Wide over all the plain, and wider far
Than all this globous earth in plain outspread,
(Such are the courts of God) th' angelic throng, 650
Dispers'd in bands and files, their camp extend
By living streams among the trees of life,
Pavilions numberless, and sudden rear'd,
Celestial tabernacles, where they slept
Fann'd with cool winds; save those who in their course
Melodious hymns about the sov'reign throne
Alternate all night long: but not so wak'd
Satan (so call him now, his former name
Is heard no more in Heav'n;) he of the first,
If not the first Archangel, great in power,
In favour and præeminence, yet fraught
With envy' against the Son of God, that day
Honour'd by his great Father, and proclaim'd
Messiah King anointed, could not bear,
Thro' pride, that sight, and thought himself impair'd.
Deep malice thence conceiving, and disdain,
Soon as midnight brought on the dusky hour
Friendliest to sleep and silence, he resolv'd
With all his legions to dislodge, and leave
Unworshipp'd, unobey'd the throne supreme, 670
Contemptuous, and his next subordinate
Awak'ning, thus to him in secret spake.
"Sleep'st thou, companion dear; what sleep can
Thy eye-lids? and remember'st what decree
Of yesterday, so late hath pass'd the lips
Of Heav'n's Almighty. Thou to me thy thoughts
Wast wont, I mine to thee was wont to' impart;
Both waking we were one; how then can now
Thy sleep dissent? New laws thou seest impos'd;
New laws from him who reigns, new minds may raise
In us who serve, new counsels, to debate
What doubtful may ensue: more in this place
To utter is not safe. Assemble thou
Of all those myriads which we lead the chief;
Tell them that by command, ere yet dim night 685
Her shadowy cloud withdraws, I am to haste,
And all who under me their banners wave,
Homeward with flying march where we possess
The quarters of the north; there to prepare
Fit entertainment to receive our King
The great Messiah, and his new commands,
Who speedily through all the hierarchies
Intends to pass triumphant, and give laws.'
"So spake the false Archangel, and infus'd
Bad influence into th' unwary breast
Of his associate: he together calls,
Or several one by one, the regent Powers,
Under him regent; tells, as he was taught,
That, the most high commanding, now ere night,
Now ere dim night had disincumber'd Heav'n, 700
The great hierarchal standard was to move; .
Tells the suggested cause, and casts between
Ambiguous words and jealousies, to sound
Or taint integrity. But all obey'd
The wonted signal, and superior voice
Of their great potentate; for great indeed
His name, and high was his degree in Heav'n: His count'nance, as the morning star that guides The starry flock, allur'd them, and with lies
Drew after him the third part of Heav'n's host. 710
Meanwhile th' eternal eye, whose sight discerns
Abstrusest thoughts, from forth his holy mount,
And from within the golden lamps that burn
Nightly before him, saw without their light
Rebellion rising, saw in whom, how spread
Among the sons of morn, what multitudes
Were banded to oppose his high decree;
And, smiling, to his only Son, thus said.
"Son, thou in whom my glory I behold
In full resplendence, Heir of all my might,
Nearly it now concerns us to be sure
Of our omnipotence, and with what arms
We mean to hold what anciently we claim
Of deity or empire; such a foe
Is rising, who intends to' erect his throne
Equal to ours, throughout the spacious north;
Nor so content, hath in his thought to try,
In battle, what our pow'r is, or our right.
Let us advise, and to this hazard draw
With speed what force is left, and all employ 730 In our defence, lest unawares we lose
This our high place, our sanctuary, our hill.' "To whom the Son, with calm aspéct and clear, Lightning divine, ineffable, serene,
Mighty Father, thou thy foes 735
Justly hast in derision, and, secure,
Laugh'st at their vain designs and tumults vain,
Matter to me of glory, whom their hate
Illustrates, when they see all regal power
Giv'n me to quell their pride, and in event. 740
Know whether I be dext'rous to subdue
The rebels, or be found the worst in Heav'n.'
