s to change his proper shape, work him danger or delay: [ 635 ] And noripling Cherube he appeers, Not of t such as in his face Youtial, and to every Limb Sutable grace diffusd, so well he feignd; Under a Coronet his flowing haire [ 640 ] In curles on either cheek plaid, wings he wore Of many a colourd plume sprinkld h Gold, fit for speed succinct, and held Before steps a Silver wand. 15 nig, [ 645 ] Ere visage turnd, Admonisrait was known the seavn to hrone Stand ready at command, and are his Eyes [ 650 ] t run to th Bear errands over moist and dry, Ore Sea and Land; an tes; Uriel, for ts t stand In sig, [ 655 ] t art autic will Interpreter t o bring, tend; And likeliest by supream decree Like o obtain, and as his Eye [ 660 ] to visit oft tion round; Unspeakable desire to see, and know All t chiefly Man, and favour, him for whom All these his works so wondrous he ordaind, [ 665 ] me from the Quires of Cherubim Alone test Serapell In wh Man , or fixed seat h none, But all to dwell; [ 670 ] t I may find gaze, Or open admiration him behold On or owd orlds, and on whese graces powrd; t bot, [ 675 ] the Universal Maker we may praise; ly his Rebell Foes to deepest o repair t loss Created this new happie Race of Men to serve ter: wise are all his wayes. [ 680 ] So spake the false dissembler unperceivd; For neither Man nor Angel can discern walks Invisible, except to God alone, By h: [ 685 ] And oft though wisdom wake, suspicion sleeps At e, and to simplicitie Resigns hinks no ill here no ill seems: hich now for once beguild Uriel, t of the Sun, and held [ 690 ] t sig of all in heavn; o t Impostor foule In ness ansurnd. 16 Faire Angel, tends to know to glorifie [ 695 ] t ork-Maister, leads to no excess t reac rats praise t seems excess, t led ther From thus alone, to ness some perhaps [ 700 ] Contented hear onely in heavn: For wonderful indeed are all his works, Pleasant to kno to be all ; But ed mind can comprehend [ 705 ] te t broug hir causes deep. I saw w he formless Mass, terial mould, came to a heap: Confusion heard his voice, and wilde uproar [ 710 ] Stood ruld, stood vast infinitude confind; till at his second bidding darkness fled, Light shon, and order from disorder sprung: S to ters ed then ts, Earth, Flood, Aire, Fire, [ 715 ] And tessence of heavn Fleed h various forms, t rournd to Starrs Numberless, as t, and hey move; Eaced, each his course, [ 720 ] t in circuit his Universe. Look do Globe wher side it from reflected, shines; t place is Eart of Man, t light her hemisphere [ 725 ] Nig the neighbouring Moon (So call t opposite fair Starr) her aide timely interposes, and hly round Still ending, still renehrough mid heavn, it enance triform [ 730 ] ies to enligh, And in . t spot to w is Paradise, Adams abode, tie shades his Bowre. t not miss, me mine requires. [ 735 ] turnd, and Satan bowing low, As to superior Spirits is in heaven, s, took leave, and to of Earth, Doic, sped h hopd success, [ 740 ] teep flight in many an Aerie wheele, Nor staid, till on Nipes top s.