Inspired with contradiction, durst oppose A third part of the Gods, in synod met Their deities to assert, who, while they feel Vigour divine within thera, can allow Omnipotence to none. But well thou comest Before thy fellows, ambitious to win From me some plume, that thy success may show Destruction to the rest: this pause between (Unanswered lest thou boast) to let thee know; At first I thought that liberty and Heaven To heavenly souls had been all one; but now I see that most through sloth had rather serve, Ministering spirits, trained up in feast and song! Such hast thou armed, the minstrelsy of Heaven, Servility with freedom to contend,
As both their deeds compared this day shall prove.' "To whom in brief thus Abdiel stern replied, 'Apostate! still thou err'st, nor end wilt find Of erring, from the path of truth remote: Unjustly thou depravest 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 the unwise, or him who hath rebelled Against his worthier, as thine now serve thee, Thyself not free, but to thyself inthralled; Yet lewdly darest our ministering upbraid. Reign thou in hell thy kingdom; let me serve In Heaven God ever blest, and his divine Behests obey, worthiest to be obeyed;
Yet chains in hell, not realms expect; meanwhile From me returned, as erst thou saidst, from flight, This greeting on thy impious crest receive.'
"So saying, a noble stroke he lifted high, Which hung not, but so swift with tempest fell 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 recoiled; the tenth on bended knee His massy spear upstayed; as if on earth Winds under ground, or waters forcing way, Sidelong had pushed a mountain from his seat, Half sunk with all his pines. Amazement seized The rebel thrones, but greater rage, to see
|Of fiery darts in flaming volleys flew, And, flying, vaulted cither host with fire. So under fiery cope together rushed Both battles main, with ruinous assault And inextinguishable rage; all Heaven Resounded, and, had earth been then, all earth Had to her centre shook. What wonder, when Millions of fierce encountering 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 power Army against army numberless to raise Dreadful combustion warring, and disturb, Though not destroy, their happy native seat; Had not the Eternal King omnipotent, From his strong hold of Heaven, high overruled And limited their might; though numbered such As each divided legion might have seemed A numerous host; in strength each armed hand A legion; led in fight, yet leader seemed Each warrior single as in chief, 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 relied, As only in his arin 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 seemed then Conflicting fire. Long time in even scale The battle hung; till Satan, who that day Prodigious power had shown, and met in arms No equal, ranging through the dire attack Of fighting seraphim confused, at length Saw where the sword of Michael smote, and felled Squadrons at once; with huge two-handed sway Brandished 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 archangel from his warlike toil
Thus foiled their mightiest; ours joy filled, and Surceased, and glad, as hoping here to end
Presage of victory, and fierce desire
Of battle: whereat Michael bid sound 'I'h' archangel trumpet; through the vast of heaven It sounded, and the faithful armies rung Hosanna to the Highest: nor stood at gaze The adverse legions, nor less hideous joined The horrid shock. Now storming fury rose, And clamour such as heard in Heaven till now Was never; arins on armour, clashing brayed Horrible discord, and the madding wheels Of brazen chariots raged; dire was the noise Of conflict; over head the dismal hiss
Intestine war in Heaven, the arch foe subdued, Or captive dragged in chains, with hostile frown, And visage all inflamed, first thus began.
"Author of evil, unknown till thy revolt, Unnamed in Heaven, 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 disturbed Heaven's blessed peace, and into nature brought Misery, uncreated till the crime
Of thy rebellion! how hast thou instilled Thy malice into thousands, once upright And faithful now proved false! But think not hea
Passed through him: but the ethereal substance closed,
Not long divisible; and from the gash A stream of nectarous humour issuing flowed Sanguine, such as celestial spirits may bleed, And all his armour stained, erewhile so bright. Forthwith on all sides to his aid was run
To trouble holy rest; Heaven casts thee out From all her confines: Heaven, 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 the wicked crew! there mingle broils, Ere this avenging sword begin thy doom, Or some more sudden vengeance, winged from God, By angels many and strong, who interposed Precipitate thee with augmented pain!'
"So spake the prince of angels; to whom thus The adversary. 'Nor think thou with wind Of airy threats to awe whom yet with deeds Thou canst not. Hast thou turned the least of these To flight, or if to fall, but that they rise Unvanquished, easier to transact with me
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 power.
