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Vi dubiâ tanto temerè certantibus hofti.
Quis rifum teneat, cum fe certamine fortes
Qui jactant, malè fi certamen cefferit, horrent
Continuò, & belli quam deftinat alea fortem,
Dedecus, exilium, cruciatus, vincla, dolores
Formidant? Nunc hæc nos fata, hæc certa premit Lex.
Hæc fi nunc faciles patiamur mentibus æquis,
Fors erit ut Victor ferventi fræna furori
Mitior injiciat tandem, tantoque remotos
Nos fpatio nec jam ftimulantes ampliùs iram
Negliget, expletus pœnis; flammæque feroces
Mollescent, magni nifi foverit ira tyranni.
Noftra etiam ingratos vincet mox aura vapores
Purior, aut longo tandem obdurabitur ufu;
Aut mutata habitum fedique affuetæ malignæ
Excipiet diros lætis amplexibus ignes:
Horror & hic mitefcet, & hæc caliginis umbra
Lucebit: meliora jubet fperare citato

I laugh, when those who at the Spear are bold
And vent'rous, if that fail them, fhrink and fear
What yet they know muft follow, to endure
Exile, or ignominy, or bonds, or pain,
The sentence of their Conqueror: This is now
Our doom, which if we can fuftain and bear,
Our fupreme Foe, in time, may much remit
His anger and perhaps thus far remov'd
Not mind us not offending, fatisfy'd

With what is punifh'd: whence these raging fires
Will flacken, if his breath ftir not their Flames.
Our purer effence then will overcome
Their noxious vapor; or enur'd, not feel;
Or chang'd at length, and to the place conform'd
In temper, and in nature, will receive
Familiar the fierce heat, and void of Pain.
This horror will grow mild, this darkness, light:
Befides what hope the never-ending flight

Axe volans fine fine dies: jam fortè fecundas
Fert fortuna vices; quin dat folatia rerum
Hæc facies; ingrata quidem, fed peffima nondum
Evafit, ni plura datis mala poscimus ultrò.

Sermonem obvolvens pulchro Rationis amictu
Sic lentum Belus torporem inhoneftaque fuafit
Otia fub pacis fpecie. Dein talia Mammon :

Ut Regem æthereum cœlo exturbemus, atroxve
Quod patimur damnum campo reparemus aperto,
Bellamus, fi bella placent. Illum arce supremâ
Eruere imperii jam tum fperare licebit,
Quum Fortuna levis Fatum immutabile vincet,
Litem ipfo dirimente Chao. Sin vana fit inde,
Hinc fuerit Spes vana fimul: quis enim æthere toto
Nos iterum locus accipiat, nifi Rege fubacto

Funditus æthereo?

Sin Illum fingimus iras

Jam demùm exuere, atque ultrò clamare daturum
Communem cunctis veniam, fi prifca fateri

Of future days may bring, what chance, what change
Worth waiting, fince our prefent lot appears
For happy, though but ill; for ill, not worst;
If we procure not to our felves more woe.

May hope, when everlasting Fate fhall yield
To fickle Chance, and Chaos judge the ftrife.
The former vain to hope, argues as vain
The latter for what place can be for us

Thus Belial with words cloath'd in Reafon's garb Within Heav'n's bound, unless Heav'n's Lord fuCounsel'd ignoble ease, and peaceful floth, Not peace and after him thus Mammon spake :

Either to difinthrone the King of Heav'n
We war, if war be beft, or to regain
Our own right loft: Him to unthrone we then

preme

We over-pow'r? Suppofe He should relent,
And publish grace to all, on promise made
Of new fubjection: with what eyes could we
Stand in His prefence humble, and receive

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Sceptra velint; quo nos coram apparere verentes
Poffemus vultu, impofitafque agnofcere leges?
Invitos-ne olli cantus laudefque coactas

Nos dabimus? Nobis dominabitur Ille corufcâ
Arce fedens? Nobis facientibus Illius ara
Floribus ambrofiis cumulabitur, ambrofiofque
Submifsè his fparfos manibus jactabit odores?
Scilicet is fuerit cœlo labor, illa voluptas!
Heu quàm longa æterna Dies hos inter honores
Invifo oblatos Domino? Quid quærimus ultrà,
Quas reparare armis non fas, quas pace pigeret
Accipere oratâ, medio vel in æthere vanas
Servitii fplendentis opes? Bona cuncta petamus
Ex nobis, penitúfque amplexi noftra penes nos
Vivamus læti, jurati in verba tyranni
Nullius: his etiam vaftis ridebit in umbris
Candida Libertas, Libertas carior arctis

In rebus, quàm turpis honos aureæque catena.
Quin major nobis virtus erit, utile tristi

