Ambrosial odours and ambrosial flowers,

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Our servile offerings? This must be our task

In Heaven, this our delight. How wearisome
Eternity so spent, in worship paid

To whom we hate ! Let us not then pursue

By force impossible, by leave obtain❜d

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Unacceptable, though in Heaven, our state

Of splendid vassalage; but rather seek

Our own good from ourselves, and from our own

Live to ourselves, though in this vast recess,

Free and to none accountable, preferring

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Hard liberty before the easy yoke

Of servile pomp. Our greatness will appear

Then most conspicuous, when great things of small,
Useful of hurtful, prosperous of adverse,

We can create; and in what place soe'er

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Thrive under evil, and work ease out of pain,

Through labour and endurance. This deep world
Of darkness do we dread? How oft amidst

Thick clouds and dark doth Heaven's all-ruling Sire
Choose to reside, his glory unobscur'd,

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And with the majesty of darkness round

Covers his throne; from whence deep thunders roar

Mustering their rage, and Heaven resembles Hell?
As he our darkness, cannot we his light

Imitate when we please? This desert soil

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Wants not her hidden lustre, gems and gold;

Nor want we skill or art, from whence to raise

Magnificence; and what can Heaven shew more?
Our torments also may, in length of time,
Become our elements; these piercing fires
As soft as now severe; our temper chang'd
Into their temper; which must needs remove
The sensible of pain. All things invite
To peaceful counsels and the settl'd state
Of order, how in safety best we may
Compose our present evils, with regard
Of what we are and where, dismissing quite

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All thoughts of war. Ye have what I advise.'

He scarce had finish'd, when such murmur fill'd

The assembly, as when hollow rocks retain

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The sound of blustering winds, which all night long
Had rous'd the sea, now with hoarse cadence lull

Seafaring men o'er-watch'd, whose bark by chance,
Or pinnace, anchors in a craggy bay

After the tempest: such applause was heard

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As Mammon ended, and his sentence pleas'd,
Advising peace; for such another field

They dreaded worse than Hell: so much the fear
Of thunder and the sword of Michaël

Wrought still within them; and no less desire

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To found this nether empire, which might rise,

By policy and long process of time,
In emulation opposite to Heaven.

Which when Beelzebub perceiv'd, than whom,

Satan except, none higher sat, with grave
Aspect he rose, and in his rising seemed

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A pillar of state; deep on his front engraven
Deliberation sat, and public care;

And princely counsel in his face yet shone,
Majestic, though in ruin. Sage he stood,
With Atlantean shoulders fit to bear

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The weight of mightiest monarchies: his look

Drew audience and attention still as night

Or summer's noontide air, while thus he spake :

'Thrones and Imperial Powers, offspring of Heaven, Ethereal Virtues! or these titles now

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Must we renounce, and, changing style, be call'd

Princes of Hell? for so the popular vote

Inclines, here to continue, and build up here

A growing empire; doubtless, while we dream,

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And know not that the King of Heaven hath doom'd

His captive multitude: for he, be sure,

In highth or depth, still first and last will reign

Sole king, and of his kingdom lose no part

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By our revolt, but over Hell extend
His empire, and with iron sceptre rule

Us here, as with his golden those in Heaven.
What sit we then projecting peace and war?
War hath determin'd us, and foil'd with loss

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Irreparable; terms of peace yet none

Vouchsaf'd or sought; for what peace will be given

To us enslav'd, but custody severe,

And stripes, and arbitrary punishment

Inflicted? and what peace can we return,

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But to our power hostility and hate,

Untam'd reluctance, and revenge, though slow,

Yet ever plotting how the conqueror least

May reap his conquest, and may least rejoice

In doing what we most in suffering feel?

