that bright star to Satan paragoned; There kept their watch the legions, while the Grand In council sat, solicitous what chance Might intercept their Emperor sent; so he Departing gave command, and they observed. As when the Tartar from his Russian foe, By Astracan, over the snowy plains Retires, or Bactrian Sophi, from the horns Of Turkish crescent, leaves all waste beyond The realm of Aladule, in his retreat To Tauris or Casbeen: so these, the late Heaven-banished host, left desert utmost Hell Many a dark league, reduced in careful watch Round their metropolis, and now expecting Each hour their great adventurer from the search Of foreign worlds. He through the midst unmarked, In show plebeian Angel militant Of lowest order, passed; and, from the door Of that Plutonian hall, invisible Ascended his high throne, which, under state Of richest texture spread, at the upper end Was placed in regal lustre. Down a while He sat, and round about him saw unseen. At last, as from a cloud, his fulgent head And shape star-bright appeared, or brighter, clad With what permissive glory since his fall Was left him, or false glitter. All amazed At that so sudden blaze, the Stygian throng Bent their aspect, and whom they wished beheld, Their mighty Chief returned: loud was the acclaim. Forth rushed in haste the great consulting peers, Raised from their dark divan, and with like joy Congratulant approached him, who with hand Silence, and with these words attention, won:
“Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers! For in possession such, not only of right, I call ye, and declare ye now, returned, Successful beyond hope, to lead ye forth Triumphant out of this infernal pit Abominable, accursed, the house of woe, And dungeon of our tyrant! Now possess, As lords, a spacious World, to our native Heaven Little inferior, by my adventure hard With peril great achieved. Long were to tell What I have done, what suffered, with what pain Voyaged the unreal, vast, unbounded Deep Of horrible confusion, over which By Sin and Death a broad way now is paved, To expedite your glorious march; but I Toiled out my uncouth passage, forced to ride The untractable Abyss,