Chapter 9 8

So sent the grim Feature, and upturned His Nostril wide into the murkie Air, [ 280 ] Sagacious of his Quarry from so farr. Then Both from out Hell Gates into the waste Wide Anarchie of Chaos damp and dark Flew divers, and with Power (thir Power was great) Hovering upon the Waters; what they met [ 285 ] Solid or slime, as in raging Sea Tost up and down, together crowded drove From each side shoaling towards the mouth of Hell. As when two Polar Winds blowing adverse Upon the Cronian Sea, together drive [ 290 ] Mountains of Ice, that stop th imagined way Beyond Petsora Eastward, to the rich

Cathaian Coast. The aggregated Soyle Death with his Mace petrific, cold and dry, As with a Trident smote, and fix as firm [ 295 ] As Delos floating once; the rest his look Bound with Gorgonian rigor not to move, And with Asphaltic slime; broad as the Gate, Deep to the Roots of Hell the gathered beach They fastend, and the Mole immensely wraught on [ 300 ] Over the foaming deep high Archt, a Bridge Of length prodigious joyning to the Wall Immovable of this now fenceless world Forfeit to Death; from henceforth a passage broad, Smooth, easy, inoffensive down to Hell. [ 305 ]

So, if great things to small may be compard, Xerxes, the Libertie of Greece to yoke, From Susa his Memnonian Palace high Came to the Sea, and over Hellespont Bridging his way, Europe with Asia joynd, [ 310 ] And scourgd with many a stroak th indignant waves. Now had they brought the work by wondrous Art Pontifical, a ridge of pendent Rock Over the vext Abyss, following the track Of Satan, to the self same place where hee [ 315 ] First lighted from his Wing, and landed safe From out of Chaos to the out side bare Of this round World: with Pinns of Adamant And Chains they made all fast, too fast they made

And durable; and now in little space [ 320 ] The confines met of Empyrean Heavn And of this World, and on the left hand Hell With long reach interposd; three sevral ways In sight, to each of these three places led.