ТНЕ

NINTH BOOK

O F

PARADISE LOST.

S

The ARGUMENT.

ATAN having compass'd the Earth, with meditated Guile returns, as a Mist, by Night into Paradife, and enters into the

Serpent fleeping. Adam and Eve in the Morning go forth to their Labours, which Eve propofes to divide in feveral Places, each labouring apart: Adam confents not, alledging the Danger, left that Enemy, of whom they are forewarn'd, fhould attempt her alone: Eve loath to be thought not circumfpect or firm enough, urges her going apart, the rather defirous to make Tryal of her Strength, and Adam at last yields. The Serpent finds Eve alone, approaches and speaks to her, with many Wiles and Arguments; induces her to tafte the Tree of Knowledge forbidden: She refolves to impart thereof to Adam. Eve brings of the Fruit to Adam, he eats alfo, the Effects thereof on them both. СНАР.

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Satan having compass'd the Earth, with meditated Guile returns by Night into Paradife, and enters into the Serpent fleeping.

Enceforward I fhall have no more to relate of GOD or Angel fitting an indulgent and familiar Gueft with MAN, as with his Friend, partaking with him in his Repaft, and permitting him the while to difcourfe innocently without Blame. Now I must change to mournful Subjects; foul Diftruft, and difloyal Breach of Duty; Revolt and Difobedience on the Part of MAN, and on the Part of alienated Heaven, Distance, Diflike, Anger, juft Rebuke, and Judgment pronounc'd, that brought into this World all our Woe; that brought in SIN and DEATH, and all thofe bitter Evils that bring DEATH ON. This is a Theme of Sorrow; yet the Subject is great, and more heroic than the Anger of ACHILLES, (a) or Rage of TURNUS, (b) or that of NEPTUNE, (c) or JuNo, which fo long perplex'd

(a) Achilles; Lat. Gr. i. e. Without a Lip; which was burnt, when he was an Infant: Or, free from Pain: Because he was made invulnerable, by being dipt all over in the River Styx, except the Heel, by which his Mother held him. The Son of Peleus, King of Theffaly, and The tis, Goddefs of the Sea; the moft valiant of all the Grecian Heroes, that went to the Siege of Troy. After many heroic Actions he was flain by Paris, being shot in the Heel.

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(b) Turnus; Rutil. An antient King of the Rutilians, who were old Inhabitants of Italy, long before the Latins. He was a brave Champion; but at last engaging with Æneas, for the Sake of Lavinia, was flain by him in a Duel; as Livy, Florus, Justin, and Virgil relate, which many learned Authors have confuted fince.

(c) Neptune; Lat. Gr. i. e. A Walker; or from Nephtin; Heb. and Egypt, i. e. Maritime: Hence

the GREEKS and TROJANS; (d) though these Arguments employ'd the Pens of the two great Poets HOMER and VIRGIL: If I might but obtain of Heaven a Stile, answerable to what I have to treat of; or might be vifited by that Spirit, that often dictates when I am flumbering, and infpires me unpremeditated on fuch high Matters; on which I have had long Intention to write, beginning late, and being long in Choice of a Subject; not taking Delight in writing of Wars, which have hitherto been the only Arguments held in Estimation; to relate tedious and feign'd Battles, fought by feign'd Knights; (at the fame Time leaving unmention'd the better Fortitude of Patience and heroic Martyrdom) or to defcribe Races and Games, Tilting (e) Furniture, and Tinfel Trappings of gorgeous Knights at Jouft and Tournament; (f) then defcribing Feafts, ferv'd up in Voluptuoufnefs and State;

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Hence Naphtuchim, a Colony of the Egyptians defcended from Mizraim, who fettled upon the Coafts of the Mediterranean Sea, Gen. 10. 13. Whence the Greeks feigned this Fable of Neptune, the God of the Sea: And under this Fable is included Japhet, the eldeft Son of Noah; because the Islands and Continent of Europe, lying upon the Mediterranean Sea, fell to his Share. So the Antients preferved the Memory of Japhet, under this and other Difguifes.

(d) Troy; from Tros, one of its Kings, who enlarged it; an antient City of Phrygia in the leffer Afia, 3 Miles from the Egean Sea, on the River Xanthus, near M. Ida. It was founded by Dardanus, A. M. 2574. Troy had only feven Kings, viz. Teucer, Dardanus, Erythonius, Tros, Ilus, Laomedon, and Pria

mus, under whom it was burnt and razed by the Grecians, after a Siege of ten Years; about A. M. 2766, 432 Years before the Building of Rome, 317 Years after it's firft Founding, and 1183 before Chrift. There were no Monuments of it to be seen in Strabo's Time, and he lived in the Reign of Tiberins the Emperor. The Trojans made divers Colonies upon the Mediterranean Sea.

