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any thing, GoD and his Son excepted, and thus with a difdainful Look begun first:

THOU execrable Shape! whence and what art thou? that dareft, though grim and terrible, to advance thy mifcreant Form athwart my Way to yonder Gates? Be affured that I mean to pass through them, without asking any Leave of thee: Give Way, or feel the Effects of thy Folly; and learn by Proof, Hellborn! not to contend with Spirits of Heaven.

To whom full of Wrath, the Phantom replied, art thou the Traitor Angel? Art thou he, who firft didft break Peace in Heaven, and Faith, which 'till then had never been broken, and in proud rebellious Arms, drew after him a third part of the Sons of Heaven, covenanted against the HIGHEST; for which both thou and they are here condemned, outcast from GOD, to pafs Eternity in Woe and Mifery? And doft thou reckon thyfelf with the Spirits of Heaven? Helldoomed! doft thou breathe Scorn and Defiance here, where I reign King? (and more to enrage thee, thy King, and Lord) Back, thou Fugitive, to thy Punishment, and add Wings to thy Speed; left I purfue thy lingering Steps with a Whip of SCORPIONS (a); or at one Stroke of this Dart ftrange Horror fhall feize thee, and fuch Pangs as thou haft never felt before.

THE hideous Shadow fpoke thus; and fo fpeaking and threatening, grew in Shape ten times more dreadful and deformed. On the other Side, SATAN ftood unterrified, and incenfed with Rage, and burned like a Comet, that fires the Length of OPHIUCUS (b)

(a) Scorpion; Gr. Lat. i. e. Throwing out Poifon. A Scorpi on is a black, fhort, and very poifonous Serpent, with a fmall Head like a Craw-fifh, and a long Tail with fix or feven

in

Knots, wherewith it kills Men and Beats.

(c) Ophiucus; Lat. from the Gr. i. e. A Serpent-Bearer. An Aftron. T. A Northern Conftellation, called alfo the Serpent, re

pre

in the ARTIC (c) Sky, and from his horrid Hair is believed to shake War and Peftilence. Each at the others Head levelled his mortal Aim, their fatal Hands intending no fecond Stroke; and they caft fuch a Frown at one another, as when two black Clouds full of Thunder, come rattling on over the CASPIAN (d) Sea, then ftand Front to Front, hovering for a Space, 'till the Winds blow a Signal for them to join their dark Encounter in the Midft of the Air; so these mighty Combatants frowned, infomuch that Hell grew darker; fo matched they ftood: For never but once more was either of them ever like to meet fo

great a Foe. And now great Deeds had been performed, of which all Hell would have rung, had not the other Snaky Form, that fat close by Hell Gate, and who kept the fatal Key, rifen up, and rushed between with hideous Outcry.

SHE cried, Oh Father! what does thy Hand defign against thy only Son? Oh Son! what Fury poffeffes thee, to bend that mortal Dart against the Head of thy Father? And knowest for whom too; for him who fits above, and only laughs at thee, who art ordained his Drudge, to execute whatever his Wrath

prefenting a Man holding a Serpent in his Hand; and confifts of twenty-nine Stars, according to Ptolomy. The Fable is taken from Hercules, who fqueezed two Serpents to Death in his Cradle.

(c) Artic; Lat. Gr. An A. fron. T. The Northern Circle, where there are two Stars that go by this Name, near the North Pole; the Great Bear and the Little Bear. The oppofite Pole is called Antartic, or the Southern Pole.

(d) Cafpian; Scyth. from the Cafpii, an ancient People, who dwelt upon the South Side of it.

The Caspian Sea is not a Sca properly fo called, nor a Bay of the Northern Ocean, as the Antients thought; but a Lake; and the greateft in the World. It lies between Perfia, Tartary, Georgia, and Mufcovy: about threethousand Miles in Compass; for though the Volga (which alone discharges more Water in a Year, than all the other Rivers in Europe) and a hundred Rivers befides, run into it; yet it hath no vifible Outlet. Therefore fome think it rifes up in the Perfian Gulph, after running under Ground above two-thousand Miles.

commands,

commands, which he calls Juftice; his Wrath, which fometime or other will deftroy ye both.

THUS fhe spoke, and at her bidding the hellifh Phantom forbore, and SATAN made Anfwer to her.

THY Outcry, and thy Words, which thou haft interpofed, are fo ftrange, that my Hand has been prevented by them, from letting thee know by Deeds what I intend; till I know first of thee what thou art, thus double-formed, and why on first meeting me on this infernal Vale thou haft called me Father, and that horrid Shape my Son: I know thee not, nor ever 'till now faw a Sight more deteftable than thee and him.

