Themselves invaded next, and on their heads
Main promontories flung, which in the air
Came shadowing, and oppress'd whole legion's arm’d;
Their armour' help'&their harm, crush'd in and bruis’d*
Into their substance pent, which wrought them pain
Implacable, and many a doloroas groan,
Long strugling underneath, ere they could wind
Out'of such pris'n, though Spi'rits of purest light, 660
Purest at first, now grofs by finning grown.
The rest in imitation to like arms
Betook them, and the neighboring hills uptoré ;
So hills amid the air encounter'd hills
Hurl'd to and fro with jaculation dire, . 665
That under ground they fought in dismal sade;
Infernał noise; war seem'd'a civil game
To this uproat; horrid confufion heap'd
Upon confufión'rofe: and now all Heaven
Had gone to wrack; with ruin overspread; 670
Had not th' almighty Father, where he sits
Shrin'd in his fanctuary of Heav'n secure,
Consulting on the sum of things, foreseen
This tumult, and permitted all, advis’d:
That his great purpose he might so fulfil, 675
To honor his anointed Son'avengd
Upon his enemies, and to declárë
All pow'r on him transferrid: whence to his Son .
Th’affeffor of his throne he thus began.
EFulgence of my glory, Son belov'd, 680
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, 685
Since Michael and his Pow'rs went forth to tame
Thele 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, 690
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, 695
And to disorder'd rage let loose the reins,
With mountains as with weapons arm’d, which makes
Wild work in Heav'n, and dange'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 transfus’d, that all may know.
In Heav'n and Hell thy pow'r above compare; 705
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 deserved right.
Go then thou Mightiest in thy Father's might, 910
Ascend my chariot, guide the rapid wheels
That shake Heav'n's basis, bring forth all my war,
My
My bow and thunder, my almighty arms
Gird on, and sword upon thy puissant thigh;
Pursue these sons of darkness, drive them out 715
From all Heav'n's bounds into the utter deep:
There let them learn, as likes them, to despise
God and Mefliah 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 fpake.
O Father, O Supreme of heav'nly Thrones,
First, Highest, Holiest, Best, thou always seek'st
To glorify thy Son, I always thee,
As is most juft; this I my glory' account,
My exaltation, and my whole delight,
That thou in me well pleas'd, declar'st thy will
Fulfill'd, which to fulfil is all my bliss.
Scepter and pow'r, 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'ft:
But whom thou hat'st, I hate, and can put on
Thy terrors, as I put thy mildness on,
735
Image of thee in all things; and shall soon,
Arm’d with thy might, rid Heav'n 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, 740
Whom to obey is happiness entire.
Then shall thy Saints unmix'd, and from th' impure
O 3
Far
rever, and in hat’t, I hatildness of a foon,
Far separate, circling thy holy mount
Unfeigned Halleluiahs to thee sing,
Hymns of high praise, and I among them chief. 745
So faid, he o'er his scepter bowing, rose
From the right hand of glory where he sat;
And the third sacred morn began to shine, [found
Dawning through Heav'n: forth rush'd with whirlwind
The chariot of paternal Deity,
759 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 ktars their bodies all And wings were set with eyes, with eyes the wheels Of beril, and carreering fires between; Over their heads a crystal firmament, Whereon a saphir throne, inlaid with pure Amber, and colors of the show'ry 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 quiyer with three-bolted thunder stor’d, And from about him fierce effusion roll'd 765 Of smoke and bickering fame 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 feen: 770 He on the wings of Cherub rode sublime On the crystallin sky, in faphir thron'd,
Illustrious far and wide, but by his own
First seen; them unexpected joy surpris’d,
When the great ensign of Mefliah blaz'd
Aloft by Angels borne, his fign in Heaven ;
Under whose conduct Michael soon reduc'd
His army, circumfus’d on either wing,
Under their Head imbodied all in one.
Before him pow'r divine his way prepar'd;
At his command th' uprooted hills retir'd
Each to his place; they 'heard his voice, and went
Obsequious; Heay'n his wonted face renew'd,
And with fresh flow'rets hill and valley smil'd.
This saw his hapless foes, but stood obdur'd, 785
And to rebellious fight rallied their Powers
Insensate, hope conceiving from despair,
In heav'nly Spi'rits 'could such perverseness dwell ?
But to convince the proud what signs avail,
Or wonders move th’obdurate to relent? 790
They harden'd more by what might most reclame,
Grieving to see his glory, at the fight
Took envy; and afpiring to his highth,
Stood reimbatteľa fierce, by force or fraud
Weening to prosper, and at length prevail 795
Against God and Meffiah, or to fall ·
In universal suin last; and now
To final battel drew, difdaining flight,
Or faint retreat; when the great Son of God
To all his hoft on either hand thus fpake. 800
Stand still in bright array, ye Saints, here ftand
Ye Angels arm’d, this day from battel rest;
04
ight array, yen battel reft ; faithful
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