bis Temptation, by feducing them to tranfgrefs; then leaves them for fome Time to know further of their State by fome other Means. In the Interim Uriel defcending on a Sun-beam warns Gabriel, (who had in Charge the Gate of Paradife) that Some evil Spirit bad efcaped the Deep, and past at Noon by his Sphere in the Shape of a good Angel aown to Paradife, difcovered afterwards by kis furious Geflures in the Mount: Gabriel promifes to find him out e're Morning. Night coming on, Adam and Eve difcourfe of going to their Reft: Their Bower defcribed: their Evening-worship, Gabriel drawing forth his Bands of Night-watch to walk the Round of Paradife, appoints two ftrong Angels to Adam's Bower, left the evil Spirit fhould be there doing fome Harm to Adam and Eve, fleeping; there they find him at the Ear of Eve, tempting her in a Dream, and bring him, though unwilling to Gabriel; by whom queftioned, he fcornfully anfwers, prepares Refiftance, but hindered by a Sign from Heaven, flies out of Paradise.

CHA P. I.

Satan, in Profpect of Eden, falls into many Doubts with himself, yet journies on to Paradife, which is defcribed.

N

EVER was there more Need than now for that warning Voice, which Saint JOHN heard cry aloud in Heaven, when the Dragon, put a fecond Time to Rout, came furiously down to be revenged. on Men, Woв TO THE INHABITANTS ON EARTH that now while Time was, our first Parents had been given Notice of the Coming

of

of their fecret Enemy, and fo perchance have efcaped his mortal Snare: For SATAN now enflamed with Rage came, (the Tempter before he was the Accufer of Mankind) to revenge on frail and innocent MAN his Lofs of that firft Battle, and his Flight to Hell. His Courage now began a little to fail him, though afar off he was bold and fearlefs: nor had he Caufe to boaft the fatal Attempt, the Execution of which being near its Birth, raises dark Thoughts in him, rowls and boils in his tumultuous Breaft, and like a devilish Engine receils back upon himfelf: Horror and Doubt diftract his troubled Mind, and from the Bottom ftir the Hell within him; for within him he brings Hell, and round about him; nor can fly one Step from Hell by Change of Place, no more than he can fly from himself: Now Confcience wakes Defpair that fumbered, wakes the bitter Remembrance of what he was, Confideration of what he is, and what must be, worfe; for of worfe Deeds, worfe Sufferings must be the Confequence. Sometimes he fixes his grieved Look towards EDEN, which now lay pleasant in his View, and fometimes towards Heaven and the full blazing Sun, which was just now arrived to its Meridian Height; then revolving much within himself, he thus began fighing:

OH Thou! that crowned with furpaffing Glory, lookeft from thy fole Dominion, like the God of this new World; at the Sight of whom all the Stars hide their diminished Heads; to Thee! I call, but with no friendly Voice, and add thy Name, O Sun! to tell Thee how much I hate thy Beams, that bring to my Remembrance from what State I fell: How glorious once did I fit, far above thy Sphere! 'till Pride and worfe Ambition was the Caufe of my being thrown down, for waging War in Heaven against its matchlefs King. Ah wherefore did I fo! he deserved from me no fuch Return, whom he created what I was in

that bright Eminence: He upbraided none with the good Gifts he gave; nor was it any Hardfhip to ferve him: What could there be no lefs than to afford him Praife, which is the eafieft Recompence, and pay him Thanks? How juftiy was all this his Due! yet all his Good proved Ill in me, and worked nothing but Malice: for being lifted up fo high I difdained Subjection, and thought that one Step higher would fet me highest of all, and fo in a Moment quit me of the immenfe Debt of endless Gratitude; fo burthenfome it is always to be paying, and still to owe; forgetful that from him I was ftill receiving; and did not confider, that a grateful Mind by acknowledging the Benefit, owes not, but fo pays, at the fame Time, indebted and difcharged: Where was the Hardship then? O had his powerful Defliny ordained and made me fome inferior Angel! then I had stood happy; no unlimited Hope had raised Ambition in me! and yet why not? Some other Power as great as I might have afpired, and drawn me, though a Spirit of meaner Rank, to his Party: But other Powers as great did not fall, but stand now unfhaken, armed against all Temptation, either from without or from within. Hadft Thou the fame free Will and Power to ftand as they? Thou hadft! whom haft Thou then to accufe? or what? but Heaven's free Love equally dealt to all? Accurfed be his Love then! fince it be Love or Hate, it alike deals out to me eternal Mifery: Nay, let me be accuried! fince I chofe freely against his Will what I now fo juftly repent. Miferable Wretch that I am! which Way fhall I fly from infinite Wrath, and from infinite Despair? Which ever Way I fly is Hell; I myfeif am Hell, and in the loweft Depth; a lower Deep opens wide, always threatening to devour me, to which the prefent Hell I fuffer feems to be a Heaven. O then relent at laft! Is there no Place left for Repentance? Is there none left for Pardon! No, there is none left, but by Submiffion; and that Difdain forbids

