And ignominy, yet to glory' aspires Vain-glorious, and through infamy feeks fame: Therefore eternal filence be their doom.
And now their mightiest quell'd, the battel swerv'd, With many an inroad gor'd; deformed rout Enter'd, and foul disorder; all the ground With shiver'd armour strown, and on a heap Chariot and charioteer lay overturn'd, And fiery foaming steeds; what stood, recoil'd O'er-wearied, through the faint Satanic hoft Defenfive scarce, or with pale fear furpriz'd, Then first with fear furpriz'd and fenfe of pain, Fled ignominious, to such evil brought
By fin of disobedience, till that hour
Not liable to fear or flight or pain. Far otherwise th' inviolable Saints In cubic phalanx firm advanced entire, Invulnerable, impenetrably arm'd; Such high advantages their innocence Gave them above their foes; not to have finn'd, Not to have difobey'd; in fight they stood
Unwearied, unobnoxious to be pain'd
By wound, though from their place by violence mov'd. Now night her course began, and over Heaven
Inducing darkness, grateful truce impos'd, And filence on the odious din of war: Under her cloudy covert both retir'd, Victor and vanquish'd: on the foughten field Michaël, and his Angels prevalent
Incamping, plac'd in guard their watches round,
Cherubic waving fires: on th' other part Satan with his rebellious disappear'd, Far in the dark diflodg'd: and void of rest, His potentates to council call'd by night; And in the midst thus undismay'd began. O now in danger try'd, now known in arms Not to be overpow'r'd, Companions dear, Found worthy not of liberty alone, Too mean pretence, but what we more affect, Honor, dominion, glory and renown; Who have sustain'd one day in doubtful fight (And if one day, why not eternal days?) What Heaven's Lord had pow'rfullest to send Against us from about his throne, and judg'd Sufficient to fubdue us to his will, But proves not so: then fallible, it feems, Of future we may deem him, though till now Omniscient thought. True is, less firmly arm'd, 430 Some difadvantage we indur'd and pain, Till now not known, but known as foon contemn'd; Since now we find this our empyreal form
Incapable of mortal injury,
Imperishable, and though pierc'd with wound, Soon clofing, and by native vigor heal'd. 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 fuperior, while we can preserve Unhurt our minds and understanding found, Due search and confultation will disclofe.
He fat; and in th' assembly next upstood Nifroch, of Principalities the prime; As one he stood escap'd from cruel fight, Sore toil'd, his riven arms to havoc hewn, And cloudy in aspéct thus answ'ring 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 unpain'd, impassive; from which evil
Ruin must needs ensue; for what avails
Valor or strength, though matchless, quell'd with pain Which all fubdues, and makes remiss the hands Of mightieft? 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 defenfe, to me deferves No less than for deliverance what we owe.
Whereto with look compos'd Satan reply'd. Not uninvented that, which thou aright Believ'st so main to our success, I bring. Which of us who beholds the bright furface
Of this ethereous mold whereon we stand, This continent of spacious Heav'n, adorn'd With plant, fruit, flow'r 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 touch'd With Heaven's ray, and temper'd they shoot forth 480 So beauteous, opening to the ambient light ? These in their dark nativity the deep Shall yield us pregnant with infernal flame; Which into hollow engins long and round Thick-ramm'd, at th' other bore with touch of fire Dilated and infuriate, shall fend forth From far with thund'ring 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 difarm'd The Thund'rer of his only dreaded bolt. Nor long shall be our labor; yet ere dawn, Effect shall end our wish. Mean while revive; Abandon fear; to strength and counsel join'd Think nothing hard, much less to be despair'd. He ended, and his words their drooping chear Inlighten'd, and their languish'd hope reviv'd. Th' invention all admir'd, and each, how he To be th' inventor miss'd; so easy' it seem'd 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 infpir'd With devilish machination, might devise Like instrument to plague the fons of men For fin, on war and mutual flaughter bent. Forthwith from council to the work they flew:
None arguing stood; innumerable hands
Were ready; in a moment up they turn'd
Wide the celestial foil, and faw beneath
Th' originals of nature in their crude
Conception; fulphurous and nitrous foam They found, they mingled, and with fubtle art,
Concocted and adufted they reduc'd
To blackest grain, and into store convey'd: Part hidden veins digg'd up (nor hath this earth Entrails unlike) of mineral and stone, Whereof to found their engins and their balls
Of misfive ruin; part incentive reed Provide, pernicious with one touch to fire. So all ere day-spring, under confcious night,
Secret they finish'd, and in order set, With filent circumspection unespy'd.
Now when fair morn orient in Heav'n appear'd,
Up rose the victor Angels, and to arms The matin trumpet sung: in arms they stood Of golden panoply, refulgent hoft,
Soon banded; others from the dawning hills Look'd round, and scouts each coast light-armed scour,
Each quarter, to descry the distant foe,
Where lodg'd, or whither fled, or if for fight, In motion or in halt; him foon they met
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