| |
|
Book VI
All night the dreadless Angel, unpursued,
Through
Heaven's wide champain held his way; till Morn,
Waked by the circling Hours, with rosy hand
Unbarred
the gates of light. There is a cave
Within the mount
of God, fast by his throne,
Where light and darkness
in perpetual round
Lodge and dislodge by turns,
which makes through Heaven
Grateful vicissitude,
like day and night;
Light issues forth, and at the
other door
Obsequious darkness enters, till her hour
To veil the Heaven, though darkness there might well
Seem twilight here: And now went forth the Morn
Such as in highest Heaven arrayed in gold
Empyreal;
from before her vanished Night,
Shot through with
orient beams; when all the plain
Covered with thick
embattled squadrons bright,
Chariots, and flaming
arms, and fiery steeds,
Reflecting blaze on blaze,
first met his view:
War he perceived, war in
procinct; and found
Already known what he for news
had thought
To have reported: Gladly then he mixed
Among those friendly Powers, who him received
With joy and acclamations loud, that one,
That of so
many myriads fallen, yet one
Returned not lost. On
to the sacred hill
They led him high applauded, and
present
Before the seat supreme; from whence a
voice,
From midst a golden cloud, thus mild was
heard.
Servant of God. Well done; well hast thou
fought
The better fight, who single hast maintained
Against revolted multitudes the cause
Of truth,
in word mightier than they in arms;
And for the
testimony of truth hast borne
Universal reproach,
far worse to bear
Than violence; for this was all
thy care
To stand approved in sight of God, though
worlds
Judged thee perverse: The easier conquest now
Remains thee, aided by this host of friends,
Back on thy foes more glorious to return,
Than
scorned thou didst depart; and to subdue
By force,
who reason for their law refuse,
Right reason for
their law, and for their King
Messiah, who by right
of merit reigns.
Go, Michael, of celestial armies
prince,
And thou, in military prowess next,
Gabriel, lead forth to battle these my sons
Invincible; lead forth my armed Saints,
By thousands
and by millions, ranged for fight,
Equal in number
to that Godless crew
Rebellious: Them with fire and
hostile arms
Fearless assault; and, to the brow of
Heaven
Pursuing, drive them out from God and bliss,
Into their place of punishment, the gulf
Of
Tartarus, which ready opens wide
His fiery Chaos to
receive their fall.
So spake the Sovran Voice, and
clouds began
To darken all the hill, and smoke to
roll
In dusky wreaths, reluctant flames, the sign
Of wrath awaked; nor with less dread the loud
Ethereal trumpet from on high 'gan blow:
At which
command the Powers militant,
That stood for Heaven,
in mighty quadrate joined
Of union irresistible,
moved on
In silence their bright legions, to the
sound
Of instrumental harmony, that breathed
Heroick ardour to adventurous deeds
Under their
God-like leaders, in the cause
Of God and his
Messiah. On they move
Indissolubly firm; nor obvious
hill,
Nor straitening vale, nor wood, nor stream,
divides
Their perfect ranks; for high above the
ground
Their march was, and the passive air upbore
Their nimble tread; as when the total kind
Of
birds, in orderly array on wing,
Came summoned over
Eden to receive
Their names of thee; so over many a
tract
Of Heaven they marched, and many a province
wide,
Tenfold the length of this terrene: At last,
Far in the horizon to the north appeared
From
skirt to skirt a fiery region, stretched
In
battailous aspect, and nearer view
Bristled with
upright beams innumerable
Of rigid spears, and
helmets thronged, and shields
Various, with boastful
argument portrayed,
The banded Powers of Satan
hasting on
With furious expedition; for they weened
That self-same day, by fight or by surprise,
To
win the mount of God, and on his throne
To set the
Envier of his state, the proud
Aspirer; but their
thoughts proved fond and vain
In the mid way: Though
strange to us it seemed
At first, that Angel should
with Angel war,
And in fierce hosting meet, who wont
to meet
So oft in festivals of joy and love
Unanimous, as sons of one great Sire,
Hymning the
Eternal Father: But the shout
Of battle now began,
and rushing sound
Of onset ended soon each milder
thought.
