On every side, with shadowy squadrons deep, To hide the fraud. At interview both stood A while; but suddenly at head appear'd 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 retir'd:
Which to our eyes discover'd, new and strange, A triple-mounted row of pillars, laid
On wheels, for like to pillars most they seem'd, Or hollow'd bodies, made of oak or fir, With branches lopt, in wood or mountain fell'd; 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 amus'd; 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 belch'd, whose roar Embowell'd with outrageous noise the air,
And all her entrails tore; disgorging foul Their devilish glut, chain'd thunderbolts, and hail Of iron globes; which on the victor host Levell'd, 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 roll'd; The sooner for their arms: unarm'd they might Have easily, as spirits, evaded swift
By quick contraction or remove; but now Foul dissipation follow'd, and forc'd rout; Nor served it to relax their serried files.
What should they do? if on they rush'd, repulse Repeated, and indecent overthrow
Doubled, would render them yet more despis'd, And to their foes a laughter; for in view Stood rank'd of seraphim another row, In posture to displode their second tire Of thunder: back defeated to return They worse abhorr'd.
Satan beheld their plight,
And to his mates thus in derision call'd.
"O friends, why come not on these victors proud?' 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 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 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 loosening 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 whelm'd, and all their confidence, Under the weight of mountains, buried deep; Themselves invaded next, and on their heads, Main promotories flung, which in the air Came shadowing, and oppress'd whole legions arm'd. Their armour help'd their harm, crush'd in, 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 neighbouring hills uptore;
So hills amid 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 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 honor his anointed Son, avenged Upon his enemies, and to declare
All power on him transfer'd: whence to his Son The assessor 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, 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 dang'rous 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 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 express'd, Ineffably into his face receiv'd;
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 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 lovest: 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 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 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
The chariot of paternal Deity,
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 al
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 radiant urim, work divinely wrought, Ascended; at his right hand victory
Sat eagle-wing'd; beside him hung his bow And quiver, with three-bolted thunder stored, 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 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 embodied all in one. Before him, Power Divine his way prepared; At his command the unrooted hills retired, Each to his place; they heard his voice, and went Obsequious: Heaven his wonted face renew'd, And with fresh flowrets 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, 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 lost; and now
To final battle drew, disdaining flight,
Or feint 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
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