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Such hast thou arm'd, the minstrelsy of Heav'n,
Servility with freedom to contend,

As both their deeds compared this day shall prove.

To whom in brief thus Abdiel stern reply'd ·
Apostate, still thou err'st, nor end wiit find
Of erring, from the path of truth remote.
Unjustly thou deprav'st it with the name
Of Servitude to serve whom God ordains,
Or Nature; God and Nature bid the same,
When he who rules is worthiest, and excels
Them whom he governs. This is servitude,
To serve th' unwise, or him who hath rebell'd
Against his worthier, as thine now serve thee,
Thyself not free, but to thyself enthrall'd;
Yet lewdly dar'st our minist'ring upbraid.
Reign thou in Hell, thy kingdom; let me serve
In Heav'n God ever blest, and his divine
Behests obey, worthiest to be obey'd;

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Yet chains in Hell, not realms expect: meanwhile From me return'd, as erst thou saidst, from flight, This greeting on thy impious crest receive.

So say'ng, a noble stroke he lifted high,

Which hung not, but so swift with tempest tell 190
On the proud crest of Satan, that no sight,

Nor motion of swift thought, less could his shield
Such ruin intercept. Ten paces huge

He back recoil'd; the tenth on bended knee

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His massy spear upstay'd, as if on earth
Winds under grouud, or waters forcing way
Sidelong, had push'd a mountain from his seat,
Half sunk with all his pines. Amazement seized
The rebel Thrones, but greater rage, to see
Thus foil'd their mightiest; ours joy fill'd and shout,
Presage of victory and fierce desire

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Of battle; whereat Michael bid sound
Th' Arch-Angel trumpet: through the vast of Heav'n
It sounded, and the faithful armies rung
Hosannah to the Highest: nor stood at gaze
The adverse legions, nor less hideous join'd
The horrid shock. Now storming fury rose,
And clamour such as heard in Heav'n till now

183. Said In anticipation.

Was never; arms on armour clashing bray'd
Horrible discord, and the madding wheels
Of brazen chariots raged; dire was the noise
Of conflict; over head the dismal hiss
Of fiery darts in flaming volleys flew,
And flying vaulted either host with fire.
So under fiery cope together rush'd
Both battles main, with ruinous assault
And inextinguishable rage. All Heav'n
Resounded; and had Earth been then, all Earth
Had to her centre shook. What wonder? when
Millions of fierce encount'ring Angels fought
On either side, the least of whom could wield
These elements, and arm him with the force
Of all their regions: how much more of pow'r
Army 'gainst army numberless, to raise
Dreadful combustion warring, and disturb,
Though not destroy, their happy native seat;
Had not th' Eternal King omnipotent
From his strong hold of Heav'n high over-ruled
And limited their might; though number'd such
As each divided legion might have seem'd
A num'rous host, in strength each armed hand
A legion, led in fight yet leader seem'd
Each warrior single as in hief, expert
When to advance, or stand, or turn the sway
Of battle, open when, and when to close
The ridges of grim war: no thought of flight,
None of retreat, no unbecoming deed

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That argued fear: each on himself rely'd,

As only in his arm the moment lay

Of victory: deeds of eternal fame

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Were done, but infinite; for wide was spread

That war, and various; sometimes on firm ground

A standing fight, then soaring on main wing,
Tormented all the air: all air seem'd then
Conflicting fire. Long time in even scale
The battle hung; till Satan, who that day
Prodigious pow'r had shone, and met in arms
No equal, ranging through the dire attack
Of fighting Seraphim confused, at length

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236. Fields ploughed in ridges form the subject of this fine metaphor. 244. Tormented, as the Latirs use vexare.

H

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Saw where the sword of Michael smote, and fell'd
Squadrons at once: with huge two-handed sway
Brandish'd aloft the horrid edge came down
Wide wasting: such destruction to withstand
He hasted, and opposed the rocky orb
Of tenfold adamant, his ample shield:
A vast circumference. At his approach
The great Arch-Angel from his warlike toil
Surceased, and glad, as hoping here to end
Intestine war in heav'n, th' arch-foe subdued,
Or captive dragg'd in chains, with hostile frown 260
And visage all inflamed, first thus began:

Author of evil, unknown till thy revolt,

Unnamed in Heav'n, now plenteous, as thou seest

These acts of hateful strife, hateful to all,

Though heaviest by just measure on thyself

And thy adherents, how hast thou disturb'd
Heav'n's blessed peace, and into nature brought
Misery, uncreated till the crime

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Of thy rebellion? How hast thou instill'd
Thy malice into thousands, once upright

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And faithful, now proved false? But think not here
To trouble holy rest; Heav'n casts thee out
From all her confines. Heav'n, the seat of bliss,
Brooks not the works of violence and war,
Hence then, and evil go with thee along,
Thy offspring, to the place of evil, Hell,

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Thou and thy wicked crew; there mingle broils
Ere this avenging sword begin thy doom,

Or some more sudden vengeance wing'd from God Precipitate thee with augmented pain.