High in the midst, exalted as a God,
The Apostate in his sun-bright chariot sat,
Idol of
majesty divine, enclosed
With flaming Cherubim, and
golden shields;
Then lighted from his gorgeous
throne, for now
"twixt host and host but narrow
space was left,
A dreadful interval, and front to
front
Presented stood in terrible array
Of
hideous length: Before the cloudy van,
On the rough
edge of battle ere it joined,
Satan, with vast and
haughty strides advanced,
Came towering, armed in
adamant and gold;
Abdiel that sight endured not,
where he stood
Among the mightiest, bent on highest
deeds,
And thus his own undaunted heart explores.
O Heaven! that such resemblance of the Highest
Should yet remain, where faith and realty
Remain
not: Wherefore should not strength and might
There
fail where virtue fails, or weakest prove
Where
boldest, though to fight unconquerable?
His
puissance, trusting in the Almighty's aid,
I mean to
try, whose reason I have tried
Unsound and false;
nor is it aught but just,
That he, who in debate of
truth hath won,
Should win in arms, in both disputes
alike
Victor; though brutish that contest and foul,
When reason hath to deal with force, yet so
Most
reason is that reason overcome.
So pondering, and
from his armed peers
Forth stepping opposite,
half-way he met
His daring foe, at this prevention
more
Incensed, and thus securely him defied.
Proud, art thou met? thy hope was to have reached
The highth of thy aspiring unopposed,
The throne of
God unguarded, and his side
Abandoned, at the
terrour of thy power
Or potent tongue: Fool!not to
think how vain
Against the Omnipotent to rise in
arms;
Who out of smallest things could, without end,
Have raised incessant armies to defeat
Thy
folly; or with solitary hand
Reaching beyond all
limit, at one blow,
Unaided, could have finished
thee, and whelmed
Thy legions under darkness: But
thou seest
All are not of thy train; there be, who
faith
Prefer, and piety to God, though then
To
thee not visible, when I alone
Seemed in thy world
erroneous to dissent
From all: My sect thou
seest;now learn too late
How few sometimes may know,
when thousands err.
Whom the grand foe, with
scornful eye askance,
Thus answered. Ill for thee,
but in wished hour
Of my revenge, first sought for,
thou returnest
From flight, seditious Angel! to
receive
Thy merited reward, the first assay
Of
this right hand provoked, since first that tongue,
Inspired with contradiction, durst oppose
A third
part of the Gods, in synod met
Their deities to
assert; who, while they feel
Vigour divine within
them, can allow
Omnipotence to none. But well thou
comest
Before thy fellows, ambitious to win
From
me some plume, that thy success may show
Destruction
to the rest: This pause between,
(Unanswered lest
thou boast) to let thee know,
At first I thought
that Liberty and Heaven
To heavenly souls had been
all one; but now
I see that most through sloth had
rather serve,
Ministring Spirits, trained up in
feast and song!
Such hast thou armed, the minstrelsy
of Heaven,
Servility with freedom to contend,
As
both their deeds compared this day shall prove.
To
whom in brief thus Abdiel stern replied.
Apostate!
still thou errest, nor end wilt find
Of erring, from
the path of truth remote:
Unjustly thou depravest it
with the name
Of servitude, to serve whom God
ordains,
Or Nature: God and Nature bid the same,
When he who rules is worthiest, and excels
Them whom
he governs. This is servitude,
To serve the unwise,
or him who hath rebelled
Against his worthier, as
thine now serve thee,
Thyself not free, but to
thyself enthralled;
Yet lewdly darest our ministring
upbraid.
Reign thou in Hell, thy kingdom; let me
serve
In Heaven God ever blest, and his divine
Behests obey, worthiest to be obeyed;
Yet chains in
Hell, not realms, expect: Mean while
From me
returned, as erst thou saidst, from flight,
This
greeting on thy impious crest receive.
So saying, a
noble stroke he lifted high,
Which hung not, but so
swift with tempest fell
On the proud crest of Satan,
that no sight,
Nor motion of swift thought, less
could his shield,
Such ruin intercept: Ten paces
huge
He back recoiled; the tenth on bended knee
His massy spear upstaid; as if on earth
Winds under
ground, or waters forcing way,
Sidelong had pushed a
mountain from his seat,
Half sunk with all his
pines. Amazement seised
The rebel Thrones, but
greater rage, to see
Thus foiled their mightiest;
ours joy filled, and shout,
Presage of victory, and
fierce desire
Of battle: Whereat Michael bid sound
The Arch-Angel trumpet; through the vast of Heaven
It sounded, and the faithful armies rung
Hosanna
to the Highest: Nor stood at gaze
The adverse
legions, nor less hideous joined
The horrid shock.
