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 seut were terms of weight,
Of hard contents, and full of force urg'd home,
Such as we might perceive amus'd thein all,
And stumbled many; who receives them right,
Had need from head to foot well understand;
Not understood, this gift they have beside,
They show us when our foes walk not upright?
"So they among themselves in pleasant vein Stood scoffing, heighten❜d in their thoughts beyond All doubt of victory; eternal might
To match with their inventions they presum'd
So easy, and of his thunder made a scorn,
And all his host derided, while they stood
Awhile in trouble: but they stood not long;
Rage prompted them at length, and found them arms
Against such hellish mischief fit t' oppose.
Forthwith (behold the excellence, the power,
Which God hath in his mighty angels plac'd)
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 loos'ning to and fro
They pluck'd the seated hills with all their load,
Rocks, waters, woods, and by the shaggy tops
Uplifting bore them in their hands. Amaze,
Be sure, and terror seiz'd the rebel host,
When coming towards them so dread they saw
The bottom of the mountains upward turn'd,
Till on those cursed engines triple-row
They saw them whel.n'd, 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
Come shadowing, and oppress'd whole legions arm'd;
Their armor help'd their harın, crush'd in and bruis'd
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 neighb'ring hills uptore :
So hills and the air encounter'd hills,
Hurl'd to and fro with jaculation dire,
That under ground 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 wreck, with ruin overspread,
Had not th' almighty Father, where he sits
Shrin'd in his sanctuary of heaven secure,
Consulting on the sum of things, forseen
This tumult, and permitted all, advis'd;
That his great purpose he might so fulfil,
To honor his anointed Son aveng'd
Upon his enemies, and to declare
All power on him transferr'd; whence to his Son
Th' assessor of his throue, 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,
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 pass'd; the third is thine;
For thee I have ordaiu'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
Inımense I have transfus'd, 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 deserv'd 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 express'd Ineffably into his face receiv'd;
And thus the filial Godhead answ'ring spake :
"O Father, O supreme of heav'nly thrones,
First, highest, holiest, best! thou always seek's
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', declar'st thy will
Fulfill'd, which to fulfil is all my bliss.
Sceptre 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 hatest I hate, and can put on
Thy terrors, as I put thy mildness on,
Image of thee in all things; and shell 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 th' undying worm,
That from thy just obedience could revolt,
Whom to obey is happiness entire.
Then shall thy saints unmix'd, and from th' impure
Far separate, circling thy holy mount,
Unfeigned hallelujahs to thee sing,
Hymns of high praise, and I among them chief.'
"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 heaven: forth rush'd with whirlwind 5 round
The chariot of paternal Deity,
Flashing thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawn,
Itself instinct with spirit, but convey'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 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 arm'd
Of raidiant Urim, work divinely wrought,
Ascended; at his right hand victory
Sat eagle-wing'd; beside himn hung his bow
And quiver with three-bolted thunder stor❜d,
And from about him fierce effusion roll'd
Of smoke and bickering flames 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; them unexpected joy surpris'd
When the great ensign of Messiah blaz'd
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