Chapter 11 10

Hee Heavn 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 did not spare, Nor stop thy flaming Chariot wheels, that shook Heavns everlasting Frame, while ore the necks [ 395 ] Thou drovst of warring Angels disarraid. Back from pursuit thy Powers with loud acclaim Thee only extolld, Son of thy Fathers might, To execute fierce vengeance on his foes, Not so on Man; him through their malice falln, [ 400 ] Father of Mercie and Grace, thou didst not doome So strictly, but much more to pitie encline:

No sooner did thy dear and only Son Perceive thee purposd not to doom frail Man So strictly, but much more to pitie enclind, [ 405 ] He to appease thy wrauth, and end the strife Of Mercy and Justice in thy face discerned, Regardless of the Bliss where in hee sat Second to thee, offered himself to die For mans offense. O unexampld love, [ 410 ] Love no where to be found less then Divine! Hail Son of God, Savior 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 Heavn, above the starry Sphear,

Thir happy 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, enclosing [ 420 ] From Chaos and th inroad of Darkness old, Satan alighted walks: a Globe farr off It seemsd, now seems a boundless Continent Dark, waste, and wild, under the frown of Night Starless exposd, and ever-threatening storms [ 425 ] Of Chaos blustring round, inclement skie; Save on that side which from the wall of Heavn Though distant farr some small reflection gains Of glimmering air less vext with tempest loud:

Here walkd the Fiend at large in spacious field. [ 430 ]