Si fis Ille Idem! verùm ô quàm eversus, ab Illo
Quantùm ô mutatus, lætis qui lucis in oris
Tot rutilorum unus superabas millia longè
Cœlicolûm, eximio radiorum indutus amictu!
Si fis Ille, mihi focium quem fœdus idemque
Confilium, quem fpes eadem & commune periclum
Ausi participem ingentis junxere; ruinâ
Nunc Sors una pari junxit: de culmine quanto
Corruimus, sentis, quantâque voragine merfi.
Scilicet Hunc tantùm evexere Tonitrua, nulli
Nota priùs fera tela. At me, fi tota ruat vis
Telorum, & quodcunque aliud violentior Ira
Victoris quondam inveniet, non franget, atroxve
Mutabit mihi cor, species licèt extera formæ
Mutetur; neque enim, quæ fpretæ injuria movit
Virtutis, generosa animo faftidia cedent.
Ergo ipsi haud veritus bellum intentare Tonanti
Cœlicolûm immenfas ducebam in prælia turmas,
Breaking the horrid filence thus began:
If thou beest He! but O how fall'n; how chang'd
From Him, who in the happy realms of light
Cloath'd with transcendent brightness didst out-shine
Myriads tho' bright! If He, whom mutual league,
United thoughts and counsels, equal hope
And hazard in the glorious Enterprize,
Join'd with me once, now misery hath join'd
In equal ruin: Into what Pit thou seest
From what Height fall'n: so much the stronger
prov'd
He with his Thunder: and 'till then who knew
The force of those dire Arms? Yet not for those,
Nor what the potent Victor in his rage
Can else inflict, do I repent or change,
Though chang'd in outward luftre, that fix'd mind
And high disdain, from sense of injur'd merit,
That with the Mightiest rais'd me to contend,
Quot juga detrectare ausi, dominumque volentes
Me potiùs, vires quas Iste coegerat omnes
Per latos cœli dubio certamine campos
Viribus aggressi adverfis, foliumque fupremum
Concussere. Esto; palmam infelicibus Alter
Præripuit; fed Mens supereft immota, nec ullis
Debellanda malis, fed flecti nescia Virtus,
Immortale Odium, Vindictæ arrecta cupido,
Et Quodcunque usquam vinci frangive recufat.
Hos mihi nunquam adimet, nunquam extorquebit honores,
Non rabie indomitâ, non vi. Victumne superbos
Me volvi ante pedes, & inertia flectere genua?
Orabo veniam fupplex, & habebitur ultrò
Iste mihi Deus, Iste hujus terrore lacerti
Pallidus haudpridem, ac regno nutante tremiscens?
Tunc essem sanè abjectus, tunc clade vel ipsâ
Fædius opprobrium paterer. Quoniam aufpice fato
Igneus ille Deûm vigor & cæleftis origo
And to the fierce Contention brought along
Innumerable force of Spirits arm'd
That durst dislike His Reign; and me preferring
His utmost power with adverse power oppos'd
In dubious battel on the plains of Heav'n,
And shook his Throne. What tho' the field be loft?
All is not lost; th' unconquerable Will,
And study of Revenge, immortal Hate,
And Courage never to submit or yield,
And what is else not to be overcome.
That Glory never shall his wrath or might
Extort from me. To bow and fue for grace
With fuppliant knee, and deifie his Power,
Who from the terror of this Arm so late
Doubted his Empire: That were low indeed;
That were an Ignominy and Shame beneath
This Downfal. Since by fate the strength of Gods
And this empyreal substance cannot fail,
Morte carent; quoniam & belli gravis Exitus armis
Haudquaquam fractos usu meliora magistro
Edocuit: quin tandem alacres vi, fraude, tenaces
Propofiti, pacisque haud unquam in fœdus ituri,
Vexamus dirum æternis assultibus hoftem?
Qui jam fecurus lætos fine more triumphos
Toto agitat cælo victor, sua nec capit amens
Gaudia, quòd superâ folus dominetur in arce.
Hæc Satanas altâ jactabat voce, sed acres
Cura gravis stimulos imo fub pectore versat;
Olli Balzebus scelerato rettulit ore:
O Rex armipotens, ô qui celsissimus omnes
Imperio exfuperas, sceptris quicunque superbi
Aufpicio duxere tuo metuenda minatas
Bella Seraphinas acies; quas fortibus aufis
Impavidas sensit superæ Rex arduus aulæ,
Quærentes num vi sceptrum casuve teneret,
An fato: Heu nimiùm memori mihi pectora tangit
Since through experience of this great Event
In Arms not worse, in Foresight much advanc'd,
We may with more successful Hope resolve
To wage by force or guile eternal was,
Irreconcileable to our grand Foe,
Who now triumphs, and in th' excess of joy
Sole reigning holds the Tyranny of Heav'n.