Now storming fury rose,
And clamour such as heard in
Heaven till now
Was never; arms on armour clashing
brayed
Horrible discord, and the madding wheels
Of brazen chariots raged; dire was the noise
Of
conflict; over head the dismal hiss
Of fiery darts
in flaming vollies flew,
And flying vaulted either
host with fire.
So under fiery cope together rushed
Both battles main, with ruinous assault
And
inextinguishable rage. All Heaven
Resounded; and had
Earth been then, all Earth
Had to her center shook.
What wonder? when
Millions of fierce encountering
Angels fought
On either side, the least of whom
could wield
These elements, and arm him with the
force
Of all their regions: How much more of power
Army against army numberless to raise
Dreadful
combustion warring, and disturb,
Though not destroy,
their happy native seat;
Had not the Eternal King
Omnipotent,
From his strong hold of Heaven, high
over-ruled
And limited their might; though numbered
such
As each divided legion might have seemed
A
numerous host; in strength each armed hand
A legion;
led in fight, yet leader seemed
Each warriour single
as in chief, expert
When to advance, or stand, or
turn the sway
Of battle, open when, and when to
close
The ridges of grim war: No thought of flight,
None of retreat, no unbecoming deed
That argued
fear; each on himself relied,
As only in his arm the
moment lay
Of victory: Deeds of eternal fame
Were done, but infinite; for wide was spread
That
war and various; sometimes on firm ground
A standing
fight, then, soaring on main wing,
Tormented all the
air; all air seemed then
Conflicting fire. Long time
in even scale
The battle hung; till Satan, who that
day
Prodigious power had shown, and met in arms
No equal, ranging through the dire attack
Of
fighting Seraphim confused, at length
Saw where the
sword of Michael smote, and felled
Squadrons at
once; with huge two-handed sway
Brandished aloft,
the horrid edge came down
Wide-wasting; such
destruction to withstand
He hasted, and opposed the
rocky orb
Of tenfold adamant, his ample shield,
A vast circumference. At his approach
The great
Arch-Angel from his warlike toil
Surceased, and
glad, as hoping here to end
Intestine war in Heaven,
the arch-foe subdued
Or captive dragged in chains,
with hostile frown
And visage all inflamed first
thus began.
Author of evil, unknown till thy revolt,
Unnamed in Heaven, now plenteous as thou seest
These acts of hateful strife, hateful to all,
Though
heaviest by just measure on thyself,
And thy
adherents: How hast thou disturbed
Heaven's blessed
peace, and into nature brought
Misery, uncreated
till the crime
Of thy rebellion! how hast thou
instilled
Thy malice into thousands, once upright
And faithful, now proved false! But think not here
To trouble holy rest; Heaven casts thee out
From
all her confines. Heaven, the seat of bliss,
Brooks
not the works of violence and war.
Hence then, and
evil go with thee along,
Thy offspring, to the place
of evil, Hell;
Thou and thy wicked crew! there
mingle broils,
Ere this avenging sword begin thy
doom,
Or some more sudden vengeance, winged from
God,
Precipitate thee with augmented pain.
So
spake the Prince of Angels; to whom thus
The
Adversary. Nor think thou with wind
Of aery threats
to awe whom yet with deeds
Thou canst not. Hast thou
turned the least of these
To flight, or if to fall,
but that they rise
Unvanquished, easier to transact
with me
That thou shouldst hope, imperious, and with
threats
To chase me hence? err not, that so shall
end
The strife which thou callest evil, but we style
The strife of glory; which we mean to win,
Or
turn this Heaven itself into the Hell
Thou fablest;
here however to dwell free,
If not to reign: Mean
while thy utmost force,
And join him named Almighty
to thy aid,
I fly not, but have sought thee far and
nigh.
They ended parle, and both addressed for fight
Unspeakable; for who, though with the tongue
Of
Angels, can relate, or to what things
Liken on earth
conspicuous, that may lift
Human imagination to such
highth
Of Godlike power? for likest Gods they
seemed,
Stood they or moved, in stature, motion,
arms,
Fit to decide the empire of great Heaven.
