THE ARGUMENT OF THE FIRST BOOK. H I S fira book propofes, fira in brier, the whole fubje0c, man's difobedience, and the lots thereupon of Paradife wherein he was placed. Then touches the prime caufe of his fall, the ferpent, or rather Satan in the ferpent ; who revolting from God, and drawing to his fide many legions of Angels, was by the command of God driven out of Heaven with all his crew into the great deep. Which a&ion paired over, the poem haftes into the midtt of things, prefenting Satan with his Angels now fallen into Hell, defcribed here, not in the center (for Heaven and earth may be fuppofed as yet not made, certainly not yet accurfed) hut in a place of utter darknefs, fitlieft call'd chaos Here Satan with his Angels lying on the burning lake, thunder-ftruck and afionifh'd, after a certain fpace recovers, as from confufion, calls up him who next in order and dignity lay by him ; they confer of their miferable fall. Satan awakens all his legions, who lay till then in the fame manner confounded ; They rife, their numbers, array of battel, their chief leaders nam'd, according to the idols known afterwards in Canaan and the countries adjoining. To thefe Satan dire&s his fpeech; comforts them with hope yet regaining Heaven, but tells ern laftly of a new world and new kind of creature to be created, according to an antient prophecy or report in Heaven ; for that Angels Were long before this vifible creation, was the opinion of many antient Fathers. To find out the truth of this prophecy, and what to deter- mine thereon, he refers to a full council. What his affociates thence attempt. Pandemonium the palace of Satan rifes, fuddenly built out of the deep : The infernal peers there fit in council.
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