Weehls her pale course; they on their mirth and dance
Intent, with jocund music charm his ear;
At once with joy and fear his heart rebounds.
Thus incorporeal spirits to finallest forms
Reduc'd their shapes immenfe, and were at large, 790
Though without number still amidst the hall
Of that infernal court. But far within,
And in their own dimenfions like themselves,

The great Seraphic Lords and Cherubim,
In close recess and secret conclave fat;
A thousand Demi-gods on golden seats,
Frequent and full: after short filence then
And fummons read, the great confult began,

795

The End of First Book

BOOK 11.

High on a throne of royal state, which far
Outshone the wealth of Ormus and of Ind,
Or where the gorgeous east with richest hand
Show'rs on her kings barbaric pearl and gold,
Satan exalted fat, by merit rais'd
To that bad eminence; and from despair.
Thus high uplifted beyond hope, aspires
Beyond thus high, infatiate to pursue
Vain war with Heav'n, and by success untaught
His proud imaginations thus display'd.

Powers and Dominions, Deities of Heav'n!
For since no deep within her gulph can hold
Immortal vigor, though oppress'd and fall'n,
I give not Heav'n for loft. From this defcent

15

Celestial virtues rising, will appear
More glorious and more dread than from no fall,
And trust themselves to fear no second fate.
Me though just right, and the fix'd laws of Heav'n
Did first create your leader, next free choice,

With what befides, in council or in fight,

20

Hath

Hath been achiev'd of merit, yet this loss
Thus far at leafst recover'd, hath much more
Eftablish'd, in a fafe unenvied throne,

Yielded with full confent. The happier state
In Heav'n, which follows dignity, might draw 25

Envy from each inferior; but who here

Will envy whom the highest place expofes
Foremost to stand against the Thunderer's aim
Your bulwark, and condemns to greatest share
Of endless pain? Where there is then no good
For which to strive, no ftrife can grow up there
From faction; for none fure will claim in Hell
Precedence; none, whose portion is so small
Of present pain, that with ambitious mind
Will covet more! With this advantage then
To union, and firm faith, and firm accord,
More than can be in Heav'n, we now return
To claim our just inheritance of old,
Surer to prosper than profperity
Could have afsfur'd us; and by what best way,
Whether of open war or covert guile,

30

35

40

We now debate; who can advise may fpeak.
He ceas'd, and next him Moloch, fceptred king,
Stood up, the strongest and the fiercest spirit
That fought in Heav'n, now fiercer by defpair: 45
His trust was with th' Eternal to be deem'd
Equal in strength, and rather than be less
Car'd not to be at all; with that care loft
Went all his fear of God, or Hell, or worse,
He reck'd not; and these words thereafter spake: so
My fentence is for open war: of wiles,
More unexpert, I boast not: them let those
Contrive who need, or when they need, not now:
For while they fit contriving, shall the reft,
Millions that stand in arms, and longing wait
The fignal to ascend, fit ling'ring here
Heav'n's fugitives, and for their dwelling-place
Accept this dark opprobrions den of shame,

55

The prison of his tyranny who reignsla
By our delay? No! let us rather choofe,
Arm'd with hell flames and fury, all at once
O'er Heav'n's high tow'rs to force refiftless way,
Turning our tortures into horrid arms
Against the torturer; when to meet the noise
Of his Almighty engin he shall hear
Infernal thunder, and for lightning fee a
Black fire and horrot shot with equal rage
Among his Angels; and his throne itself
Mix'd with Tartarean fulphur, and strange fire,
His own invented torments. But perhaps
The way feems difficult and steep to scale
With upright wing against a higher foe.
Let such bethink them, if the fleepy drench
Of that forgetful lake benumb not still,
That in our proper motion we afcend
Up to our native seat: defcent and fall
To us is adverse. Who but felt of late
When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear
Insulting, and persued us through the deep,
With what compulfion and laborious flight
We funk thus low? th' afcent is easy then;
Th' event is fear'de should we again provoke
Our stronger, some worse way his wrath may find
To our deftruction: if there be in Hell

бо

65

70

75

8

Fear to be worfe destroy'd: what can be worse
Than to dwell here, driv'n out from blifs, condemn'd

In this abhorred deep to utter woe;
Where pain of inextinguishable fire
Must exercise us without hope of end,

85

The vassals of his anger, when the fcourge 190

collot Bilge no

Inexorably and the torturing hour,
Calls us to penance? More destroy'd than thus
We should be quite abonfi'd and expire.
What fear then? dowhat doubt we to incenfe

یو

His utmost ired which to the height enrag'd,
Will either quite confume us, and reduce

95

To

To nothing this essential; happier får he
Than miferable to have eternal being wo
Or if our substance be indeed divine

этот

And cannot cease to be, we are at worstmod
On this fide nothing; and by proof we feel
Our power fufficient to disturb his Heav'n,
And with perpetual inroads to alarm,"
Though inaccessible, his fatal throne:

९

100

Which, if not victory, is yet revenge bodος
He ended frowning, and his look denounc'di

Desperate revenge, and battel dangerous
To less than Gods. On the other fide up rofe
Belial, in act more graceful and humane:ct aerit.
A fairer perfon loft not Heav'n; he feem'd of ferro
For dignity compos'd and high exploit:miती
But all was false and hollow; though his tongue
Dropt Manna, and could make the worse appear
The better reason, to perplex and dash 1.0
Matureft counsels: for his thoughts were low; 115
To vice industrious, but to nobler deeds-s
Timrous and flothful; yet he pleas'd the fear,
And with perfuafive accent thus begantar

I should be much for open war, O Peers,
As not behind in hate; if what was urg'de 120
Main reason to perfuade vimmediate war,..
Did not diffuade me most, and seem to caft

:

Ominous conjecture on the whole fuccess:
When he who most excels in fact of arms,
In what he counsels and im what excels, tas

Mistrustful, grounds his courageroon despair
And utter diffolution, as the fcope bus qeeb cila
Of all his aim, after fome dire revengedw 16

L

First, what revenge? the tow'rs of Heav'n are fill'd

With armed watch, that render allaccefst

130

Impregnable; oft fonashev bordering ideep

Encamp their legionsmottiwith obfcure wing

Scout far and wide into the realm of night, 2025

Scorning surprise. Or could we break our way

By

135

140

145

By force, and at our heels all Hell should rife
With blackest insurrection, to confound
Heav'n's pureft light; yet our great enemy
All incorruptible would on his throne
Sit unpolluted, and th' ethereal mould
Incapable of stain, would foon expel
Her mischief, and purge off the baser fire
Victorious. Thus repuls'd, our final hope
Is flat defpair: we must exafperate
Th' Almighty Victor to fpend all his rage,
And that muit end us, that must be our cure
To be no more: fad cure! for who would lose,
Though full of pain, this intellectual being,
Thofe thoughts that wander through eternity,
To perish rather, swallow'd up and loft
In the wide womb of uncreated night,
Devoid of sense 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 saves
To punish endless? Wherefore cease we then?
Say they who counsel war, we are decreed,
Reserv'd, and destin'd to eternal woe;
Whatever doing, what can we fuffer more,
What can we fuffer worse? Is this then worst,
Thus fitting, thus consulting, thus in arms?
What! when we fled amain, pursu'd and struck 165
With Heav'n's afflicting thunder, and befought
The deep to shelter us? this Hell then feem'd
A refuge from those wounds: or when we lay
Chain'd on the burning lake? that sure was worse.
What if the breath that kindled those grim fires, 170
Awak'd should blow them into sevenfold rage,
And plunge us in the flames? or from above

155

160

Should