Now waved their fiery swords, and in the air
Made
horrid circles; two broad suns their shields
Blazed
opposite, while Expectation stood
In horrour: From
each hand with speed retired,
Where erst was
thickest fight, the angelick throng,
And left large
field, unsafe within the wind
Of such commotion;
such as, to set forth
Great things by small, if,
nature's concord broke,
Among the constellations war
were sprung,
Two planets, rushing from aspect malign
Of fiercest opposition, in mid sky
Should
combat, and their jarring spheres confound.
Together
both with next to almighty arm
Up-lifted imminent,
one stroke they aimed
That might determine, and not
need repeat,
As not of power at once; nor odds
appeared
In might or swift prevention: But the sword
Of Michael from the armoury of God
Was given him
tempered so, that neither keen
Nor solid might
resist that edge: it met
The sword of Satan, with
steep force to smite
Descending, and in half cut
sheer; nor staid,
But with swift wheel reverse, deep
entering, shared
All his right side: Then Satan
first knew pain,
And writhed him to and fro
convolved; so sore
The griding sword with
discontinuous wound
Passed through him: But the
ethereal substance closed,
Not long divisible; and
from the gash
A stream of necturous humour issuing
flowed
Sanguine, such as celestial Spirits may
bleed,
And all his armour stained, ere while so
bright.
Forthwith on all sides to his aid was run
By Angels many and strong, who interposed
Defence, while others bore him on their shields
Back
to his chariot, where it stood retired
From off the
files of war: There they him laid
Gnashing for
anguish, and despite, and shame,
To find himself not
matchless, and his pride
Humbled by such rebuke, so
far beneath
His confidence to equal God in power.
Yet soon he healed; for Spirits that live throughout
Vital in every part, not as frail man
In
entrails, heart of head, liver or reins,
Cannot but
by annihilating die;
Nor in their liquid texture
mortal wound
Receive, no more than can the fluid
air:
All heart they live, all head, all eye, all
ear,
All intellect, all sense; and, as they please,
They limb themselves, and colour, shape, or size
Assume, as?kikes them best, condense or rare.
Mean
while in other parts like deeds deserved
Memorial,
where the might of Gabriel fought,
And with fierce
ensigns pierced the deep array
Of Moloch, furious
king; who him defied,
And at his chariot-wheels to
drag him bound
Threatened, nor from the Holy One of
Heaven
Refrained his tongue blasphemous; but anon
Down cloven to the waist, with shattered arms
And uncouth pain fled bellowing. On each wing
Uriel,
and Raphael, his vaunting foe,
Though huge, and in a
rock of diamond armed,
Vanquished Adramelech, and
Asmadai,
Two potent Thrones, that to be less than
Gods
Disdained, but meaner thoughts learned in their
flight,
Mangled with ghastly wounds through plate
and mail.
Nor stood unmindful Abdiel to annoy
The atheist crew, but with redoubled blow
Ariel, and
Arioch, and the violence
Of Ramiel scorched and
blasted, overthrew.
I might relate of thousands, and
their names
Eternize here on earth; but those elect
Angels, contented with their fame in Heaven,
Seek not the praise of men: The other sort,
In might
though wonderous and in acts of war,
Nor of renown
less eager, yet by doom
Cancelled from Heaven and
sacred memory,
Nameless in dark oblivion let them
dwell.
For strength from truth divided, and from
just,
Illaudable, nought merits but dispraise
And ignominy; yet to glory aspires
Vain-glorious,
and through infamy seeks fame:
Therefore eternal
silence be their doom.
And now, their mightiest
quelled, the battle swerved,
With many an inroad
gored; deformed rout
Entered, and foul disorder; all
the ground
With shivered armour strown, and on a
heap
Chariot and charioteer lay overturned,
And
fiery-foaming steeds; what stood, recoiled
O'er-wearied, through the faint Satanick host
Defensive scarce, or with pale fear surprised,
Then
first with fear surprised, and sense of pain,
Fled
ignominious, to such evil brought
By sin of
disobedience; till that hour
Not liable to fear, or
flight, or pain.
