Of that stupendous bridge his joy increased.

Long he admiring stood, till Sin, his fair

Enchanting daughter, thus the silence broke.

“O Parent, these are thy magnific deeds,

Thy trophies! which thou viewest as not thine own;

Thou art their author, and prime architect:

For I no sooner in my heart divined,

My heart, which by a secret harmony

Still moves with thine, joined in connexion sweet,

That thou on earth hadst prospered, which thy looks

Now also evidence, but straight I felt,

Though distant from thee worlds between, yet felt,

That I must after thee, with this thy son;

Such fatal consequence unites us three!

Hell could no longer hold us in our bounds,

Nor this unvoyageable gulf obscure

Detain from following thy illustrious track.

Thou hast achieved our liberty, confined

Within Hell-gates till now; thou us impowered

To fortify thus far, and overlay,

With this portentous bridge, the dark abyss.

Thine now is all this world; thy virtue hath won

What thy hands builded not; thy wisdom gained

With odds what war hath lost, and fully avenged

Our foil in Heaven; here thou shalt monarch reign,

There didst not; there let him still victor sway,

As battle hath adjudged; from this new world

Retiring, by his own doom alienated;

And henceforth monarchy with thee divide

Of all things, parted by the empyreal bounds,

His quadrature, from thy orbicular world;

Or try thee now more dangerous to his throne.”

Whom thus the Prince of darkness answered glad.

“Fair Daughter, and thou Son and Grandchild both;

High proof ye now have given to be the race

Of Satan (for I glory in the name,

Antagonist of Heaven’s Almighty King,)

Amply have merited of me, of all

The infernal empire, that so near Heaven’s door

Triumphal with triumphal act have met,

Mine, with this glorious work; and made one realm,

Hell and this world, one realm, one continent

Of easy thorough-fare. Therefore, while I

Descend through darkness, on your road with ease,

To my associate Powers, them to acquaint

With these successes, and with them rejoice;

You two this way, among these numerous orbs,

All yours, right down to Paradise descend;

There dwell, and reign in bliss; thence on the earth

Dominion exercise and in the air,

Chiefly on Man, sole lord of all declared;

Him first make sure your thrall, and lastly kill.

My substitutes I send ye, and create

Plenipotent on earth, of matchless might

Issuing from me: on your joint vigour now

My hold of this new kingdom all depends,

Through Sin to Death exposed by my exploit.

If your joint power prevail, the affairs of Hell

No detriment need fear; go, and be strong!”

So saying he dismissed them; they with speed

Their course through thickest constellations held,

Spreading their bane; the blasted stars looked wan,

And planets, planet-struck, real eclipse

Then suffered. The other way Satan went down

The causey to Hell-gate: On either side

Disparted Chaos overbuilt exclaimed,