That thou shouldst hope, imperious, and with Yet soon he healed; for spirits that live throughout threats
To chase me hence? err not, that so shall end The strife which thou callest evil, but we style The strife of glory; which we mean to win, Or turn this Heaven itself into the hell Thou fablest; here however to dwell free, If not to reign: meanwhile thy utmost force, And join him named Almighty to thy aid, Ifly not, but have sought thee far and nigh.' "They ended parle, and both addressed 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 power for likest gods they seemed, Stood they or moved, in stature, motion, arms, Fit to decide the empire of great Heaven. 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, the 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 aspect 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 aimed That might determine, and not need repeat, As not of power at once; nor odds appeared In might or swift prevention; but the sword Of Michael, from the armoury of God, Was given him tempered 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 stayed, But with swift wheel reverse, deep entering, 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
Vital in every part, not as frail man In entrails, heart or head, liver or reins, Can not 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 defied, And at his chariot wheels to drag him bound Threatened, nor from the Holy One of Heaven Refrained his tongue blasphemous; but anon, Down cloven to the waist, with shattered arms And uncouth pain fled bellowing. On each wing Uriel, and Raphael, his vaunting foc, Though huge, and in a rock of diamond arined Vanquished Adramelech and Asmadai,
Two potent thrones, that to be less than Gods Disdained, but meaner thoughts learned in their flight,
Mangled with ghastly wounds through plate and
Nor stood unmindful Abdiel to annoy The atheist crew, but with redoubled blow Ariel, and Arioch, and the violence Of Ramiel, scorched and blasted, overthrew. I might relate of thousands, and their names Eternize here on earth; but those elect Angels, contented with their fame in Heaven, Seck not the praise of men; the other sort, In might though wondrous, and in acts of war, Nor of renown less eager, yet by doom Cancelled from Heaven and sacred memory Nameless in dark oblivion let them dwell. For strength, from truth divided and from just, Illaudable, naught merits but dispraise And ignominy, yet to glory aspires Vain glorious, and through infamy seeks faune Therefore eternal silence be their docm
"And now, their mightiest quelled, the battle In nature none; if other hidden cause
With many an inroad gored; deformed rout Entered, and foul disorder; all the ground With shivered armour strown, and on a heap Chariot and charioteer lay overturned, And fiery foaming steeds; what stood recoiled O'er wearied, through the faint satanic host Defensive scarce, or with pale fear surprised, Then first with fear surprised and sense of pain, Fled ignominious, to such evil brought By sin of disobedience; till that hour Not liable to fear, or flight, or pain. Far otherwise the inviolable saints, In cubic phalanx firm, advanced entire, Invulnerable, impenetrably armed; Such high advantages their innocence Gave them above their foes, not to have sinned, Not to have disobeyed; in fight they stood Unwearied, unobnoxious to be pained
By wound, though from their place by violence
"Now night her course began, and over Heaven Inducing darkness, grateful truce imposed, And silence on the odious din of war: Under her cloudy covert both retired, Victor and vanquished: on the foughten field Michael and his angels prevalent Encamping, placed in guard their watches round, Cherubic waving fires: on the other part, Satan with his rebellious disappeared,
Far in the dark dislodged; and, void of rest, His potentates to council called by night; And in the midst thus undismayed began.
"O now in danger tried, now known in arms Not to be overpowered, companions dear, Found worthy not of liberty alone,
Too mean pretence! but, what we more affect, Honour, dominion, glory, and renown; Who have sustained one day in doubtful fight (And if one day, why not eternal days?) What Heaven's Lord had power fullest to send Against us from about his throne, and judged Sufficient to subdue us to his will, But proves not so: then fallible, it seems, Of future we may deem him, though till now Omniscient thought. True is, less firmly armed, Some disadvantage we endured and pain,
Left them superior, while we can preserve Unhurt our minds and understanding sound, Due search and consultation will disclosc.'