Far otherwise the inviolable
Saints,
In cubick phalanx firm, advanced entire,
Invulnerable, impenetrably armed;
Such high
advantages their innocence
Gave them above their
foes; not to have sinned,
Not to have disobeyed; in
fight they stood
Unwearied, unobnoxious to be pained
By wound, though from their place by violence moved,
Now Night her course began, and, over Heaven
Inducing darkness, grateful truce imposed,
And
silence on the odious din of war:
Under her cloudy
covert both retired,
Victor and vanquished: On the
foughten field
Michael and his Angels prevalent
Encamping, placed in guard their watches round,
Cherubick waving fires: On the other part,
Satan
with his rebellious disappeared,
Far in the dark
dislodged; and, void of rest,
His potentates to
council called by night;
And in the midst thus
undismayed began.
O now in danger tried, now known
in arms
Not to be overpowered, Companions dear,
Found worthy not of liberty alone,
Too mean pretence!
but what we more affect,
Honour, dominion, glory,
and renown;
Who have sustained one day in doubtful
fight,
(And if one day, why not eternal days?)
What Heaven's Lord had powerfullest to send
Against
us from about his throne, and judged
Sufficient to
subdue us to his will,
But proves not so: Then
fallible, it seems,
Of future we may deem him,
though till now
Omniscient thought. True is, less
firmly armed,
Some disadvantage we endured and pain,
Till now not known, but, known, as soon contemned;
Since now we find this our empyreal form
Incapable of mortal injury,
Imperishable, and,
though pierced with wound,
Soon closing, and by
native vigour healed.
Of evil then so small as easy
think
The remedy; perhaps more valid arms,
Weapons more violent, when next we meet,
May serve
to better us, and worse our foes,
Or equal what
between us made the odds,
In nature none: If other
hidden cause
Left them superiour, while we can
preserve
Unhurt our minds, and understanding sound,
Due search and consultation will disclose.
He
sat; and in the assembly next upstood
Nisroch, of
Principalities the prime;
As one he stood escaped
from cruel fight,
Sore toiled, his riven arms to
havock hewn,
And cloudy in aspect thus answering
spake.
Deliverer from new Lords, leader to free
Enjoyment of our right as Gods; yet hard
For Gods,
and too unequal work we find,
Against unequal arms
to fight in pain,
Against unpained, impassive; from
which evil
Ruin must needs ensue; for what avails
Valour or strength, though matchless, quelled with
pain
Which all subdues, and makes remiss the hands
Of mightiest? Sense of pleasure we may well
Spare out of life perhaps, and not repine,
But live
content, which is the calmest life:
But pain is
perfect misery, the worst
Of evils, and, excessive,
overturns
All patience. He, who therefore can invent
With what more forcible we may offend
Our yet
unwounded enemies, or arm
Ourselves with like
defence, to me deserves
No less than for deliverance
what we owe.
Whereto with look composed Satan
replied.
Not uninvented that, which thou aright
Believest so main to our success, I bring.
Which of
us who beholds the bright surface
Of this ethereous
mould whereon we stand,
This continent of spacious
Heaven, adorned
With plant, fruit, flower ambrosial,
gems, and gold;
Whose eye so superficially surveys
These things, as not to mind from whence they grow
Deep under ground, materials dark and crude,
Of
spiritous and fiery spume, till touched
With
Heaven's ray, and tempered, they shoot forth
So
beauteous, opening to the ambient light?
These in
their dark nativity the deep
Shall yield us,
pregnant with infernal flame;
Which, into hollow
engines, long and round,
Thick rammed, at the other
bore with touch of fire
Dilated and infuriate, shall
send forth
From far, with thundering noise, among
our foes
Such implements of mischief, as shall dash
To pieces, and o'erwhelm whatever stands
Adverse, that they shall fear we have disarmed
The
Thunderer of his only dreaded bolt.
Nor long shall
be our labour; yet ere dawn,
Effect shall end our
wish. Mean while revive;
Abandon fear; to strength
and counsel joined
Think nothing hard, much less to
be despaired.
He ended, and his words their drooping
cheer
Enlightened, and their languished hope
revived.
The invention all admired, and each, how he
To be the inventer missed; so easy it seemed
Once found, which yet unfound most would have thought
Impossible: Yet, haply, of thy race
In future
days, if malice should abound,
Some one intent on
mischief, or inspired
With devilish machination,
might devise
Like instrument to plague the sons of
men
For sin, on war and mutual slaughter bent.