So spake th' Apostate Angel, though in pain,
Vaunting aloud, but rack'd with deep despair:
And him thus answer'd foon his bold Compeer :
O Prince, O Chief of many throned Powers,
That led th' imbattell'd Seraphim to War
Under thy conduct, and in dreadful deeds
Fearless endanger'd Heav'n's perpetual King,
And put to proof his high Supremacy,
Whether upheld by strength, or chance, or fate::
Too well I see and rue the dire Event,
That with fad overthrow and foul defeat
Exitus immanis, nos qui cæleftibus oris
Detrusit, tantâque ingentes clade cohortes,
Quantùm celsa Deûm potuit Natura perire,
Turbavit: Mens spirat adhuc invicta, vigorque
Sponte redit, vitæ quanquam periere prioris
Gaudia, & æterno mersatur gloria luctu.
Sin fors Omnipotens (hoc tandem nomine cogor
Dignari; neque enim tales minor ulla poteftas
Vicisset vires) noftrum hunc fuperesse vigorem
Passus, ut æternos meliùs tolerare labores
Possimus fine fine, & longum ultricibus iris
Sufficere; hìc imo usque Erebo victoris iniqui
Ad nutum medios pensa exercere per ignes,
Aut densis invisa sequi mandata fub umbris.
Quid juvat integras vires servare, perenni
Quid fuperesse ævo, pœnas si vita perennes
Horrorum fœcunda ferat? Quem deinde rebellis
Dux populi aggreditur præceps & talibus infit:
Hath loft us Heav'n; and all this mighty Hoft
In horrible Destruction laid thus low,
As far as Gods and Heav'nly Effences
Can perish: For the Mind and Spirit remains
Invincible, and Vigour foon returns,
Though all our Glory extinct, and happy State
Here swallow'd up in endless Misery.
But what if He our Conqu'ror (whom I now
Of force believe Almighty, fince no less [ours)
'Than such could have o'er-power'd fuch Force as
Have left us this our Spirit and Strength entire
Strongly to fuffer and support our Pains,
That we may so suffice his vengeful Ire,
Or do him mightier Service as his thralls
By Right of War, whate'er his Business be,
Here in the Heart of Hell to work in Fire,
Or do his Errands in the gloomy Deep?
What can it then avail, though yet we feel
Strength undiminish'd, or Eternal Being,
To undergo Eternal Punishment ?
Degener atque oblite Tui! Patiamur, Agamus,
Quicquid erit, miferum est fracto cecidiffe vigore:
At Nos, quæ fors cunque ferat, perstabimus iidem,
Gens adversa Bono æternum, pravique quod ufquam est
Certa sequi; invisi quicquid fuprema tyranni
Vox prohibet, labor is nobis, ea fola voluptas.
Ille Mali de fonte Bonum deducere quærit;
Sit Noftrum fini quæfito obstare, Malumque
Extorquere Bono. Quoties cruciabitur Hoftis,
Confilia eludi dum sentiet intima, metâ
Propofitâ nostras penitùs deflexa per artes?
En verò irarum referentes tela Ministros
Ad cælum revocat Victor: cum fulphure grando
Jam pofuit; flammarum omnis desæviit æstus,
Æthereo qui nos dudum de culmine missos
Excepit: quin fulguris alâ invecta rubenti
Iras effudere Tonitrua, lassaque cessant
Per vastum immenfumque altè reboare Profundum.
Whereto with speedy Words th'Arch-Fiend reply'd:
Fall'n Cherub! To be weak is miferable,
Doing or Suffering: But of this be fure,
To do ought good never will be our task,
But ever to do ill our fole delight,
As being contrary to his high will
Whom we resist. If then his Providence
Out of our evil seek to bring forth good,
Our labour must be to pervert that end,
And out of good still to find Means of evil:
Which oft times may succeed, so as perhaps
Shall grieve him, if I fail not, and difturb
His inmoft Counsels from their destin'd aim.
But fee the angry Victor hath recall'd
His Ministers of vengeance and purfuit
Back to the Gates of Heav'n: The fulphurous Hail,
Shot after us in Storm, o'er-blown hath laid
The fiery Surge, that from the Precipice
Of Heav'n receiv'd us falling; and the Thunder,
Wing'd with red Lightning and impetuous rage,
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