III.274 - III.554

Many thanks to The Milton Reading Room edited by Thomas H. Luxon and copyrighted by the Trustees of Dartmouth College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.dartmouth.edu.

Luxon, Thomas H., ed. The Milton Reading Room, http://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton, March, 2015.

O thou in Heav'n and Earth the only peace

Found out for mankind under wrauth, O thou [ 275 ]

My sole complacence! well thou know'st how dear,
To me are all my works, nor Man the least

Though last created, that for him I spare
Thee from my bosom and right hand, to save,

By loosing thee a while, the whole Race lost. [ 280 ]

Thou therefore whom thou only canst redeem,

Thir Nature also to thy Nature joyn;

And be thy self Man among men on Earth,

Made flesh, when time shall be, of Virgin seed,

By wondrous birth: Be thou in Adams room [ 285 ]

The Head of all mankind, though Adams Son.

As in him perish all men, so in thee

As from a second root shall be restor'd,

As many as are restor'd, without thee none.

His crime makes guiltie all his Sons, thy merit [ 290 ]

Imputed shall absolve them who renounce

Thir own both righteous and unrighteous deeds,

And live in thee transplanted, and from thee

Receive new life. So Man, as is most just,

Shall satisfie for Man, be judg'd and die, [ 295 ]

And dying rise, and rising with him raise

His Brethren, ransomd with his own dear life.

So Heav'nly love shall outdoo Hellish hate,

Giving to death, and dying to redeeme,

So dearly to redeem what Hellish hate [ 300 ]

So easily destroy'd, and still destroyes

In those who, when they may, accept not grace.

Nor shalt thou by descending to assume

Mans Nature, less'n or degrade thine owne.

Because thou hast, though Thron'd in highest bliss [ 305 ]

Equal to God, and equally enjoying

God-like fruition, quitted all to save

A World from utter loss, and hast been found

By Merit more then Birthright Son of God,

Found worthiest to be so by being Good, [ 310 ]

Farr more then Great or High; because in thee

Love hath abounded more then Glory abounds,

Therefore thy Humiliation shall exalt

With thee thy Manhood also to this Throne;

Here shalt thou sit incarnate, here shalt Reign [ 315 ]

Both God and Man, Son both of God and Man,

Anointed universal King, all Power

I give thee, reign for ever, and assume

Thy Merits; under thee as Head Supream

Thrones, Princedoms, Powers, Dominions I reduce: [ 320 ]

All knees to thee shall bow, of them that bide

In Heaven, or Earth, or under Earth in Hell;

When thou attended gloriously from Heav'n

Shalt in the Sky appeer, and from thee send

The summoning Arch-Angels to proclaime [ 325 ]

Thy dread Tribunal: forthwith from all Windes

The living, and forthwith the cited dead

Of all past Ages to the general Doom

Shall hast'n, such a peal shall rouse thir sleep.

Then all thy Saints assembl'd, thou shalt judge [ 330 ]

Bad men and Angels, they arraignd shall sink

Beneath thy Sentence; Hell her numbers full,

Thenceforth shall be for ever shut. Mean while
The World shall burn, and from her ashes spring
New Heav'n and Earth, wherein the just shall dwell [ 335 ]
And after all thir tribulations long
See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds,
With Joy and Love triumphing, and fair Truth.

Then thou thy regal Scepter shalt lay by,

For regal Scepter then no more shall need, [ 340 ]

God shall be All in All. But all ye Gods,

Adore him, who to compass all this dies,

Adore the Son, and honour him as mee.

No sooner had th' Almighty ceas't, but all

The multitude of Angels with a shout [ 345 ]

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

Towards either Throne they bow, and to the ground [ 350 ]

With solemn adoration down they cast

Thir Crowns inwove with Amarant and Gold,

Immortal Amarant, a Flour which once

In Paradise, fast by the Tree of Life

Began to bloom, but soon for mans offence [ 355 ]

To Heav'n remov'd where first it grew, there grows,

And flours aloft shading the Fount of Life,

And where the river of Bliss through midst of Heavn

Rowls o're Elisian Flours her Amber stream;

With these that never fade the Spirits elect [ 360 ]

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.

Then Crown'd again thir gold'n Harps they took, [ 365 ]

Harps ever tun'd, that glittering by thir side

Like Quivers hung, and with Præamble sweet

Of charming symphonie they introduce

Thir sacred Song, and waken raptures high;

No voice exempt, no voice but well could joine [ 370 ]

Melodious part, such concord is in Heav'n.

Thee Father first they sung Omnipotent,
Immutable, Immortal, Infinite,
Eternal King; thee Author of all being,

Fountain of Light, thy self invisible [ 375 ]

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,

Dark with excessive bright thy skirts appeer, [ 380 ]

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,

In whose conspicuous count'nance, without cloud [ 385 ]

Made visible, th' Almighty Father shines,

Whom else no Creature can behold; on thee

Impresst the effulgence of his Glorie abides,

Transfus'd on thee his ample Spirit rests.