"So spake the Son; but Satan with his powers
Far was advanc'd on winged, speed, an host
Innumerable as the stars of night,
Or stars of morning, dew-drops, which the sun
Impearls on every leaf and every flower.
Regions they pass'd, the mighty regencies
Of Seraphim, and Potentates, and Thrones,
In their triple degrees; regions to which
All thy dominion, Adam, is no more
Than what this garden is to all the earth,
And all the sea, from one entire globose
Stretch'd into longitude; which having pass'd,
At length into the limits of the north
They came, and Satan to his royal seat
High on a hill, far blazing, as a mount
Rais'd on a mount, with pyramids and towers
From diamond quarries hewn, and rocks of gold;
The palace of great Lucifer (so call
That structure in the dialect of men
Interpreted,) which not long after he,
Affecting all equality with God,
In imitation of that mount whereon
Messiah was declar'd in sight of Heaven,
The Mountain of the congregation call'd;
For thither he assembled all his train,
Pretending so commanded, to consult
About the great reception of their king
Thither to come, and with calumnious art
Of counterfeited truth thus held their ears.
Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues,
Powers,
If these magnific titles yet remain
Not merely titular, since by decree
Another now hath to himself engross'd
All pow'r, and us eclips'd, under the name
Of King anointed, for whom all this haste
Of midnight march, and hurried meeting here;
This only to consult how we may best
With what may be devis'd of honours new,
Receive him coming, to receive from us
Knee-tribute yet unpaid, prostration vile,
Too much to one, but double how endur'd,
To one, and to his image now proclaim'd?
But what if better counsels might erect
Our minds, and teach us to cast off this yoke?
Will ye submit your necks, and choose to bend
The supple knee? Ye will not, if I trust
To know ye right, or if ye know yourselves
Natives and sons of Heaven, possess'd before 790
By none, and if not equal all, yet free,
Equally free; for orders and degrees
Jar not with liberty, but well consist.
Who can in reason then, or right, assume
Monarchy over such as live by right
His equals, if in pow'r and splendour less,
In freedom equal? or can introduce
Law and edict on us, who without law
Err not? much less for this to be our Lord,
And look for adoration, to th' abuse
Of those imperial titles, which assert
Our being ordain'd to govern, not to serve."
"Thus far his bold discourse without control Had audience; when among the Seraphim
Abdiel, than whom none with more zeal ador'd 805
The Deity', and divine commands obey'd,
Stood up, and, in a flame of zeal severe,
The current of his fury thus oppos'd.
"O argument blasphemous, false and proud!
Words which no ear ever to hear in Heaven
Expected, least of all from thee, Ingrate,
In place thyself so high above thy peers.
Canst thou with impious obloquy condemn
The just decree of God, pronounc'd and sworn,
That to his only Son, by right endued
With regal sceptre, ev'ry soul in Heav'n
Shall bend the knee, and in that honour due Confess him rightful King? Unjust, thou say'st, Flatly unjust, to bind with laws the free,
And equal over equals to let reign,
One over all with unsucceeded power.
Shalt thou give law to God, shalt thou dispute
With him the points of liberty, who made
Thee what thou art, and form'd the Pow'rs of Heav'n
Such as he pleas'd, and circumscrib'd their being? 825
Yet, by experience taught, we know how good,
And of our good and of our dignity
How provident, he is, how far from thought
To make us less, bent rather to exalt
Our happy state under one head more near
United. But to grant it thee unjust,
That equal over equals monarch reign:
Thyself, though great and glorious, dost thou count, Or all angelic nature join'd in one,
Equal to him, begotten Son? by whom,
As by his Word, the mighty Father made
All things, even thee; and all the Spi'rits of Heaven
By him created in their bright degrees,
Crown'd them with glory', and to their glory nam'd
Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,
Essential Pow'rs; nor by his reign obscur'd, 841
But more illustrious made; since he, the head,
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