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;
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
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
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
That argued fear: each on himself rely'd,
As only in his arm the moment lay
Of victory: deeds of eternal fame
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
236. Fields ploughed in ridges form the subject of this fine metaphor. 244. Tormented, as the Latirs use vexare.
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
Of thy rebellion? How hast thou instill'd Thy malice into thousands, once upright
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,
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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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,
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.
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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