Hee Heav'n of Heavens and all the Powers therein [ 390 ]

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

Heav'ns everlasting Frame, while o're the necks [ 395 ]

Thou drov'st of warring Angels disarraid.

Back from pursuit thy Powers with loud acclaime

Thee only extoll'd, Son of thy Fathers might,

To execute fierce vengeance on his foes,

Not so on Man; him through their malice fall'n, [ 400 ]

Father of Mercie and Grace, thou didst not doome
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
So strictly, but much more to pitie enclin'd, [ 405 ]

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

For mans offence. O unexampl'd love, [ 410 ]

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

Forget, nor from thy Fathers praise disjoine. [ 415 ]

Thus they in Heav'n, above the starry Sphear,

Thir happie hours in joy and hymning spent.

Mean while upon the firm opacous Globe

Of this round World, whose first convex divides

The luminous inferior Orbs, enclos'd [ 420 ]

From Chaos and th' inroad of Darkness old,

Satan alighted walks: a Globe farr off

It seem'd, now seems a boundless Continent

Dark, waste, and wild, under the frown of Night

Starless expos'd, and ever-threatning storms [ 425 ]

Of Chaos blustring round, inclement skie;

Save on that side which from the wall of Heav'n

Though distant farr some small reflection gaines

Of glimmering air less vext with tempest loud:

Here walk'd the Fiend at large in spacious field. [ 430 ]

As when a Vultur on Imaus bred,

Whose snowie ridge the roving Tartar bounds,

Dislodging from a Region scarce of prey

To gorge the flesh of Lambs or yeanling Kids

On Hills where Flocks are fed, flies toward the Springs [ 435 ]

Of Ganges or Hydaspes, Indian streams;

But in his way lights on the barren Plaines

Of Sericana, where Chineses drive

With Sails and Wind thir canie Waggons light:

So on this windie Sea of Land, the Fiend [ 440 ]

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

Up hither like Aereal vapours flew [ 445 ]

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,

Or happiness in this or th' other life; [ 450 ]

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;

All th' unaccomplisht works of Natures hand, [ 455 ]

Abortive, monstrous, or unkindly mixt,

Dissolvd on earth, fleet hither, and in vain,

Till final dissolution, wander here,

Not in the neighbouring Moon, as some have dreamd;

Those argent Fields more likely habitants, [ 460 ]

Translated Saints, or middle Spirits hold

Betwixt th' Angelical and Human kinde:

Hither of ill-joynd Sons and Daughters born

First from the ancient World those Giants came

With many a vain exploit, though then renownd: [ 465 ]

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 deem'd

A God, leap'd fondly into Ætna flames [ 470 ]

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

White, Black and Grey, with all thir trumperie. [ 475 ]

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

Dying put on the weeds of Dominic,

Or in Franciscan think to pass disguis'd; [ 480 ]

They pass the Planets seven, and pass the fixt,

And that Crystalline Sphear whose ballance weighs

The Trepidation talkt, and that first mov'd;

And now Saint Peter at Heav'ns Wicket seems

To wait them with his Keys, and now at foot [ 485 ]

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
Cowles, Hoods and Habits with thir wearers tost [ 490 ]
And flutterd 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

Into a Limbo large and broad, since calld [ 495 ]

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 gleame

Of dawning light turnd thither-ward in haste [ 500 ]

His travell'd steps; farr distant he descries

Ascending by degrees magnificent

Up to the wall of Heaven a Structure high,

At top whereof, but farr more rich appeer'd

The work as of a Kingly Palace Gate [ 505 ]

With Frontispice of Diamond and Gold

Imbellisht, thick with sparkling orient Gemmes

The Portal shon, inimitable on Earth

By Model, or by shading Pencil drawn.

The Stairs 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 night under the open Skie,

And waking cri'd, This is the Gate of Heav'n [ 515 ]

Each Stair mysteriously 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 Pearle, whereon

Who after came from Earth, sayling arriv'd, [ 520 ]

Wafted by Angels, or flew o're the Lake

Rapt in a Chariot drawn by fiery Steeds.

The Stairs were then let down, whether to dare

The Fiend by easie ascent, or aggravate

His sad exclusion from the dores of Bliss. [ 525 ]

Direct against which opn'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

Over Mount Sion, and, though that were large, [ 530 ]

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

From Paneas the fount of Jordans flood [ 535 ]

To Beersaba, where the Holy Land

Borders on Ægypt and th' Arabian shoare;

So wide the op'ning seemd, where bounds were set

To darkness, such as bound the Ocean wave.

Satan from hence now on the lower stair [ 540 ]

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

All night; at last by break of chearful dawne [ 545 ]

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

With glistering Spires and Pinnacles adorn'd, [ 550 ]

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 faire.

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