Strict Laws impos'd, to celebrate his Throne
With warbled Hymns, and to His Godhead fing
Forc'd Hallelujahs; while He lordly fits
Our envy'd Sov'reign, and His Altar breathes
Ambrofial odours, and ambrofial flow'rs,
Our fervile offerings? This must be our task
In Heav'n, this our delight! How wearifome
Eternity fo spent, in worship paid

To whom we hate? Let us not then pursue,
By force impoffible, by leave obtain'd

Unacceptable, though in Heav'n, our state

Of fplendid vaffalage: but rather feek

Our own good from ourselves, and from our own
Live to ourselves; though in this vast recess,
Free, and to none accountable; preferring
Hard liberty before the easy yoke
Of fervile Pomp. Our greatnefs will appear
Then moft confpicuous, when great things of small,
Ufeful of hurtful, profperous of adverse
We can create; and in what place foe'er

Eli

Elicere; injucunda bonis, adverfa fecundis

Vertere, & affiduo nifu, quæ nos loca cunque
Excipiant, fævum fati fuperare furorem.

Et quianam has tenebras atque antra timemus opaca ?
Ipfe Pater nebulas quondam noctemque profundam
Incolit; ipfe fibi folium caligine diâ

Velat, & auguftis latet intemerata tenebris

Gloria; nec ceffant densas glomerata per umbras
Fulmina rauca boare, imitanti Tartara Cœlo.
Nos quoque, fi libeat, lucem Illius, Ille tenebras
Ut noftras, haud ægrè imitabimur: Hæc neque gazis
Terra caret deferta, auro gemmifque; nec abfunt
Ingenium artificefque manus, unde ardua furgant
Moœnia digna Deis ingentisque æmula cœli.
Forfitan & quondam poterunt nativa videri
Hæc loca; mollescent flammæ, vel noftra furori
Temperies affuefcet & igni illæfa vigebit.

Cuncta monent pacem amplecti, fluctufque dolorum

Thrive under evil, and work ease out of pain,
Through labour, and indurance. This deep world
Of darkness do we dread? How oft amidst

Wants not her hidden luftre, gems, and gold:
Nor want we skill or art, from whence to raise
Magnificence; and what can Heav'n fhew more?

Thick clouds and dark doth Heav'n's all-ruling Sire Our torments also may in length of time

Chufe to refide, His glory unobscur'd?
And with the majefty of darkness round
Covers His Throne; from whence deep thunders
Muft'ring their rage, and Heav'n resembles Hell?
As He our darkness, cannot we His light
Imitate when we please? This defert foil

Become our elements; thefe piercing Fires
[roar As foft as now fevere, our temper chang'd
Into their temper; which must needs remove
The fenfible of pain. All things invite
To peaceful counfels, and the fettled ftate
Of order, how in fafety beft we may

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Sternere, fi liceat; memores quâ fede locamur,

Et quales fumus & fuimus; nec (fi mihi quidquam
Creditis) ulteriùs jactemus inania bella.

Vix ea finierat, fremuit cum murmure tali
Concilium, quale auditur, quum concava Saxa
Ventorum cohibent fonitum, qui nocte frementes
Vexârant fluctus, raucâ jam voce soporem

Inducunt lentum nautis; dum turbine laffum
Prærupto fundata finu tenet anchora lintrem.
Haud alius, finem ut Mammon dedit ore loquendi,
Exortus fremor, & placuit Sententia pacem
Suadentis. Pugnæ alterius certamen Averno
Horrebant gravius: tantis terroribus ictos

Urget adhuc tonitru, & tua turbida tela, Michaal!
Nec minus infernis cupiunt fub fedibus altam
Imperii fundare arcem quæ nixa fecundis
Aufpiciis tollat caput, & labentibus annis

Regna fua ætheriis contraria cernere regnis.

Compose our prefent evils, with regard

Of what we are, and were; difmiffing quite

All thoughts of war. Ye have what I advise.
He scarce had finish'd, when fuch murmur fill'd
Th' affembly, as when hollow Rocks retain
The found of bluft'ring winds, which all night long
Had ròus'd the Sea, now with hoarse cadence lull
Sea-faring men o'erwatch'd, whofe Bark by chance,
Or Pinnace, anchors in a craggy Bay

After the tempeft: such applause was heard
As Mammon ended, and his sentence pleas'd,
Advifing peace. For fuch another Field
They dreaded worse than Hell: fo much the fear
Of thunder, and the Sword of Michael,
Wrought ftill within them; and no less defire
To found this nether Empire, which might rife,
By policy, and long procefs of time,
In emulation oppofite to Heav'n.

Quod

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