Forthwith from council to the work they flew;
None
arguing stood; innumerable hands
Were ready; in a
moment up they turned
Wide the celestial soil, and
saw beneath
The originals of nature in their crude
Conception; sulphurous and nitrous foam
They
found, they mingled, and, with subtle art,
Concocted
and adusted they reduced
To blackest grain, and into
store conveyed:
Part hidden veins digged up (nor
hath this earth
Entrails unlike) of mineral and
stone,
Whereof to found their engines and their
balls
Of missive ruin; part incentive reed
Provide, pernicious with one touch to fire.
So all
ere day-spring, under conscious night,
Secret they
finished, and in order set,
With silent
circumspection, unespied.
Now when fair morn orient
in Heaven appeared,
Up rose the victor-Angels, and
to arms
The matin trumpet sung: In arms they stood
Of golden panoply, refulgent host,
Soon banded;
others from the dawning hills
Look round, and scouts
each coast light-armed scour,
Each quarter to descry
the distant foe,
Where lodged, or whither fled, or
if for fight,
In motion or in halt: Him soon they
met
Under spread ensigns moving nigh, in slow
But firm battalion; back with speediest sail
Zophiel,
of Cherubim the swiftest wing,
Came flying, and in
mid air aloud thus cried.
Arm, Warriours, arm for
fight; the foe at hand,
Whom fled we thought, will
save us long pursuit
This day; fear not his
flight;so thick a cloud
He comes, and settled in his
face I see
Sad resolution, and secure: Let each
His adamantine coat gird well, and each
Fit well his
helm, gripe fast his orbed shield,
Borne even or
high; for this day will pour down,
If I conjecture
aught, no drizzling shower,
But rattling storm of
arrows barbed with fire.
So warned he them, aware
themselves, and soon
In order, quit of all
impediment;
Instant without disturb they took alarm,
And onward moved embattled: When behold!
Not
distant far with heavy pace the foe
Approaching
gross and huge, in hollow cube
Training his devilish
enginery, impaled
On every side with shadowing
squadrons deep,
To hide the fraud. At interview both
stood
A while; but suddenly at head appeared
Satan, and thus was heard commanding loud.
Vanguard,
to right and left the front unfold;
That all may see
who hate us, how we seek
Peace and composure, and
with open breast
Stand ready to receive them, if
they like
Our overture; and turn not back perverse:
But that I doubt; however witness, Heaven!
Heaven, witness thou anon! while we discharge
Freely
our part: ye, who appointed stand
Do as you have in
charge, and briefly touch
What we propound, and loud
that all may hear!
So scoffing in ambiguous words,
he scarce
Had ended; when to right and left the
front
Divided, and to either flank retired:
Which to our eyes discovered, new and strange,
A
triple mounted row of pillars laid
On wheels (for
like to pillars most they seemed,
Or hollowed bodies
made of oak or fir,
With branches lopt, in wood or
mountain felled,)
Brass, iron, stony mould, had not
their mouths
With hideous orifice gaped on us wide,
Portending hollow truce: At each behind
A Seraph
stood, and in his hand a reed
Stood waving tipt with
fire; while we, suspense,
Collected stood within our
thoughts amused,
Not long; for sudden all at once
their reeds
Put forth, and to a narrow vent applied
With nicest touch. Immediate in a flame,
But
soon obscured with smoke, all Heaven appeared,
From
those deep-throated engines belched, whose roar
Embowelled with outrageous noise the air,
And all
her entrails tore, disgorging foul
Their devilish
glut, chained thunderbolts and hail
Of iron globes;
which, on the victor host
Levelled, with such
impetuous fury smote,
That, whom they hit, none on
their feet might stand,
Though standing else as
rocks, but down they fell
By thousands, Angel on
Arch-Angel rolled;
The sooner for their arms;
unarmed, they might
Have easily, as Spirits, evaded
swift
By quick contraction or remove; but now
Foul dissipation followed, and forced rout;
Nor
served it to relax their serried files.
What should
they do? if on they rushed, repulse
Repeated, and
indecent overthrow
Doubled, would render them yet
more despised,
And to their foes a laughter; for in
view
Stood ranked of Seraphim another row,
In
posture to displode their second tire
Of thunder:
Back defeated to return
They worse abhorred. Satan
beheld their plight,
And to his mates thus in
derision called.
O Friends! why come not on these
victors proud
Ere while they fierce were coming; and
when we,
To entertain them fair with open front
And breast, (what could we more?) propounded terms
Of composition, straight they changed their minds,
Flew off, and into strange vagaries fell,
As they
would dance; yet for a dance they seemed
Somewhat
extravagant and wild; perhaps
For joy of offered
peace: But I suppose,
If our proposals once again
were heard,
We should compel them to a quick result.
