775

780

First feen; then unexpected joy furpris'd,
When the great enfign of Meffiah blaz'd
Aloft by Angels borne, his fign in Heaven;.
Under whofe conduct Michael foon reduc'd
His army, circumfus'd on either wing,
Under their Head imbodied all in one.
Before him pow'r divine his way prepar'd;
At his command th' uprooted hills retir'd
Each to his place; they heard his voice and went
Obfequious; Heav'n his wonted face renew'd,
And with fresh flow'rets hill and valley fmil'd.
This faw his hapless foes but flood obdur'd,
And to rebellious fight rallied their Powers
Infenfate, hope conceiving from despair.
In heav'nly Spi'rits could fuch perverfenefs dwell?
But to convince the proud what figns avail,
Or wonders move th' obdurate to relent?

785

790

They harden'd more by what might most reclaim,
Grieving to fee his glory, at the fight

Took envy; and afpiring to his highth,
Stood reimbattel'd fierce, by force or fraud
Weening to profper, and at length prevail
Against God and Meffiah, or to fall
In univerfal ruin laft; and now

To final battle drew, difdainful fight,

795

Or faint retreat; when the great Son of God
To all his hoft on either hand thus fpake.

800

Stand ftill in bright array, ye Saints, here stand Ye Angels arm'd, this day from battle rest; Faithful hath been your warfare, and of God Accepted, fearless in his righteous caufe, And as ye have receiv'd, fo have ye done. Invincibly; but of this curfed crew The punishment to other hands belongs; Vengeance is his, or whofe he fole appoints:

805

810

815

820

825

Number to this day's work is not ordain'd
Nor multitude; ftand only and behold
God's indignation on thefe Godlefs pour'd
By me; not you but me they have despis'd,
Yet envied; against me is all their rage,
Because the Father, t'whom in Heav'n fupreme
Kingdom and pow'r and glory appertains,
Hath honor'd me according to his will.
Therefore to me their doom he hath affign'd;.
That they may have their wifh, to try with me
In battle which the stronger proves, they all,
Or I alone against them, fince by strength
They meafure all, of other excellence
Not emulous, nor care who them excels;
Nor other ftrife with them do I vouchsafe.
So fpake the Son, and into terror chang'd
His count'nance too fevere to be beheld,
And full of wrath bent on his enemies.
At once the Four fpread out their starry wings
With dreadful fhade contiguous, and the orbs
Of his fierce chariot roll'd, as with the found
Of torrent floods, or of a numerous hoft.
He on his impious foes right onward drove,
Gloomy as night; under his burning wheels
The ftedfaft empyrean fhook throughout,
All but the throne itself of God. Full foon
Among them he arriv'd, in his right hand
Grafping ten thoufand thunders, which he fent
Before him, fuch as in their fouls infix'd
Plagues; they astonish'd all resistance loft,
All courage; down their idle weapons dropt;
O'er fhields and helms and helmed heads he rode
Of Thrones and mighty Seraphim proftrate, 841
That wifh'd the mountains now might be again
Thrown on them as a fhelter from his ire,

839

835

Nor lefs on either fide tempeftuous fell

845

His arrows, from the fourfold-vifag'd Four
Diftinct with eyes, and from the living wheels
Diftin&t alike with multitude of eyes;
One Spirit in them rul'd, and every eye
Glar'd lightning, and shot forth pernicious fire
Among the accurs'd, that wither'd all their strength,
And of their wonted vigor left them drain'd,
Exhaufted, fpiritiefs, afflicted, fall'n.

851

Yet half his ftrength he put not forth, but check'd
His thunder in mid voly; for he meant

Not to destroy, but root them out of Heaven: 855
The overthrown he rais'd, and as a herd
Of goats or timorous flock together throng'd
Drove them before him thunder-ftruck, pursued
With terrors and with furies to the bounds
And cryftal wall of Heav'n, which opening wide,
Roll'd inward, and a spacious gap difclos'd
Into the wasteful deep; the monstrous fight
Struck them with horror backward, but far worse
Urg'd them behind; headlong themfelves they threw
Down from the verge of Heav'n; eternal wrath 861
Burnt after them to the bottomless pit:

Hell heard th'unfufferable noise, Hell faw

865

Heav'n ruining from Heav'n, and would have fled
Affrighted; but strict fate had cast too deep

Her dark foundations, and too faft had bound. 870
Nine days they fell; confounded Chaos roar'd,
And felt tenfold confufion in their fall

Through his wild anarchy, fo huge a rout
Incumber'd him with ruin: Hell at laft

876

Yawning receiv'd them whole, and on them clos'd; Hell their fit habitation fraught with fire Unquenchable, the house of woe and pain. Difburden'd'Heav'n rejoic'd, and foon repair'd

Her mural breach, returning whence it roll'd.

Sole victor from th' expulfion of his foes
Meffiah his triumphal chariot turn'd:

To meet him all his Saints, who filent stood
Eye-witneffes of his almighty acts,

With jubilee advanc'd; and as they went,

880

- 890

Shaded with branching palm, each order bright, 885
Sung triumph, and him sung victorious King,
Son, Heir, and Lord, to him dominion given,
Worthiest to reign: he celebrated rode
Triumphant through mid Heav'n, into the courts
And temple of his mighty Father thron'd
On high; who into glory him receiv'd,
Where now he fits at the right hand of bliss.
Thus measuring things in Heav'n by things on Earth,
At thy request, and that thou may'st beware
By what is paft, to thee I have reveal'd
What might have elfe to human race been hid;
The difcord which befel, and war in Heaven
Among th' angelic Pow'rs, and the deep fall
Of those too high afpiring, who rebell'd
With Satan; he who envies now thy ftate,
Who now is plotting how he may feduce
Thee alfo from obedience, that with him
Bereav'd of happiness thou may' partake
His punishment, eternal mifery;

895

900

Which would be all his folace and revenge,
As a despite done against the most High,
Thee once to gain companion of his woe.
But liften not to his temptations, warn
Thy weaker; let it profit thee to have heard
By terrible example the reward

905

910

Of difobedience; firm they might have stood,
Yet fell; remember, and fear to tranfgrefs..
The End of the Sixth Book.

PARADISE LOST,

BOOK VII.

THE ARGUMENT.

Raphael at the request of Adam relates how and wherefore this world was first created; that God, after the expelling of Satan and his Angels out of Heaven, declar'd his pleasure to create another world and other creatures to dwell therein; fends his Son with glory and attendance of Angels to perform the work of creation in fix days: the Angels celebrate with hymns the performance thereof, and bis reafcenfion into heaven.

5

ESCEND from Heav'n, Urania, by that name If rightly thou art call'd whofe voice divine Following, above th' Olympian hill I foar, Above the flight of Pegafean wing. The meaning, not the name I call: for thou Nor of the mufes nine, nor on the top Of old Olympus dwell'ft, but heav'nly born, Before the hills appear'd, or fountain flow'd, Thou with eternal Wisdom didft converse, Wifdom thy fifter, and with her didst play In prefence of th' Almighty Father, 'pleas'd With thy celestial fong. Up led by thee Into the Heav'n of Heav'ns I have prefum'd, An earthly guest, and drawn empyreal air, Thy temp'ring; with like fafety guided down Return me to my native element: Left from this flying fteed unrein'd," (as once Bellerophon, though from a lower clime)

15