To be no more; fad cure; for who would lose,
Though full of pain, this intellectual being,
Those thoughts that wander through eternity,
To perish rather, swallow'd up and loft
In the wide womb of uncreated night,
Devoid of fenfe and motion? and who knows,
Let this be good, whether our angry foe
Can give it, or will ever? how he can
Is doubtful; that he never will is fure.
Will he, fo wife, let loose at once his ire,
Belike through impotence, or unaware,
To give his enemies their wish, and end
Them in his anger, whom his anger faves
To punish endless? Wherefore cease we then?
Say they who counsel war, we are decreed,
Referv'd, and deftin'd to eternal woe;
Whatever doing, what can we fuffer more,
What can we fuffer worse? Is this then worft,
Thus fitting, thus confulting, thus in arms?
What when we fled amain, pursued and ftruck 165
With Heav'n's afflicting thunder, and befought
The deep to shelter us? this Hell then feem'd
A refuge from thofe wounds; or when we lay
Chain'd on the burning lake? that fure was worse.
What if the breath that kindled thofe grim fires, 170
Awak'd should blow them into fev❜nfold rage
And plunge us in the flames? or from above
Should intermitted vengeance arm again
His red right hand to plague us? what if all
Her stores were open'd, and this firmament
Of Hell should spout her cataracts of fire,
Impendent horrors, threatning hideous fall
One day upon our heads; while we perhaps
Designing or exhorting glorious war,
Caught in a fiery tempeft fhall be hurl'd
Each on his rock transfix'd, the sport and prey
Of wracking whirlwinds, or for ever funk
Under yon boiling ocean, wrapt in chains;
There to converfe with everlasting groans,
Unrefpited, unpitied, unrepriev'd,
Ages of hopeless end? this would be worse.
War therefore, open or conceal'd, alike
My voice diffuades; for what can force or guile
With him, or who deceive his mind, whole eye
Views all things at one view? he from Heav'n's highth
All these our motions vain fees and derides;
Not more almighty to refift our might
Than wife to fruftrate all our plots and wiles,
Shall we then live thus vile, the race of Heaven
Thus trampled, thus expell'd to suffer here
Chains and these torments? better thefe than worse
By my advice; fince fate inevitable
Subdues us, and omnipotent decree,
The victor's will. To fuffer, as to do,
Our ftrength is equal, nor the law unjust
That so ordains: this was at first refolv'd,
If we were wife, against fo great a foe
Contending, and fo doubtful what might fall,
I laugh, when those who at the spear are bold
And ventrous, if that fail them, shrink and fear 205
What yet they know muft follow, to indure
Exile, or ignominy', or bonds, or pain,
The fentence of their conqu'ror; 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 thefe raging fires
Will flacken, if his breath ftir not their flames.
purer effence then will overcome
Their noxious vapor, or inur'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, 220
Befides what hope the never-ending flight
Of future day's may bring, what chance, what change
Worth waiting, fince our present lot appears
For happy though but ill, for ill not worst,
If we procure not to ourselves more woe.
Thus Belial with words cloath'd in reason's garb, Counsel'd ignoble eafe, and peaceful floth, Not peace and after him thus Mammon fpake. Either to difinthrone the king of Heaven We war, if war be beft, or to regain
Our own right loft: him to unthrone we then
May hope, when everlafting Fate fhall yield
To fickle Chance, and Chaos judge the strife;
The former vain to hope argues as vai
The latter for what place can be for us
Within Heav'n's bound, unlefs Heav'n's Lord fupreme
We overpow'r? Suppose he should relent,
And publifh grace to all, on promise made
Of new fubjection; with what eyes could we
Stand in his prefence humble, and receive
Strict laws impos'd, to celebrate his throne
With warbled hymns, and to his Godhead fing
Forc'd Halleluiah's; while he lordly fits
Our envied fovran, and his altar breathes
Ambrofial odors and ambrofial flowers,
Our fervile offerings? This must be our tafk
In Heav'n, this our delight; how wearisome
Eternity fo spent in worship paid
To whom we hate! Let us not then purfue
By force impoffible, by leave obtain'd
Unacceptable, though in Heav'n, our fate
Of fplendid vaffalage; but rather feek
Our own good from ourselves, and from our own
Live to ourselves, though in this vaft recefs,
Free, and to none accountable, preferring
Hard liberty before the eafy yoke
Of fervile pomp. Our greatnefs will appear Then moft confpicuous, when great things of fmall, Ufeful of hurtful, profp'rous of adverfe
We can create, and in what place fo e'er
Thrive under ev'il, and work eafe out of pain
Through labor and indurance. This deep world
Of darkness do we dread? How oft amidst
Thick clouds and dark doth Heav'n's all-ruling Sire
Choose to refide, his glory unobscur'd,
And with the majesty of darknefs round
Covers his throne; from whence deep thunders roar
Muft'ring their rage, and Heav'n refembles Hell?
As he our darkness, cannot we his light
Imitate when we pleafe? This defert foil
Wants not her hidden luftre, gems and gold;
Nor want we skill or art, from whence to raise
Magnificence; and what can Heav'n fhow more?
Our torments alfo may in length of time
Become our elements, thefe piercing fires
A's foft as now fevere, our temper chang'd
Into their temper; which muft needs remove
The fenfible of pain. All things invite
To peaceful counfels, and the fettled ftate
Of order, how in fafety beft we may
Compofe our prefent evils, with regard
Of what we are and where, difmiffing quite
All thoughts of war: ye have what I advife.
He fearce 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 rous'd the sea, now with hoarfe cadence lull
Sea-faring men o'erwatch'd, whose bark by chance
Or pinnace anchors in a craggy bay
After the tempeft: Such applaufe was heard
As Mammon ended, and his fentence pleas'd,
Advifing peace: for fuch another field
They dreaded worse than Hell: fo much the fear
Of thunder and the fword of Michael
Wrought ftill within them; and no lefs defire
To found this nether empire, which might rife
By policy, and long process of time,
In emulation oppofite to Heaven.
Which when Beelzebub perceiv'd, than whom,
Satan except, none higher fat, with grave
Afpect he rose, and in his rising seem'd
A pillar of state; deep on his front ingraven
Deliberation fat and public care;
And princely counfel in his face yet fhone,
Majestic though in ruin; fage he stood
With Atlantean fhoulders fit to bear
The weight of mightiest monarchies; his look
Drew audience and attention still as night
Or fummer's noon-tide air, while thus he spake.
Thrones and Imperial Pow'rs, Offspring of Heaven,
Ethereal Virtues; or thefe titles now
Must we renounce, and changing stile bẹ call'd
Princes of Hell? for fo the popular vote
Inclines, here to continue,' and build up here
A growing empire; doubtless; while we dream, 315-
And know not that the king of Heaven hath doom'd
This place our dungeon, not our safe retreat
Beyond his potent arm, to live exempt
From Heav'n's high jurifdiction, in new league
Banded against his throne, but to remain
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