"He sat; and in the assembly next upstood Nisroch, of principalities the prime:
As one he stood escaped from cruel fight, Sore toiled, his riven arms to havoc hewn, And cloudy in aspect thus answering spake. 'Deliverer from new lords, leader to free Enjoyment of our rights as gods; yet hard For gods, and too unequal work we find, Against unequal arms to fight in pain, Against unpained, impassive; from which evil Ruin must needs ensue; for what avails Valour or strength, though matchless, quelled with
Which all subdues, and makes remiss the hands Of mightiest? Sense of pleasure we may well Spare out of life perhaps, and not repine, But live content, which is the calmest life: But pain is perfect misery, the worst Of evils, and excessive, overturns All patience. He who therefore can invent With what more forcible we may offend Our yet unwounded enemies, or arm Ourselves with like defence, to me deserves No less than for deliverance what we owe.' "Whereto with look composed Satan replied. 'Not uninvented that, which thou aright Believest so main to our success, I bring. Which of us who beholds the bright surface Of this ethereous mould whereon we stand, This continent of spacious Heaven, adorned With plant, fruit, flower, ambrosial, gems, .1 gold;
Whose eye so superficially surveys
These things as not to mind from whence they gow Deep under ground, materials dark and crude, Of spirituous and fiery spume, till, touched With Heaven's ray, and tempered, they shoot forth So beauteous, opening to the ambient light? These in their dark nativity the deep Shall yield us, pregnant with infernal flame; Which into hollow engines long and round Thick rammed, at th' other bore with touch of fire Dilated and infuriate, shall send forth From far, with thundering noise, among our focs
Till now not known, but, known, as soon con- Such implements of mischief, as shall dash temned;
Since now we find this our empyreal form Incapable of mortal injury,
imperishable, and though pierced with wound, Soon closing, and by native vigour healed. Of evil then so small, as easy think The remedy; perhaps more valid arms, Weapons more violent, when next we meet, May serve to better us, and worse our foes,
qual what between us made the odds,
To pieces, and o'erwhelm whatever stands Adverse, that they shall fear we have disarmed The Thunderer of his only dreaded bolt. Nor long shall be our labour; yet ere dawn," Effect shall end our wish. Meanwhile revive; Abandon fear; to strength and council joined Think nothing hard, much less to be despaired.' "He ended, and his words their drooping cheer Enlightened, and their languished hope revived Th' invention all admired, and each, how he
To be the inventor missed; so easy it seemed Once found, which, yet unfound, most would have thought
Impossible: yet, haply, of thy race
In future days, if malice should abound, Some one, intent on mischief, or inspired With devilish machination, might devise Like instrument to plague the sons of men For sin, on war and mutual slaughter bent. Forthwith from council to the work they flew; None arguing stood: innumerable hands Were ready; in a moment up they turned Wide the celestial soil, and saw beneath The originals of nature in their crude Conception; sulphurous and nitrous foam They found, they mingled, and with subtle art, Concocted and adjusted, they reduced To blackest grain, and into store conveyed: Part hidden veins digged up (nor hath this earth Entrails unlike) of mineral and stone, Whereof to found their engines and their balls Of missive ruin; part incentive reed Provide, pernicious with one touch to fire. So all, ere dayspring, under conscious night, Secret they finished, and in order set,
With silent circumspection, unespied.
On every side with shadowing squadrons deep, To hide the fraud. At interview both stood A while; but suddenly at head appeared Satan, and thus was heard commanding loud.
"Vanguard, to right and left the front unfold That all may see who hate us, how we seek Peace and composure, and with open breast Stand ready to receive them, if they like Our overture, and turn not back perverse: But that I doubt; however, witness Heaven! Heaven, witness thou anon! while we discharge Freely our part: ye who appointed stand, Do as you have in charge, and briefly touch What we propound, and loud that all may hear!' "So scoffing in ambiguous words, he scarce Had ended, when to right and left the front Divided, and to either flank retired; Which to our eyes discovered, new and strange, A triple mounted row of pillars laid
On wheels (for like to pillars most they seemed, Or hollowed bodies made of oak or fir, With branches lopt, in wood or mountain felled,) Brass, iron, stony mould, had not their mouths With hideous orifice gaped on us wide, Portending hollow truce: at each behind A seraph stood, and in his hand a reed
"Now when fair morn orient in Heaven ap- Stood waving tipt with fire; while we, suspense,
Up rose the victor angels, and to arms
The matin trumpet sung: in arms they stood Of golden panoply, refulgent host, Soon banded; others from the dawning hills Look round, and scouts each coast light armed
Each quarter to descry the distant foe, Where lodged, or whether fled, or if for fight, In motion or in halt: him soon they met Under spread ensigns moving nigh, in slow But firm battalion; back with speediest sail Zophiel, of cherubim the swiftest wing, Came flying, and in mid air aloud thus cried.
"Arm, warriors, arm for fight; the foe at hand, Whom fled we thought, will save us long pursuit This day; fear not his flight; so thick a cloud He comes, and settled in his face I see Sad resolution and secure: let each His adamantine coat gird well, and each Fit well his helm, gripe fast his orbed shield, Borne ev'n or high; for this day will pour down, If I conjecture aught, no drizzling shower, But rattling storm of arrows barbed with fire.' "So warned he them, aware themselves, and
Collected stood within our thoughts amused, Not long; for sudden all at once their reeds Put forth, and to a narrow vent applied With nicest touch. Immediate in a flame, But soon obscured with smoke, all Heaven ap- peared,
From those deep-throated engines belched, whose
Embowelled with outrageous noise the air, And all her entrails tore, disgorging foul Their devilish glut, chained thunderbolts and hail Of iron globes; which on the victor host Levelled, with such impetuous fury smote, That whom they hit, none on their feet might stand,
Though standing else as rocks, but down they fell
By thousands, angel on archangel rolled; The sooner for their arms; unarmed, they might Have easily, as spirits, evaded swift By quick contraction or remove; but now Foul dissipation followed, and forced rout; Nor served it to relax their serried files. What should they do? if on they rushed, repulse Repeated, and indecent overthrow
Doubled, would render them yet more despised, And to their foes a laughter; for in view Stood ranked of seraphim another row, In posture to displode their second tie. Of thunder: back defeated to return They worse abhorred. Satan beheld their paight And to his mates thus in derision called.