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Nor will occasion want, nor shall we need,

With dangerous expedition to invade

Heaven, whose high walls fear no assault or siege,

Or ambush from the deep. What if we find

Some easier enterprise? There is a place

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(If ancient and prophetic fame in Heaven

Err not), another world, the happy seat

Of some new race call'd Man, about this time

To be created like to us, though less

In power and excellence, but favour'd more

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Of Him who rules above: so was his will

Pronounc'd among the gods, and by an oath,

That shook Heaven's whole circumference, confirm'd.
Thither let us bend all our thoughts, to learn
What creatures there inhabit, of what mould,
Or substance, how endued, and what their power,
And where their weakness, how attempted best,
By force or subtlety. Though Heaven be shut,
And Heaven's high arbitrator sit secure

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In his own strength, this place may lie expos'd,
The utmost border of his kingdom, left

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To their defence who hold it. Here perhaps
Some advantageous act may be achiev'd
By sudden onset; either with Hell-fire
To waste his whole creation, or possess
All as our own, and drive, as we were driven,
The puny inhabitants; or, if not drive,
Seduce them to our party, that their God
May prove their foe, and with repenting hand
Abolish his own works. This would surpass
Common revenge, and interrupt his joy
In our confusion, and our joy upraise
In his disturbance; when his darling sons,

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Hurl'd headlong to partake with us, shall curse
Their frail original, and faded bliss,
Faded so soon. Advise, if this be worth
Attempting, or to sit in darkness here
Hatching vain empires.'-Thus Beelzebub
Pleaded his devilish counsel, first devis'd
By Satan, and in part propos'd; for whence,
But from the author of all ill, could spring
So deep a malice, to confound the race
Of mankind in one root, and earth with Hell
To mingle and involve, done all to spite
The great Creator? But their spite still serves
His glory to augment. The bold design
Pleas'd highly those infernal States, and joy
Sparkled in all their eyes. With full assent
They vote; whereat his speech he thus renews:
'Well have ye judg'd, well ended long debate,

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Synod of gods! and, like to what ye are,

Great things resolv'd, which from the lowest deep

Will once more lift us up, in spite of fate,

Nearer our ancient seat; perhaps in view

Of those bright confines, whence, with neighbouring arms
And opportune excursion, we may chance
Re-enter Heaven; or else in some mild zone

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Dwell, not unvisited of Heaven's fair light,

Secure, and at the brightening orient beam
Purge off this gloom: the soft delicious air,
To heal the scar of these corrosive fires,

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Shall breathe her balm. But first, whom shall we send

In search of this new world? whom shall we find

Sufficient? who shall tempt with wandering feet

The dark, unbottom'd, infinite abyss,

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And through the palpable obscure find out

His uncouth way, or spread his aery flight,

Upborne with indefatigable wings,

Over the vast abrupt, ere he arrive

The happy isle? What strength, what art, can then

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Suffice, or what evasion bear him safe

Through the strict senteries and stations thick

Of angels watching round? Here he had need
All circumspection, and we now no less
Choice in our suffrage; for, on whom we send,
The weight of all, and our last hope, relies.'

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This said, he sat; and expectation held
His look suspense, awaiting who appear'd
To second, or oppose, or undertake

The perilous attempt: but all sat mute,

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Pondering the danger with deep thoughts, and each

In other's countenance read his own dismay,

Astonish'd: none, among the choice and prime

Of those Heaven-warring champions, could be found
So hardy as to proffer or accept

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Alone the dreadful voyage; till at last

Satan, whom now transcendent glory raised

Above his fellows, with monarchal pride,

Conscious of highest worth, unmov'd thus spake:
O progeny of Heaven, empyreal Thrones!

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With reason hath deep silence and demur
Seiz'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
Ninefold, and gates of burning adamant,
Barr'd over us, prohibit all egress.
These pass'd, if any pass, the void profound
Of unessential Night receives him next,
Wide-gaping, and with utter loss 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 sovranty, adorn'd

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With splendour, arm'd with power, if aught propos'd

To him who reigns, and so much to him due,
Of hazard more, as he above the rest

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High honour'd sits? Go, therefore, mighty Powers,
Terrour of Heaven, though fallen! intend at home,
While here shall be our home, what best may ease
The present misery, and render Hell