To whom the Portrefs of the Gate of Hell made Anfwer,

HAST thou forgot me then? And do I feem fo very foul in thine Eye now, who was once efteemed fo fair in Heaven, when at the Affembly, and in Sight of all the Seraphim, who combined with thee in bold Confpiracy against the great King of Heaven, all on a fudden a miferable Pain feized on thee, thy Eyes grew dim, and fwam in Darkness, while thy Head threw forth Flames thick and faft, 'till it opened on the Left Side; from whence I fprung, a Goddefs armed, moft like to thyfelf in Shape and Brightnefs of Countenance, then fhining heavenly fair: All the Hoft of Heaven were feized with Amazement; they started back, being at first afraid, and called me SIN, and held me for an unlucky Omen; but grown more familiar, I pleased, and with attracting Graces, won thofe who before were most averfe, and thee chief of all, who viewing in me a perfect Image of thyfelf, becameft enamoured of me, and fuch Joy didft often take with me in Secret, that my Womb conceived a growing Burthen Mean while War arofe in Heaven, and Battles were fought, whereon remained (for what

elfe

elfe could) to our ALMIGHTY Foe a compleat Victory; to our Part Lofs and Defeat through all Heaven; down they fell, driven headlong from the Skies, into this Deep, and in the general Fall I fell alfo; at which Time this powerful Key was given into my Hand, with Charge to keep the Gates fhut for ever, which none can pafs without opening. Here I fat, penfive and alone; but not long, before my Womb, made pregnant by thee and now grown exceffively, felt prodigious Motion, and Pains of Child-birth; at last this odious Offspring, whom thou feeft here, thine own Begotten, violently breaking his Way, tore through my Entrails; fo that diftorted with Fear and Pain, my nether Parts grew thus transformed: But he, my inbred Enemy, iffued forth, terribly fhaking his fatal Dart made to deftroy: I fled away, and cried out, DEATH! at that hedious Name Hell trembled, and fighed from all her Caves, and refounded back, DEATH! I fled, but he purfued, (though more inflamed, it seems, with Luft, than with Rage) and being far fwifter, overtook me his Mother, quite overcome with Fear; and in forcible Embraces, and foul engendering with me in that Rape, begot thefe yelling Monsters, that as thou faweit furround me with ceafelefs Cry; with infinite Sorrow to be hourly conceived, and hourly born; for when they lift they return into the Womb that bred them, and howl and gnaw all my Bowels for their Food; then bursting forth, put me to fresh and terrible Pain, fo that I neither find Reft or Intermiffion. Directly oppofite and before my Eyes fits grim DEATH, my Son and Foe, who fets them on; and full foon would even devour me, his Parent, but that he well knows that his End is involved with mine; he knows that I fhould prove a bitter Morfel and his Bane, whenever that shall happen; fo was it pronounced by Fate. But I forewarn thee, my Father! do thou fhun his deadly Arrow; neither vainly have Hope to be invulnerable in thofe bright Arms of thine, though they were made in Hea

ven,

ven, for that mortal Stroke there's none can refift, excepting HE who reigns above.

SHE finished here, and the fubtle Fiend foon learned what was best for him to do; fo that now grown milder, he answered thus fmoothly:

DEAR Daughter fince thou claimeft me to be thy Father, and fheweft me my fair Son here, (the dear Pledge of Dalliance which I had with thee in Heaven, Joys then sweet, now fad to mention, through the fatal Change that has befallen us, quite unthought of and unforeseen) I come not here as an Enemy, but to fet free from out this difmal and dark Houfe of Pain, both him and thee, and all the Hoft of heavenly Spirits, that armed in our juft Pretences fell with us from on high; I now go from them alone, fo has it been my Choice, on this uncouth Errand, and expofe myfelf, one for all, to tread with lonely Steps the fathomless Deep, and through Immenfity fearch with wandering Enquiry a Place, which was foretold fhould be created: and if we may judge by concurring Signs it is now created; a large Globe, a Place of Blifs, on the Borders of Heaven, and already therein is placed a Race of upftart Creatures, to fupply, it may be, our vacant Room, though removed farther off, left Heaven. being over-stocked with too powerful a Multitude, new Broils might happen: Whether this be, or any Thing more fecret now defigned, I am haftening to know; and this once known, I fhall foon return, and conduct ye to the Place, where thou and DEATH fhall dwell at Eafe, and filently and unfeen pass to and fro; there fhall ye both be fed, and filled immeafurably, for all Things fhall be your Prey.

HE ceafed here, for they both feemed highly pleased, and DEATH grinned horribly a ghaftly Smile, at hearing that his Hunger fhould be fatisfied, and bleft his Maw, that was deftined to fo good an Hour;

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