So spake the Prince of Angels: to whom thus

The Adversary: Nor think thou with wind
Of aery threats to awe whom yet with deeds

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Thou canst not. Hast thou turn'd the least of these
To flight, or if to fall, but that they rise
Unvanquish'd, easier to transact with me
That thou shouldst hope, imperious, and with threats
To chase me hence? Err not that so shall end
The strife which thou call'st evil, but we style
The strife of glory; which we mean to win,
Or turn this Heav'n itself into the Hell

282. Adversary, the meaning of the Hebrew, Satan.

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Thou fablest, here however to dwell free,
If not to reign. Mean while thy utmost force,
And join him named Almighty to thy aid,
I fly not, but have sought thee far and nigh.
They ended parle, and both address'd for fight
Unspeakable; for who, though with the tongue
Of Angels, can relate, or to what things
Liken on earth conspicuous, that may lift
Human imagination to such height

Of Godlike pow'r? for likest Gods they seem'd,
Stood they or moved, in stature, motion, arms,
Fit to decide the empire of great Heav'n.
Now waved their fiery swords, and in the air
Made horrid circles: two broad suns their shields
Blazed opposite, while expectation stood
In horror: from each hand with speed retired,
Where erst was thickest fight, th' angelic throng,
And left large field, unsafe within the wind
Of such commotion: such as, to set forth
Great things by small, if Nature's concord broke,
Among the constellations war were sprung.
Two planets rushing from aspéct malign
Of fiercest opposition in mid-sky

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Should combat, and their jarring spheres confound.
Together both with next to' almighty arm
Uplifted imminent, one stroke they aim'd
That might determine, and not need repeat,
As not of pow'r at once; nor odds appear'd
In might or swift prevention. But the sword
Of Michael from the armoury of God,
Was giv'n him temper d so, that neither keen
Nor solid might resist that edge. It met
The sword of Satan with steep force to smite
Descending, and in half cut sheer; nor stay'd, 325
But with swift wheel reverse, deep ent'ring shared
All his right side: then Satan first knew pain,
And writhed him to and fro convolved; so sore
The griding sword with discontinuous wound

298. Can relate or liken: the substantive fight before mentioned must be understood after these verbs.

312. Bentley proposes to read warfare instead of war here. 321. So Virgil mentions the sword of Eneas; Homer and Tasso

also are imitated in this passage.

325. Homer, Il. ii. 363. Virgil, En. xii. 731.

329. Discontinuous, separating the parts.

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Pass'd through him: but th' ethereal substance closed,
Not long divisible; and from the gash
A stream of nect'rous humour issuing, flow'd
Sanguine, such as celestial Spirits may bleed,
And all his armour stain'd ere while so bright.
Forthwith on all sides to his aid was run
By angels many' and strong, who interposed
Defence, while others bore him on their shields
Back to his chariot, where it stood retired
From off the files of war: there they him laid
Gnashing for anguish, and despite, and shame,
To find himself not matchless, and his pride
Humbled by such rebuke, so far beneath

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His confidence to equal God in pow'r.

Yet soon he heal'd; for Spirits that live throughout

Vital in ev'ry part, not as frail man

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In entrails, heart or head, liver or reins,

Cannot but by annihilating die;

Nor in their liquid texture mortal wound
Receive, no more than can the fluid air.

All heart they live, all head, all eye, all ear,
All intellect, all sense: and as they please,
They limb themselves: and colour, shape, or size
Assume, as likes them best, condense or rare.
Meanwhile in other parts like deeds deserved
Memorial, where the might of Gabriel fought,
And with fierce ensigns pierced the deep array
Of Moloch, furious king; who him defy'd,
And at his chariot-wheels to drag him bound
Threaten'd; nor from the Holy One of Heav'n
Refrain'd his tongue blasphemous; but anon
Down cloven to the waist, with shatter'd arms
And uncouth pain fled bellowing. On each wing
Uriel and Raphaël his vaunting foe,

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332. Homer calls the blood flowing from the gods ichor, that is, a pare fluid corresponding to the more refined substance of their bodies. Bentley reads ichorons instead of nect'rous, but this would be a tautology as sanguine follows.-See Hom. II. v.

339.

335. Was run, a Latinism, ventum est.

355. The might of Gabriel fought, a Greek expression frequent In Homer.

362. So Mars is represented flying from battle in the Tiiad. 363. Raphael speaks here in the third person of himself, is name being unknown to Adam-Some "itics propose to add each after Raphael.

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