Pendent by subtle magic many a row Of starry lamps and blazing cressers, fed With Naphtha and Asphaltus, yielded light As from a sky. The hasty multitude 730 Admiring enter'd, and the work some praise And some the architect: his hand was known In Heav'n by many a tow'red structure high, Where scepter'd Angels held their residence, And sat as princes, whom the supreme King Exalted to such pow'r, and gave to rule, Each in his hierarchy, the orders bright. Nor was his name unheard or unador'd In Ancient Greece; and in Ausonian land Men call'd him Mulciber; and how he fell 740 From Heav'n, they fabled, thrown by angry Jove Sheer o'er the crystal battlements ; from mom To noon he fell, from noon to dewy eve, A summer's day; and with the setting sun Dropt from the zenith like a falling star, On Lemnos th’ Ægean isle : thus they relate, Erring; for he with this rebellious rout Fell long before; nor ought avail'd him now T’have built in Heav’n high tow'rs; nor did he’scape By all his engines, but was headlong sent 750 With his industrious crew to build in Hell: Mean while the winged heralds by command Of sovoreign pow'r, with awful ceremony And trumpets sound, throughout the host proclain A solemn council forthwith to be held At Pandemonium, the high capital Of Satan and his peers : their summons callid From every band and squared regiment By place or choice the worthiest; they anon With hundreds and with thousands trooping came Attended : all access was throng'd, the gates 761 And porches wide, but chief the spacious hall (Though like a cover'd field, where champions bold Wont ride in arm’d, and at the Soldan's chair Defy'd the best of Panim chivalry To mortal combat, or career with lance) Thick swarm’d, both on the ground and in the air, Brush'd with the hiss of rustling wings. As bees In spring time, when the sun with Taurus rides, Pour forth their populous youth about the hive 770 In clusters; they among fresh dews and flowers Fly to and fro, or on the smoothed plank, The suburb of their straw-built citadel, New rubb'd with balm, expatiate and confer Their state affairs. So thick the airy croud Swarm’d and were straiten'd; till the signal giving Behold a wonder! they but now who seem'd In bigness to surpass earth's giant sons, Now less than smallest dwarfs, in narrow room Throng numberless, like that pygmean race 78 Beyond the Indian mount, or fairy elves, Whose midnight revels by a forest side Or fountain some belated peasant sees, Or dreams he sees, while over-head the moon Sits arbitress, and nearer to the earth Wheels her palecourse, they on their mirth and dance Intent, with jocund music charm his ear; THE END OF THE FIRST BOOK. The consultation begun, Satan debates whether another battle be to be hazarded for the recovery of Heaven : Some advise it, others dissuade : A third proposal is preferred, mentioned before by Satan, to search the truth of that prophecy or tradition in Heaven concerning another world, and another kind of creature equal or not much inferior to themselves, alout this time to be created : Their doubt who shall be sent on this diffi. cult search; Satan their chief undertakes alone the voyage, is honoured and applauded. The council thus ended, the rest betake them several ways, and to several employments, as their inclinations lead them, to en. tertain the time till Satan return. He passes on his journey to Hell gates, finds them shut, and who sate there to guard them, by whom at length tiey are openedl, and discover to him the great gulf between Hell and Heaven ; with what difficulty he passes through, directed by Chaos, the Power of that place, to the sight of this new world which he sought. HIGH on a throne of royal state, which far Pow'rs and Dominions, Deities of Heav'n, 20 Immortal vigour, though oppress’d and fall’n, |