To whom thus Belial, in like gamesome mood.
Leader! the terms we sent were terms of weight,
Of
hard contents, and full of force urged home;
Such as
we might perceive amused them all,
And stumbled
many: Who receives them right,
Had need from head to
foot well understand;
Not understood, this gift they
have besides,
They show us when our foes walk not
upright.
So they among themselves in pleasant vein
Stood scoffing, hightened in their thoughts beyond
All doubt of victory: Eternal Might
To match
with their inventions they presumed
So easy, and of
his thunder made a scorn,
And all his host derided,
while they stood
A while in trouble: But they stood
not long;
Rage prompted them at length, and found
them arms
Against such hellish mischief fit to
oppose.
Forthwith (behold the excellence, the power,
Which God hath in his mighty Angels placed!)
Their arms away they threw, and to the hills
(For
Earth hath this variety from Heaven
Of pleasure
situate in hill and dale,)
Light as the lightning
glimpse they ran, they flew;
From their foundations
loosening to and fro,
They plucked the seated hills,
with all their load,
Rocks, waters, woods, and by
the shaggy tops
Up-lifting bore them in their hands:
Amaze,
Be sure, and terrour, seized the rebel host,
When coming towards them so dread they saw
The
bottom of the mountains upward turned;
Till on those
cursed engines' triple-row
They saw them whelmed,
and all their confidence
Under the weight of
mountains buried deep;
Themselves invaded next, and
on their heads
Main promontories flung, which in the
air
Came shadowing, and oppressed whole legions
armed;
Their armour helped their harm, crushed in
and bruised
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
encountered hills,
Hurled to and fro with jaculation
dire;
That under ground they fought in dismal shade;
Infernal noise! war seemed a civil game
To this
uproar; horrid confusion heaped
Upon confusion rose:
And now all Heaven
Had gone to wrack, with ruin
overspread;
Had not the Almighty Father, where he
sits
Shrined in his sanctuary of Heaven secure,
Consulting on the sum of things, foreseen
This
tumult, and permitted all, advised:
That his great
purpose he might so fulfil,
To honour his anointed
Son avenged
Upon his enemies, and to declare
All
power on him transferred: Whence to his Son,
The
Assessour of his throne, he thus began.
Effulgence
of my glory, Son beloved,
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 armed;
For to themselves I left them;
and thou knowest,
Equal in their creation they were
formed,
Save what sin hath impaired; 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 performed what war can do,
And to disordered
rage let loose the reins
With mountains, as with
weapons, armed; which makes
Wild work in Heaven, and
dangerous to the main.
Two days are therefore past,
the third is thine;
For thee I have ordained it; and
thus far
Have suffered, 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 governed 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 bow 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 full; he
all his Father full expressed
Ineffably into his
face received;
And thus the Filial Godhead answering
spake.
O Father, 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 pleased, declarest
thy will
Fulfilled, 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 lovest:
But whom thou hatest, I hate, and
can put on
Thy terrours, as I put thy mildness on,
Image of thee in all things; and shall soon,
Armed with thy might, rid Heaven of these rebelled;
To their prepared 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 unmixed, 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 rushed with
whirlwind sound
The chariot of Paternal Deity,
Flashing thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawn,
Itself instinct with Spirit, but convoyed
By four
Cherubick shapes; four faces each
Had wonderous; as
with stars, their bodies all
And wings were set with
eyes; with eyes the wheels
Of beryl, and careering
fires between;
Over their heads a crystal firmament,
Whereon a sapphire throne, inlaid with pure
Amber, and colours of the showery arch.
He, in
celestial panoply all armed
Of radiant Urim, work
divinely wrought,
Ascended; at his right hand
Victory
Sat eagle-winged; beside him hung his bow
And quiver with three-bolted thunder stored;
And
from about him fierce effusion rolled
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 throned,
Illustrious far and wide; but by his own
First seen:
Them unexpected joy surprised,
When the great ensign
of Messiah blazed
Aloft by Angels borne, his sign in
Heaven;
Under whose conduct Michael soon reduced
His army, circumfused on either wing,
Under their
Head imbodied all in one.
