"Before their eyes in sudden view appear
The secrets of the hoary Deep-a dark
Illimitable ocean, without bound . . .
Into this wild Abyss the wary Fiend
Stood on the brink of Hell and looked a while,
Pondering his voyage; for no narrow frith
He had to cross. . ."

Paradise Lost, Book II

I rather like the original version of this drawing, too: