Then shall thy saints unmix'd, and from th' impure Far separate, circling thy holy mount

Unfained hallelujahs to thee sing,

Hymns of high praise, and I among them chief. 745

So said, he, o'er his sceptre bowing, rose

From the right hand of glory where he sat,
And the third sacred morn began to shine,
Dawning through heav'n: forth rush'd with whirl-

wind sound

The chariot of paternal Deity,

750

Flashing thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawn, Itself instinct with spirit, but convoy'd

By four cherubic shapes; four faces each

Had wondrous, as with stars their bodies all
And wings were set with eyes, with eyes the wheels
Of beril, and careering fires between ;

Over their heads a crystal firmament,

Whereon a saphire throne, inlaid with pure
Amber, and colours of the show'ry arch.
He, in celestial panoply all arm'd
Of radiant Urim work divinely wrought,
Ascended; at his right hand Victory

Sate 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.

758 Whereon] Fenton reads 'Where, on.' Todd.

759 show'ry arch] A. Ramsæi, P. Sacr. ed. Lauder, 1. 5.

VOL. I.

'Cœlo sicut Thaumantias udo,

Cum picturatum dat mille coloribus arcum.'

28

756

760

765

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 saphire thron'd.
Illustrious far and wide, but by his own
First seen; them unexpected joy surpris'd,
When the great ensign of Messiah blaz'd,
Aloft by angels borne, his sign in heav'n :
Under whose conduct Michael soon reduc'd
His army, circumfus'd on either wing,
Under their head embodied 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; Heav'n his wonted face renew'd,
And with fresh flow'rets hill and valley smil'd.

770

775

780

This saw his hapless foes, but stood obdur'd, 785 And to rebellious fight rallied their powers Insensate, hope conceiving from despair : In heav'nly 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

787 hope] Virg. Æn. ii. 354.

'Una salus victis, nullam sperare salutem.'

and Q. Curt. L. v. c. iv.

'Sæpe desperatio spei causa est.' Newton.

790

Took envy, and, aspiring to his highth,

Stood reimbattell'd 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 battel drew, disdaining flight,

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

795

800

805

810

Stand still in bright array, ye saints; here stand, Ye angels arm'd, this day from battel rest; Faithful hath been your warfare, and of GoD Accepted, fearless in his righteous cause, And as ye have receiv'd, 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, t' whom in heav'n 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 battel which the stronger proves, they all, Or I alone against them; since by strength

797 last] Tickell and Bentley read 'lost.'

815

820

They measure all, of other excellence
Not emulous, nor care who them excels;
Nor other strife with them do I vouchsafe.

So spake the Son, and into terror chang'd
His count'nance, too severe to be beheld
And full of wrath bent on his enemies.
At once the four spread out their starry wings
With dreadful shade contiguous, and the orbs
Of his fierce chariot roll'd, as with the sound
Of torrent floods, or of a numerous host.
He on his impious foes right onward drove,
Gloomy as night; under his burning wheels
The steadfast empyrean shook throughout,
All but the throne itself of GOD.

Full soon

825

830

835

Among them he arriv'd, in his right hand
Grasping ten thousand thunders, which he sent
Before him, such as in their souls infix'd
Plagues they astonish'd all resistance lost,
All courage; down their idle weapons dropp'd;
O'er shields, and helms, and helmed heads he rode
Of thrones and mighty seraphim prostrate,
That wish'd the mountains now might be again
Thrown on them as a shelter from his ire.
Nor less on either side tempestuous fell
His arrows, from the fourfold visag'd Four,
Distinct with eyes, and from the living wheels

841

845

841 prostrate] Fairfax and Spenser accent this word on the last syllable. v. Tasso, c. i. 83;

'And lay his powers prostráte.' F. Qu. xii. 39.
'Before fair Britomart she fell prostráte.' Newton.

Distinct alike with multitude of eyes;
One spirit in them rul'd, and every eye
Glar'd light'ning, and shot forth pernicious fire
Among th' accurst, that wither'd all their strength,
And of their wonted vigour left them drain'd,
Exhausted, spiritless, afflicted, fall'n.

851

Yet half his strength he put not forth, but check'd
His thunder in mid volly, for he meant

Not to destroy, but root them out of heav'n.
The overthrown he rais'd, and as a herd
Of goats or timorous flock together throng'd
Drove them before him thunder-struck, pursu'd
With terrors and with furies to the bounds

855

And crystal wall of heav'n; which op'ning wide 860
Roll'd inward, and a spacious gap disclos'd
Into the wasteful deep; the monstrous sight
Struck them with horror backward; but far worse
Urg'd them behind; headlong themselves they threw
Down from the verge of heav'n; eternal wrath 865
Burn'd after them to the bottomless pit.
Hell heard th' unsufferable noise, hell saw
Heav'n ruining from heav'n, and would have fled

858 thunder] See Beaumont's Psyche, c. xx. st. 102.
'Down plung'd this mixed rout which almost split
The greedy throat of the sulphureous deep,
Loud was the noise of this great fall, but yet
Far louder was their crie, who down the steep

Eternal precipice still tumbled, and

No bottom saw, to bid their ruine stand.'

868 ruining] Falling down with ruin, from the Italian ruinando.

v. Tasso's Gier. Lib. ix. 39.

'Gli alberi intorno ruinando atterra.' Thyer.