Alternate all night long: but not so waked Satan: so call him now, his former name Is heard no more in Heaven; he of the first, If not the first Arch-Angel, great in power, In favour and pre-eminence, yet fraught With envy against the Son of God, that day Honor'd by his great Father, and proclaimed Messiah king annointed, could not bear
Through pride that sight, and thought himself impair'd, Deep malice thence conceiving and disdain, Soon as midnight brought on the dusky hour Friendliest to sleep and silence, he resolved With all his legions to dislodge, and leave Unworshipped unobey'd, the throne supreme, Contemptuos; and his next subordinate Awakening, thus to him in secret spake : Sleep'st thou, companion dear? What sleep can close Thy eyelids? and remember'st what decree
Of yesterday, so late hath pass'd the lips
Of Heaven's Almighty. Thou to me thy thoughts Wast wont, I mine to thee was wont to impart : Both waking we were one: how then can now They sleep dissent? new laws thou seest imposed; New laws from him who reigns new minds may raise In us who serve, new counsels to debate
What doubtful may ensue : More in this place To utter is not safe. Assemble thou
Of all those myriads which we lead the chief; Hell them, that by command, ere yet dim night Her shadowy clouds withdraws, I am to haste, And all who under me their banners wave, Homeward, with flying march, where we possess The quarters of the north; there to prepare Fit entertainment to receive our King, The great Messiah, and his new commands, Who speedily through all the hierarchies Intends to pass triumphant, and give laws.
So spake the false Arch-Angel, and infused Bad influence into the unwary breast Of his associate: he together calls,
Or several one by one, the regent powers, Under him regent; tells, as he was taught, That the Most High commanding, now ere night, Now ere dim night had disencumber'd Heaven, The great hierarchal standered was to move; Hells the suggested cause, and cast between Ambigous words and jealousies to sound Or taint integrity; but all obey'd
The wonted signal, and superior voice Of their great Potentate; for great indeed His name, and high was his degree in Heaven; His countenance, as the morning star that guides The starry flock, allured them, and with lies Drew after him the third part of Heaven's host. Meanwhile the Eternal eye, whose sight discerns Abstrusest thoughts, from forth his holy mount, And from within the golden lamps that burn Nightly before him, saw without their light Rebellion rising; saw in whom how spread Among the sons of morn, what multitudes Were banded to oppose his high decree ; And, smiling, to his only Son thus said:
"Son, thou in whom my glory I behold In full resplendence, Heir of all my might Nearly it now concerns us to be sure Of Our Omnipotence, and with what arms We mean to hold what anciently we claim Of deity or empire: such a foe
Is rising, who intends to erect his throne Equal to ours, throughout the spacious north; Not so content, hath in his thought to try, In battle, what our power is, or our right. Let us advise, and to this hazard draw With speed what force is left, and all employ
In our defence; lest unawares we lose
This our high place, our sanctuary, our hill.'
To whom the Son, with calm aspect and clear, Lightning divine, ineffable, secure,
Made answer: Mighty Father, thou thy foes Justly hast in derision, and, secure,
Laugh'st at their vain designs and tumults vain ; Matter to me of glory, whom their hate Illustrates, when they see all regal power Given to quell their pride, and in event Know whether I be dexterous to subdue Thy rebels, or be found the worse in Heaven.
So spake the Son; but Satan, with his powers Far was advanced on winged speed; a host Innumerable as the stars of night,
Or stars of morning, dewdrops, which the sun Impearls on every leaf and every flower. Regions they pass'd, the mighty regencies Of Seraphim and Potentates, and Thrones, In their triple degrees; regions to which All thy dominion, Adam is no more Than what this garden is to all the Earth And all the sea, from one entire globose Stretch'd into longitude; which having pass'd, At length into the limits of the north They came; and Satan to his royal seat High on a hill, far blazing, as a mount Raised on a mount, with pyramids and towers From diamond quarries hewn, and rocks of gold; The palace of great Lucifer (so call That structure in the dia ect of men Interpreted,) which not long after, he Affecting all equality with God,
In imitation of that mount whereon Messiah was declared in sight of Heaven, The mountain of the congregation call'd; For thither he assembled all his train,
Pretending so commanded to consult About the great reception of their King, Thither to come, and with calumnious art Of counterfeited truth thus held their ear:
'Thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues, powers; If these magnific titles yet remain
Not merely titular, since by decree Another now hath to himself engross'd
All power, and us eclipsed, under the name Of King anointed, for whom all this haste Of midnight march, and hurried meeting here, This only to consult how we may best, With what may be devised of honors new, Receive him coming to receive from us Knee-tribute yet unpaid, prostration vile! Too much to one? but do uble how endured, To one, and to his image now proclaim'd? But what if better counsels might erect Our minds, and teach us to cast off this yoke? Will ye submit your necks, and choose to bend The supple knee? Ye will not; if I trust To know ye right, or if ye know yourselves Natives and sons of Heaven possess'd before By none; and if not equal all, yet free, Equally free; for orders and degrees Jar not with liberty, but well consist. Who can in reason then, or right assume Monarchy over such as live by right
His equals, if in power and splendour less,
In freedom equal? or can introduce Law and edict on us, who without law Err not? much less for this to be our Lord, And look for adoration, to the abuse Of those imperial titles, which assert Our being ordain'd to govern, not to serve "
Thus far his bold discourse without control Had audience; when among the Seraphim
Abdiel, than whom none with more zeal adored The deity, and divine commands obey'd, Stood up, and in a flame of zeal severe The current of his fury thus opposed.
"O argument blasphemous, false, and proud! Words which no ear ever to hear in Heaven Expected, least of all from thee, Ingrate, In place thyself so high above thy peers. Canst thou with impious obloquy condemn The just decree of God pronounced and sworn, That to his only Son, by right endued. With regal sceptre, every soul in Heaven Shall bend the knee, and in that honor due Confess him rightful King? unjust thou say'st, Flatly unjust, to bind with laws the free, And equal over equals to let reign, One over all with unsucceeded power.
Shalt thou give law to God? shalt thou dispute With him the points of liberty, who made Thee what thou art, and form'd the powers of Heaven Such as he pleased, and circumscribed their being? Yet by experience taught, we know how good, And of our good and of our dignity
How provident he is; how far from thought
To make us less, bent rather to exalt
Our happy state, under one head more near
United. But to grant it thee unjust,
That equal over equals monarch reign
Thyself, though great and glorious, dost thou count, Or all angelic nature join'd in one,
Equal to him begotten Son? by whom,
As by his Lord, the mighty Father made
All things, e'en thee; and all the Spirits of Heaven
By him created in their bright degrees,
Crown'd them with glory and to their glory named Thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues, powers, sential powers; nor by his reign obscured,
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