(e) Tilting; Sax. O. E. The Running of armed Men on Horseback, one against another, with Spears. A Diverfion much practifed among the Antients, and first used at the old Nemean Games in Greece.

(f) Tournament, Fr. Ital. i. e. A Turning Round; a Concourle. A Milit. Diverfion. Turning, juftling and fighting on Horle back.

State; which are Things too mean to merit the Name of heroic. Neither fkill'd nor ftudious concerning fuch Things, I leave them for this higher Argument, which is of itself fufficient to lay Claim to that Name; unless the World be in its Decay, or Years, or Coldnefs of Climate hinder me from being rais'd high enough to treat of it properly; nor could I attempt it without the Affiftance of the divine Spirit.

It was now dark Night, when SATAN, who but lately fled out of EDEN before the Threats of the Angel GABRIEL, now, having meditated more Fraud and Malice, and being bent on the Deftruction of MAN, (not regarding what might happen to fall heavier on himself) return'd again without Fear about Midnight from compaffing the Earth; fearful of being difcover'd, if he appear'd by Day, ever fince URIEL the Angel who was Regent of the Sun, difcover'd his Entrance, and forewarn'd the Cherubim that kept their Watch. When he was driven from thence full of Anguish, he kept in Darkness the Space of feven fucceffive Nights; three Times he went round the Equinoctial Line; four Times he crofs'd towards the Poles obliquely, ftill to avoid the Sun; in which Time he had travers'd the whole Globe: On the eighth Night he return'd to EDEN, and on the Side, where the Entrance feem'd moft difficult and therefore was left unwatch'd, by Stealth found an unfufpected Way. There was a Place, which now is not, nor has been fince the Fall of ADA M, where the River TIGRIS (g) fhot into a Gulph under Ground to the

(g) Tigris. A Persian and Median Word; from the Heb. i. e. An Arrow or Dart; becaufe of the Rapidity of its Courfe. Therefore Dionyfius calls it the molt rapid of all Rivers in

the World; Per. 1. Line 778. It rifeth in Mount Ararat or Niphates in Armenia, parts Mefopotamia and Affyria, runs by Babylon, and a little below Bagdad joins the Euphrates. In Holy

the Foot of PARADISE, 'till Part of it rofe a Fountain near the Tree of Life: SATAN threw himfelf into the River, and rofe up (involv'd in a Mift) with the Fountain into PARADISE, then thought where to conceal himfelf: He had fearch'd Sea and Land, from EDEN over to PONTUS, and from MOTIS (b) up beyond the River OBY, (i) downward as far as the South Pole; and in Length Weft, from ORONTES to the Ifthmus of DARIEN, (k) that ftops the SOUTHSEA, and joins the North and South AMERICA, and from thence he had journey'd as far as INDIA. Thus he roam'd over all the World, with ftrict Search and deep Infpection, confidering every Creature, which of them might beft ferve his wily PurT 4 pofes;

Writ it is called Hiddekel, or Chiddekel, which comes from Chadda, i. e. Sharp, and Cal, i. e. Swift, becauje it flows from the high Mountains of Armenia; Heb. i. e. Swiftnefs, Gen. 2.24. The great River Hiddekel, Dan. 10. 4. Now Tigirl by the Turks, according to their corrupt Pronunciation.

(b) Mæotis; Lat. Gr. i. e. The Mother or Nurfe of the Sea; becaufe it is the Source or original Spring of the Pontus. It is a Lake on the Coaft of Crim-Tartary, into which the River Tanais runneth, and parts Europe from Afia, on that Side. deepeit Parts it is not above 18 Foot.

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(i) Oby, by a Fig. of Gram. In Lat. Obba, or Obius; Perf. Tatar. Extenfion, Wideness; because it is a broad River. A vast River, which parts Siberia and Tatary from Ruffia. It rifes from the Lake Oferoy Telefkoy, or Altan Nor, bears at firit the Name of By, and does not take that of

Oby, till after it has received the Waters of the River Chatun, 20 Leagus from Telefkoy; then it runs directly North, and empties itself about the 65th Degree of North Latit, into the Guba Tafa Koya, from thence into the Icy Sea in fix Months, over-againit Nova Zembla, after a Course of 500 German Leagues. The Ruffans, fince they conquered Siberia, have built about 12 fine Towns or Forts upon it, to overawe the Tatars. About 150 Leagues from the Source it is half a League brod, and conftantly increates in Depth and Breadth, and abounds with Plenty of all Manner of Fish.

(k) Darien; American. A Neck of Land 18 and in fome Places no more than 12 Leagues over from Eaft to Weft, upon the River Darien, between the Gulph of Mexico and the South Sea: Therefore theSpaniards attempted to cut it, but they could not perfect it. It joineth North and South America.