me,

*

me, and the Fear that I have of Shame among the Spirits beneath, whom I feduced with far different Promifes and other Vaunts than Submiffion, boafting, that I could overcome the Omnipotent. Ah me! little do they know how feverely I fuffer for that vain Boaft; under what Torments I groan inwardly, while they adore me, high advanced on the Throne of Hell, and diftinguished with Sceptre and Diadem (a). So much the lower ftill I fall, only fupreme in Mifery; fuch Joy does Ambition find! But fay that I could repent, and could by an Act of Grace retain my former State; how foon would Height recall high Thoughts? and how foon unfay what feigned Sub miflion had fworn! Eafe would recant Vows that were made in Pain, as violent and void; (for never can there grow a true Reconcilement, where Wounds of fo deadly Hate have pierced to deep) which would but lead me on to a worfe Relapfe, and a Fall ftill heavier; by which Means I fhould dearly purchase a fhort Intermiffion of my prefent Torments, bought at the Price of double Smart. My Punisher knows this, and therefore is as far from granting Peace, as I am from begging it. All Hope thus excluded, instead of us, now outcaft and exiled, behold his new Delight, MANKIND created, and this World for him: So farewell Hope! and with Hope farewell alfo Fear! farewell Remorfe! all Good is loft to me; Evil be thou henceforth my Good! by thee at least I hold a divided Empire with the King of Heaven, and by thy Means perhaps will reign more than half, as MAN, before it is long, and this new World shall know.

(a) Diadem; Fr. Ital. Sp. Lat. from the Gr. i.e. Building about. What the Syrians call Mitra, the Greeks named Diadema, and the Latins Vitta, lays Scaliger. A white Fillet or Scarf, like the Turkish Turbant ; wherewith the antient Princes of

Perfia, and the Priests alfo, tied a Crown about their Heads; A King's Crown. Alexander the Great brought the Ufe of it firit into Europe, as Justin reports, Cafar and Caguia refuted it; but Aurelian was the first Roman Emperor that wore a Diadem.

WHILE he was thus fpeaking, the Paffions that moved him dimmed his Face, and he changed Countenance thrice and grew pale, with Anger, Envy, and Defpair, which altered his borrowed Vifage and betrayed him to be a Counterfeit, if any Eye beheld him; (for heavenly Minds are always clear from fuch Diftempers) whereof he being foon aware, with an outward Calm, fmoothed each Perturbation, Contriver of Fraud! and was the first that practifed Falfhood under a faintly Outfide, to conceal deep Malice with Thoughts of deep Revenge: Yet had he not practifed enough to deceive URIEL, whofe Eye purfued him down the Way he went, and faw him on the Mountain NIPHATES, disfigured more than could befall Spirits of happy Kind: He marked his fierce Geftures and mad Demeanor, fuppofing himself to be then all alone, unobferved and unfeen. So on SATAN journeys, and comes to the Border of EDEN, where delicious PARADISE crowns the champaign Head of a steep Wilderness with her green Inclofure, which makes a rural Fence; whofe fhrubby Sides overgrown with Thickets, wild and grotefque, denied all Manner of Access, and over Head grew an unfurmountable Height of loftiest Cedars (b), Pines, Firs, and wide-fpreading Palm (c), and as the Ranks afcend

(b) Cedar; Fr. Lat. from the Gr. A very large, thick, and tall Tree, with small and slender Leaves. It is always green, never decays, and is deteftable to Worms, because of its bitter Sap; the Antients anointed their Books with it, to keep them from being Worm-eaten; My Lord Bacon thinks the Wood of it lafts a thousand Years found. It grows chiefly on M. Lebanon, and in the Woods of America,

Shade