Into 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 gross by sinning grown.
The rest, in imitation, to like arms

Betook them, and the neighbouring hills uptore :
So hills amid the air encounter'd hills,
Hurl'd to and fro with jaculation dire:
That underground they fought in dismal shade;
Infernal noise! war seem'd a civil game
To this uproar; horrid confusion heap'd
Upon confusion rose : And now all Heaven
Had gone to wrack, with ruin overspread ;
Had not the Almighty Father, where he sits
Shrin'd in his sanctuary of Heaven secure,
Consulting on the sum of things, foreseen
This tumult, and permitted all, advis'd:
That his great purpose he might so fulfil,
To honour his anointed Son aveng'd

Upon his enemies, and to declare

All power on him transferr'd: Whence to his Son, The Assessour1 of his throne, he thus began.

Effulgence of my glory, Son belov'd,

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 arm'd ;
For to themselves I left them; and thou know'st
'Assessour:' i. e., seated with him on the throne.

Equal in their creation they were form❜d,

Save what sin hath impair'd; which yet hath 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 perform'd what war can do,
And to disorder'd rage let loose the reins,

With mountains, as with weapons, arm'd; which makes
Wild work in Heaven, and dangerous to the main.
Two days are therefore past, the third is thine:
For thee I have ordain'd it, and thus far
Have suffer'd, 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
In Heaven and Hell thy power above compare;
And, this perverse commotion govern'd thus,
To manifest Thee worthiest to be Heir
Of all things; to be Heir, and to be King
By sacred unction, thy deserved right.

Go then, Thou Mightiest, in thy Father's might;
Ascend my chariot, guide the rapid wheels
That shake Heaven's basis, bring forth all my war,
My low 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 utter deep:
There let them learn, as likes them, to despise
God, and Messiah his anointed King.

He said, and on his Son with rays direct
Shone ull he all his Father full express'd
Ineffably into his face receiv'd;

And this the Filial Godhead answering spake.

O Faher, O Supreme of heavenly Thrones,

First, Highest, Holiest, Best; thou always seek'st
To glorify thy Son, I always thee,

As is most just This I my glory account,
My exaltation, and my whole delight,

That thou, in me well pleas'd, declarest thy will
Fulfill'd, which to fulfil is all

my bliss.
Scepter and power, thy giving, I assume,
And gladlier shall resign, when in the end
Thou shalt be all in all, and I in thee
For ever; and in me all whom thou lov'st:
But whom thou hat'st, I hate, and can put on
Thy terrours, as I put thy mildness on,

Image of thee in all things; and shall soon,
Arm'd with thy might, rid Heaven of these rebell'd;
To their prepar'd ill mansion driven down,
To chains of darkness, and the undying worm;
That from thy just obedience could revolt,

Whom to obey is happiness entire.

Then shall thy Saints unmix'd, and from the impure

Far separate, circling thy holy mount,

Unfeigned Halleluiahs to thee sing,

Hymns of high praise, and I among them Chief.

So said, he, o'er his scepter bowing, rose From the right hand of Glory where he sat ; And the third sacred morn began to shine,

Dawning through Heaven. Forth rush'd with whirlwind sound The chariot of Paternal Deity,

Flashing thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawi,

Itself instinct with Spirit, but convoy'd

By four Cherubick shapes: four faces each

Had wonderous; as with stars, their bodies all

And wings were set with eyes; with eyes the wieels1

1. Wheels:' see Ezekiel.

Of beryl, and careering fires between ;
Over their heads a crystal firmament,1
Whereon a sapphire throne, inlaid with pure
Amber, and colours of the showery arch.
He, in celestial panoply all arm'd
Of radiant Urim,2 work divinely wrought,
Ascended at his right hand Victory
Sat eagle-wing'd; beside him hung his bow
And quiver with three-bolted thunder stor'd;
And from about him fierce effusion roll'd

Of smoke, and bickering flame, and sparkles dire:
Attended with ten thousand thousand Saints,
He onward came; far off his coming shone ;
And twenty thousand (I their number heard)
Chariots of God, half on each hand, were seen;
He on the wings of Cherub rode sublime
On the crystalline sky; in sapphire thron'd,
Illustrious far and wide. but by his own
First seen; Then unexpected joy surpris'd,
When the great ensign of Messiah blaz'd
Aloft, by Angels borne, his sign in Heaven;
Under whose conduct Michael soon reduc'd
His army, circumfus'd on either wing,
Under their Head imbodied all in one.
Before him Power Divine his way prepar'd;
At his command the uprooted hills retir'd,
Each to his place; they heard his voice, and went
Obsequious; Heaven his wonted face renew'd,
And with fresh flow'rets hill and valley smil❜d.
This saw his hapless foes, but stood obdur'd,
And to rebellious fight rallied their Powers,
Insensate, hope conceiving from despair.

16 Crystal firmament:' the 'terrible crystal' of Ezekiel.—2 Urim:' referring to the stones of mystic import on the high priest's breast.

In heavenly Spirits could such perverseness dwell?
But to convince the proud what signs avail,
Or wonders move the obdurate to relent?
They, harden'd more by what might most reclaim,
Grieving to see his glory, at the sight
Took envy; and, aspiring to his highth,
Stood re-embattled fierce, by force or fraud
Weening to prosper, and at length prevail
Against God and Messiah, or to fall
In universal ruin last; and now
To final battle drew, disdaining flight,

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

Stand still 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 cause;
And as ye have received, so have ye done
Invincibly: But of this cursed crew
The punishment to other hand belongs :
Vengeance is his, or whose he sole appoints:
Number to this day's work is not ordain'd,
Nor multitude; stand only, and behold
God's indignation on these godless pour'd
By me; not you, but me, they have despis'd,
Yet envied; against me is all their rage,
Because the Father, to whom in Heaven supreme
Kingdom, and power, and glory appertains,
Hath honour'd me, according to his will.
Therefore to me their doom he hath assign'd;
That they may have their wish, to try with me
In battle which the stronger proves; they all,
Or I alone against them; since by strength
They measure all, of other excellence