O friends! why come not on these victors The rest, in imitation, to like arms
Erewhile they fierce were coming; and when we To entertain them fair with open front And breast (what could we more?) propounded
Of composition, straight they changed their minds, Flew off, and into strange vagaries fell,
As they would dance; yet for a dance they seemed Somewhat extravagant and wild, perhaps For joy of offered but I suppose, If our proposals once again were heard, We should compel them to a quick result.'
"To whom thus Belial, in like gamesome mood. 'Leader! the terms we sent were terms of weight, Of hard contents, and full of force urged home, Such as we might perceive amused them all, And stumbled many: who receives them right Had need from head to foot well understand; Not understood, this gift they have besides, They show us when our foes walk not upright.' "So they among themselves in pleasant vein Stood scoffing, heightened in their thoughts beyond All doubt of victory: eternal might
To match with their inventions they presumed So easy, and of his thunder made a scorn, And all his host derided, while they stood A while in trouble: but they stood not long; Rage prompted them at length, and found them
Against such hellish mischief fit to oppose. Forthwith (behold the excellence, the power, Which God hath in his mighty angels placed!) Their arms away they threw, and to the hills (For earth hath this variety from Heaven Of pleasure situate in hill and dale,) Light as the lightning glimpse they ran, they flew; From their foundations loosening to and fro, They plucked the seated hills with all their load, Rocks, waters, woods, and by the shaggy tops Uplifting bore them in their hands: amaze, Be sure, and terror, seized the rebel host, When coming towards them so dread they saw The bottom of the mountains upward turned; Till on those cursed engines' triple row They saw them whelmed, and all their confidence Under the weight of mountains buried deep; 'Themselves invaded next, and on their heads Main promontorics flung, which in the air Came shadowing, and oppressed whole legions armed;
Betook them, and the neighbouring hills uptore; So hills amid the air encountered hills, Hurled to and fro with jaculation dire, That under ground they fought in dismal shade; Infernal noise! war seemed a civil game To this uproar; horrid confusion heaped Upon confusion rose: and now all Heaven Had gone to wreck, with ruin overspread, Had not the almighty Father, where he sits Shrined in his sanctuary of Heaven secure Consulting on the sum of things, foreseen This tumult, and permitted all, advised: That his great purpose he might so fulfil, To honour his anointed Son, avenged Upon his enemies, and to declare All power on him transferred: whence to his Son, Th' assessor of his throne, he thus began.
"Effulgence of my glory, Son beloved, Son, in whose face invisible is beheld, Visibly, what by deity I am,
And in whose hand what by decree I do, Second Omnipotence! two days are past, Two days, as we compute the days of Heaven, Since Michael and his powers went forth to tame These disobedient: sore hath been their fight, As likeliest was, when two such foes met armed; For to themselves I left them, and thou knowest, Equal in their creation they were formed, Save what sin hath impaired, which yet hat wrought
Insensibly, for I suspend their doom;
Whence in perpetual fight they needs must last Endless, and no solution will be found:
War wearied hath performed what war can do, And to disordered rage let loose the reins, With mountains and with weapons armed, which makes
Wild work in Heaven, and dangerous to the main. Two days are therefore past, the third is thine; For thee I have ordained it, and thus far Have suffered, that the glory may be thine Of ending this great war, since none but Thou Can end it. Into thee such virtue and grace Immense I have transfused, that all may know above In Heaven and hell thy power compare; And, this perverse commotion governed thus, To manifest thee worthiest to be heir Of all things; to be Heir and to be King By sacred unction, by deserved right. Go then, thou mightiest, in thy Father's might,
Their armour helped their harm, crushed in and Ascend my chariot, guide the rapid wheels
Tuto their substance pent, which wrought them pain
Implacable, and many a dolorous groan; Long struggling underneath, ere they could wind Out of such prison, though spirits of purest light, Purest at first, now gruss by sinning grown.
That shake Heaven's basis, bring forth all my war My bow and thunder, my almighty arms Gird on, and sword upon thy puissant thigh; Pursue these sons of darkness, drive them out From all Heaven's bounds into the upper deep: There let them learn, as likes them, to despise God, and Messiah his anointed King.'
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