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And with asphaltic slime, broad as the gate, Deep to the roots of Hell the gathered beach They fastened, and the mole immense wrought on, Over the foaming Deep, high-arched, a bridge Of length prodigious, joining to the wall Immovable of this now fenceless world, Forfeit to Death; from hence a passage broad, Smooth, easy, inoffensive, down to hell. So, if great things to small may be compared, Xerxes, the liberty of Greece to yoke, From Susa, his Memnonian palace high, Came to the sea, and, over Hellespont Bridging his way, Europe with Asia joined, And scourged with many a stroke the indignant waves. Now had they brought the work by wondrous art Pontifical, a ridge of pendent rock, Over the vexed abyss, following the track Of Satan to the self-same place where he First lighted from his wing, and landed safe From out of Chaos, to the outside bare Of this round world. With pins of adamant And chains they made all fast, too fast they made 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. And now their way to earth they had descried, To Paradise first tending; when, behold! Satan, in likeness of an angel bright, Betwixt the Centaur and the Scorpion steering His zenith, while the sun in Aries rose, Disguised he came; but those his children dear Their parent soon discerned, though in disguise.

1 Centaur, Scorpion, Aries. - Signs in the Zodiac.