Before him Power Divine
his way prepared;
At his command the uprooted hills
retired
Each to his place; they heard his voice, and
went
Obsequious; Heaven his wonted face renewed,
And with fresh flowerets hill and valley smiled.
This saw his hapless foes, but stood obdured,
And to
rebellious fight rallied their Powers,
Insensate,
hope conceiving from despair.
In heavenly Spirits
could such perverseness dwell?
But to convince the
proud what signs avail,
Or wonders move the obdurate
to relent?
They, hardened 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
armed; 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 ordained,
Nor multitude; stand only, and
behold
God's indignation on these godless poured
By me; not you, but me, they have despised,
Yet
envied; against me is all their rage,
Because the
Father, to whom in Heaven s'preme
Kingdom, and
power, and glory appertains,
Hath honoured me,
according to his will.
Therefore to me their doom he
hath assigned;
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
Not emulous,
nor care who them excels;
Nor other strife with them
do I vouchsafe.
So spake the Son, and into terrour
changed
His countenance 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
rolled, 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 stedfast empyrean shook throughout,
All but the
throne itself of God. Full soon
Among them he
arrived; in his right hand
Grasping ten thousand
thunders, which he sent
Before him, such as in their
souls infixed
Plagues: They, astonished, all
resistance lost,
All courage; down their idle
weapons dropt:
O'er shields, and helms, and helmed
heads he rode
Of Thrones and mighty Seraphim
prostrate,
That wished 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-visaged Four
Distinct with eyes,
and from the living wheels
Distinct alike with
multitude of eyes;
One Spirit in them ruled; and
every eye
Glared lightning, and shot forth
pernicious fire
Among the accursed, that withered
all their strength,
And of their wonted vigour left
them drained,
Exhausted, spiritless, afflicted,
fallen.
Yet half his strength he put not forth, but
checked
His thunder in mid volley; for he meant
Not to destroy, but root them out of Heaven:
The
overthrown he raised, and as a herd
Of goats or
timorous flock together thronged
Drove them before
him thunder-struck, pursued
With terrours, and with
furies, to the bounds
And crystal wall of Heaven;
which, opening wide,
Rolled inward, and a spacious
gap disclosed
Into the wasteful deep: The monstrous
sight
Struck them with horrour backward, but far
worse
Urged them behind: Headlong themselves they
threw
Down from the verge of Heaven; eternal wrath
Burnt after them to the bottomless pit.
Hell
heard the unsufferable noise, Hell saw
Heaven
ruining from Heaven, and would have fled
Affrighted;
but strict Fate had cast too deep
Her dark
foundations, and too fast had bound.
Nine days they
fell: Confounded Chaos roared,
And felt tenfold
confusion in their fall
Through his wild anarchy, so
huge a rout
Incumbered him with ruin: Hell at last
Yawning received them whole, and on them closed;
Hell, their fit habitation, fraught with fire
Unquenchable, the house of woe and pain.
Disburdened
Heaven rejoiced, and soon repaired
Her mural breach,
returning whence it rolled.
Sole victor, from the
expulsion of his foes,
Messiah his triumphal chariot
turned:
To meet him all his Saints, who silent stood
Eye-witnesses of his almighty acts,
With jubilee
advanced; and, as they went,
Shaded with branching
palm, each Order bright,
Sung triumph, and him sung
victorious King,
Son, Heir, and Lord, to him
dominion given,
Worthiest to reign: He, celebrated,
rode
Triumphant through mid Heaven, into the courts
And temple of his Mighty Father throned
On high;
who into glory him received,
Where now he sits at
the right hand of bliss.
Thus, measuring things in
Heaven by things on Earth,
At thy request, and that
thou mayest beware
By what is past, to thee I have
revealed
What might have else to human race been
hid;
The discord which befel, and war in Heaven
Among the angelick Powers, and the deep fall
Of
those too high aspiring, who rebelled
With Satan; he
who envies now thy state,
Who now is plotting how he
may seduce
Thee also from obedience, that, with him
Bereaved of happiness, thou mayest partake
His
punishment, eternal misery;
Which would be all his
solace and revenge,
As a despite done against the
Most High,
Thee once to gain companion of his woe.
But listen not to his temptations, warn
Thy
weaker; let it profit thee to have heard,
By
terrible example, the reward
Of disobedience; firm
they might have stood,
Yet fell; remember, and fear
to transgress.
|
|
|
