The epic of the fall of man; a comparative study of Caedmon, Dante and Milton . two, again, are represented as the mis-shapen progeny of Satan, just as they are portrayedin the Catholic or General Epistle of St. James theApostle. Sin and her son, the meagre shadow, Death, . . with power (their power was great)Hovering upon the waters, what they metSolid or slimy, as in raging seaTossed up and down, together crowded each side shoaling, towards the mouth of Hell. The aggregated soilDeath with his mace petrific, cold and dry,As with a trident smote, and fixed as firmAs Delos, floating
The epic of the fall of man; a comparative study of Caedmon, Dante and Milton . two, again, are represented as the mis-shapen progeny of Satan, just as they are portrayedin the Catholic or General Epistle of St. James theApostle. Sin and her son, the meagre shadow, Death, . . with power (their power was great)Hovering upon the waters, what they metSolid or slimy, as in raging seaTossed up and down, together crowded each side shoaling, towards the mouth of Hell. The aggregated soilDeath with his mace petrific, cold and dry,As with a trident smote, and fixed as firmAs Delos, floating once ; the rest his lookBound with Gorgonian rigour not to with asphaltic slime ; broad as the to the roots of Hell the gathered beachThey fastened, and the mole immense wrought onOver the foaming Deep high-arched, a bridgeOf length prodigious, joining to the wallImmovable of this now fenceless World,Forfeit to Death—from hence a passage , easy, inoffensive, down to Hell. With pins of adamantAnd chains they made all fast, too fast they made. Then swiftly dow>i7i>arJ spedThat direst messetii^cr of ;i>i\ andpiisicdThf i^atfs of Iffll. The Temptation and Fall of Man 235 And durable ; and now in little space The confines met of empyrean Heaven And of this World, and on the left hand Hell, With long reach interposed ; three several ways In sight to each of these three places led. Satan, who knows nothing of this achievement,(as the great causey had been built during his visitto the Earth), no sooner reaches the outermost con-vex of the Starry Universe, on his return journey,than he sees the massive roadway and, . . at sightOf that stupendous bridge his joy he admiring stood. But at last, . . went downThe causey to Hell-gate ; on either sideDisparted Chaos overbuilt exclaimed,And with rebounding surge the bars assailed,That scorned his indignation. Through the gate,Wide open and unguarded, Satan passed. Having ascended, u
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade18, booksubjectdantealighieri12651321
