BOOK I.
The devils wake up in Hell.
A brief introduction mentions the fall of Adam and Eve caused by the
serpent, which was Satan, who led the angels in revolt against God
and was cast into hell. The scene then opens on Satan lying dazed in
the burning lake, with Beelzebub, next in command, beside him.
Satan assembles his fallen legions on the shore, where he revives
their spirits by his speech. They set to building a palace, called
Pandemonium. There the high ranking angels assemble in council.
BOOK II.
Satan plans to visit Earth.
A debate is held whether or not to attempt recovery of heaven.
A third proposal is preferred, concerning an ancient prophecy of another world
which was to be created, where the devils may seek to enact their revenge. Satan alone
undertakes the voyage to find this world. He encounters Sin and Death,
his offspring, guarding hell's gates. Sin unlocks the gate, and Satan
embarks on his passage across the great gulf of chaos between heaven
and hell, till he sights the new universe floating near the larger globe,
which is heaven.
BOOK III.
God sees Satan flying to Earth.
God sees Satan flying towards this world and foretells the success of
his evil mission to tempt man. God explains his purpose of grace and
mercy toward man, but declares that justice must be met nonetheless.
His Son, who sits at his right hand, freely offers to sacrifice
himself for man's salvation, causing the angels to celebrate in songs
of praise.
Meanwhile Satan alights upon the outer shell of the
new creation, where he finds an opening to the universe within. He flies
down to the sun, upon which an angel, Uriel, stands guard. Diguised as a
cherub, Satan pretends he has come to praise God's new creation,
and thereby tricks the angel into showing him the way to man's home.
BOOK IV.
Satan finds Adam and Eve.
Landing atop Mt. Niphates, Satan experiences dissillusionment, but soon proceeds
on his evil errand. He easily gains secret entrance to the Garden of Paradise.
He wonders at its beauty, and soon comes upon Adam
and Eve, who excite great envy in him at their happy state. He overhears
them speak of God's commandment that they should not eat the fruit of the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil under penalty of death, and thereby plots
to cause them to transgress.
Uriel, becoming suspicious, comes to warn Gabriel and his angels, who are guarding
the gate of Paradise. That evening, two scouts sent by Gabriel find Satan
whispering in the ear of Eve as she sleeps next to her husband. The scouts
apprehend and bring Satan to Gabriel who banishes him from Eden.
BOOK V.
Raphael warns the two
about Satan.
Next morning, Eve relates to Adam a troublesome dream, and is comforted
by him. God sends the angel Raphael to visit the couple to warn them
of their enemy. The angel arrives and dines with them, then relates to them the history
of Satan's fall: how jealousy against the Son of God led him to incite
all those in his charge to rebel against God, and how one angel, Abdiel,
resisted and remained faithful to God.
BOOK VI.
Raphael describes the
war in Heaven.
Raphael continues to relate how Michael was sent to lead the
faithful angels into battle against Satan (then called Lucifer) and his army.
Wounded and in dissaray, Satan and his
powers retreat. During the night they invent weapons resembling
cannons. When, in the second day's fight, Michael's angels are
confronted with these devilish devices, they become enraged and pull up the
very mountains and hurl them at Satan's crew. But the war continues into the third day, when God sends Messiah,
his Son, to end the war. Riding forth in his flaming chariot, Messiah drives
the rebels out of heaven and down into hell.
BOOK VII.
Raphael tells about creation.
Raphael then relates to Adam how God sent his Son
to create a new world and new creatures to fill the place left by
the fallen angels. The six days of creation are described.
BOOK VIII.
Raphael and Adam
continue talking.
Adam, desiring to extend the pleasurable visit with the angel,
relates to Raphael what he remembers of his own creation, his
first impressions of the world and its creatures, the Garden of
Eden, and his first meeting and marriage to Eve. After repeating
his warnings to Adam, the angel departs.
BOOK IX.
Adam and Eve eat
the forbidden fruit.
Satan returns to earth, where he chooses the serpent as his best disguise.
Next morning, when Adam and Eve go forth to their gardening tasks, Eve
suggests they go in separate directions. With great reservation, Adam
finally consents. The serpent finds Eve alone and approaches her. She is
surprised to find the creature can speak, and is soon induced by him
to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. Adam is horrified
when he finds what she has done, but at length resignes himself to share
her fate rather than be left without her, and eats the fruit also.
After eating, they are aroused with lust and lay together, then fall
to restless sleep. They waken to awareness of their nakedness and
shame, and cover themselves with leaves. In their emotional distress,
they fall into mutual accusations and blame.
BOOK X.
God judges Adam and Eve.
The guardian angels return to heaven, sad for man's failure, and
the Son of God descends to earth to judge the sinners. Mercifully,
he delays their sentence of death many days,
during which they may work to regain God's favor.
Then, in pity, he clothes them both.
At the gates of hell, Sin and Death sense the success of Satan in this new world.
They set out to build a highway over chaos to make future passage to earth easier.
Satan meets them on his return voyage to hell, and marvels at the great structure.
Upon his arrival in Pandemonium, Satan boasts of his success to the assembly.
Instead of applauding him, they can only hiss, for they and he have all been turned into
snakes, their punishment from above.
God instructs his angels what changed conditions must prevail in the
world, now in fallen state, while on earth, Adam bemoans his miserable
condition and the fate of the human race. He harshly rejects Eve's attempt
to console him, but she persists and wins his forgiveness. She proposes
they commit suicide, but Adam reminds her of God's promise that her
seed should wreak vengeance upon the serpent. Moreover, they must seek to
make peace with their offended Lord.
BOOK XI.
Michael shows Adam the future.
God sends Michael and his band to expel the sinning pair from Paradise,
but first to reveal to Adam future events, resulting from his sin.
The angel descends to Eden with the news of their expulsion, causing Eve to
withdraw in tears. Michael leads Adam up a high hill, where he
sets before him in visions what shall happen till the Great Flood.
BOOK XII.
Adam and Eve are expelled
from Paradise.
Michael continues in prophecy from the flood by degrees to explain
who the Seed of woman shall be, the Savior which was promised,
who shall redeem mankind. Adam is recomforted by these last revelations
and resolves faithful obedience. He descends the hill with Michael and rejoins Eve, who
is wakened from gentle sleep, reconfirmed in allegence to her husband.
A flaming sword is placed to bar the gates behind them, as Adam and Eve
are sent away from Paradise.
. . .