Satan What thou and thy gay legions dare against; to no Whose easier business were to serve their Lord threats High up in Heaven, with songs to hymn his throne,
And practised distances to cringe, not fight.'
To whom the Warrior-Angel soon replied "To say and straight unsay, pretending first Wise to fly pain, professing next the spy, Argues no leader, but a liar traced, Satan; and couldst thou "faithful" add?
O sacred name of faithfulness profaned! Faithful to whom? to thy rebellious crew? Army of fiends, fit body to fit head! Was this your discipline and faith engaged, Your military obedience, to dissolve Allegiance to the acknowledged Power Supreme: And thou, sly hypocrite, who now wouldst seem Patron of liberty, who more than thou
Once fawned, and cringed, and servilely adored Heaven's awful Monarch? wherefore, but in hope
To dispossess him, and thyself to reign?
But mark what I areed thee now: Avaunt! Fly thither whence thou fledd'st.
Within these hallowed limits thou appear, Back to the Infernal Pit I drag thee chained, And seal thee so as henceforth not to scorn The facile gates of Hell too slightly barred.'
So threatened he; but Satan to no threats Gave heed, but waxing more in rage, replied:- 'Then, when I am thy captive, talk of chains, Proud limitary Cherub! but ere then
Far heavier load thyself expect to feel From my prevailing arm, though Heaven's King Ride on thy wings, and thou with thy compeers, sued Used to the yoke, draw'st his triumphant wheels In progress through the road of Heaven star-
While thus he spake, the angelic squadron bright
Turned fiery red, sharpening in moonèd horns Their phalanx, and began to hem him round With ported spears, as thick as when a field 980 Of Ceres ripe for harvest waving bends
Her bearded grove of ears which way the wind Sways them; the careful ploughman doubting stands
Lest on the threshing-floor his hopeful sheaves Prove chaff. On the other side, Satan, alarmed, Collecting all his might, dilated stood,
Like Teneriff or Atlas, unremoved :
His stature reached the sky, and on his crest Sat Horror plumed; nor wanted in his grasp What seemed both spear and shield. Now dreadful deeds
Might have ensued; nor only Paradise, In this commotion, but the starry cope Of Heaven perhaps, or all the Elements At least, had gone to wrack, disturbed and torn With violence of this conflict, had not soon The Eternal, to prevent such horrid fray, Hung forth in Heaven his golden scales, yet seen Betwixt Astræa and the Scorpion sign, Wherein all things created first he weighed, The pendulous round Earth with balanced air 1000 In counterpoise, now ponders all events,
but Battles and realms. In these he put two weights, Satan The sequel each of parting and of fight:
The latter quick up flew, and kicked the beam; Which Gabriel spying thus bespake the Fiend:- 'Satan, I know thy strength, and thou know'st mine,
Neither our own, but given; what folly then To boast what arms can do! since thine no more Than Heaven permits, nor mine, though doubled
To trample thee as mire. For proof look up, 1010 And read thy lot in yon celestial sign,
Where thou art weighed, and shown how light, how weak
If thou resist.' The Fiend looked up, and knew His mounted scale aloft: nor more; but fled Murmuring; and with him fled the shades of Night.
THE END OF THE FOURTH BOOK
MORNING approached, Eve relates to Adam her trouble- 'Tis some dream; he likes it not, yet comforts her: they Morn come forth to their day labours: their morning hymn at the door of their bower. God, to render Man inexcusable, sends Raphael to admonish him of his obedience, of his free estate, of his enemy near at hand, who he is, and why his enemy, and whatever else may avail Adam to know. Raphael comes down to Paradise; his appearance described; his coming discerned by Adam afar off, sitting at the door of his bower; he goes out to meet him, brings him to his lodge, entertains him with the choicest fruits of Paradise, got together by Eve; their discourse at table. Raphael performs his message, minds Adam of his state and of his enemy; relates, at Adam's request, who that enemy is, and how he came to be so, beginning from his first revolt in Heaven, and the occasion thereof; how he drew his legions after him to the parts of the North, and there incited them to rebel with him, persuading all but only Abdiel, a seraph, who in argument dissuades and opposes him, then forsakes him.
Now Morn, her rosy steps in the eastern clime Advancing, sowed the earth with orient pearl, When Adam waked, so customed; for his sleep Was aery light, from pure digestion bred, And temperate vapours bland, which the only
Of leaves and fuming rills, Aurora's fan, Lightly dispersed, and the shrill matin song
The At such bold words vouched with a deed so bold; sweet But he thus, overjoyed: "O fruit divine, Sweet of thyself, but much more sweet thus cropt, Forbidden here, it seems, as only fit
For gods, yet able to make gods of men! And why not gods of men, since good, the more Communicated, more abundant grows,
The author not impaired, but honoured more? Here, happy creature, fair angelic Eve! Partake thou also happy though thou art, Happier thou may'st be, worthier canst not be. Taste this, and be henceforth among the gods Thyself a goddess; not to Earth confined, But sometimes in the Air, as we; sometimes Ascend to Heaven, by merit thine, and see 80 What life the gods live there, and such live thou." So saying, he drew nigh, and to me held,
Even to my mouth of that same fruit held part Which he had plucked: the pleasant savoury smell
So quickened appetite that I, methought, Could not but taste. Forthwith up to the clouds With him I flew, and underneath beheld
The Earth outstretched immense, a prospect
My guide was gone, and I, methought, sunk down, And fell asleep; but O how glad I waked To find this but a dream!' Thus Eve her night Related, and thus Adam answered sad :-
Best image of myself, and dearer half, The trouble of thy thoughts this night in sleep
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