Boom II. PARADISE LOST. 47 Are brought ; and feel by turns the bitter change Of fierce extremes, extremes by change more fierce ! From beds of raging fire to ftarve in ice boo Their loft ethereal warmth, and there to pine Immoveable, infixr, and frozen round, Periods of time ; thence hurried back to fire. They ferry over this Lethean found Both to and fro their forrow to augment, 6o5 And with and itruggle as they pals, to reach The tempting ftrearn, with one fmall drop to lore In lweet forgetfulnefs all pain and woe, All in one moment, and to near the brink : But Fate withitands, and to oppofe th' attempt 6to Medufa with Gorgonian terror guards The ford, and of itfell the water flies All tatie of living %Night ; as once it fled The lip of Tantalus. Thus roving on In confus'd march forlorn th' adveat'rous bands With ihuddring horror pale, and eyes agaft View'd firil their lamentable lot, and found No reft : through many a dark and dreary vale They paled, and many a region dolorous, O'er many a frozen, many a fiery Alp, 620 Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens, and fhades of A univerfe of death, which God by curie [death ; Created evil, for evil only good, Where all life dies, death lives and nature breeds, Perverfe, all monftrous, all prodigious things, 6zr Abominable, inutterable; and worfe Than Fables yet have feign'd, or fear couceiv'd, Gorgons and Hydra's and Chimeraes dire. Mean while the adverfary of God and man, Satan, with thoughts inflam'd of higheft defign, 63e Puts on fwift wings, and to,,,y'rds the gates of hell Ex=i 615
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