Alternate all night long: but not so waked
Satan; so call him now, his former name
Is heard no more in Heav'n; he of the first,
If not the first Arch-Angel, great in pow'r,
In favour, and pre-eminence, yet fraught
With envy 'gainst the Son of God, that day
Honour'd by his great Father, and proclaim'd
Messiah King anointed, could not bear
Through pride that sight, and thought himself in-
pair'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
Unworshipp'd, unobey'd the throne supreme
Contemptuous, and his next subordinate
Awak'ning, thus to him in secret spake:
Sleep'st thou, companion dear? What sleep can Thy eye-lids? and remember'st what decree Of yesterday, so late hath pass'd the lips Of Heav'n'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 Thy 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;
Tell them that by command, ere yet dim night 685
Her shadowy cloud 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
657. Alternate is a verb.
671. Peelzebub is here meant, who is always represented
699. Sannazarius, de partu Virginis, iii. 40. Isaiah xiv. 12, 13.
Bad influence into th' unwary breast
Of his associate: he together calls,
Or sev'ral one by one, the regent pow'rs,
Under him regent: tells, as he was taught,
That the Most High commanding, now ere night,
Now ere dim night had disencumber'd Heav'n, 700
The great hierarchal standard was to move;
Tells the suggested cause, and casts between
Ambiguous 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 Heav'n!
His count'nance, as the morning star that guides
The starry flock, allured them, and with lies
Drew after him the third part of Heav'n's host. 710
Mean while th' 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;
Nor so content, hath in his thought to try
In battle what our pow'r 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 aspéct and clear,
711. Th' Eternal Eye; this expression must be taken as a me. tonomy for God, to give the proper sense to line 718.
Lightning divine, ineffable, serene,
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 pow'r
Giv'n me to quell their pride, and in event
Know whether I be dextrous to subdue
Thy rebels, or be found the worst in Heav'n.
So spake the Son; but Satan with his pow'rs
Far was advanced on winged speed, an host
Innumerable as the stars of night,
Or stars of morning, dew-drops, which the Sun
Impearls on ev'ry leaf and ev'ry flow'r.
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 bill, far blazing, as a mount
Raised on a mount, with pyramids and tow'rs
From diamond quarries hewn, and rocks of gold;
The palace of great Lucifer (so call
That structure in the dialect 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 Heav'n,
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 caluminious art
Of counterfeited truth, thus held their ears:
Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues,
734. Lightning is taken for a substantive by Newton, but it is evidently an adjective, or we should have ineffable ligtning,' an expression Milton would never have made use of.
If these magnific titles yet remain
Not merely titular, since by decree
Another now hath to himself ingross'd
All pow'r, 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 honours new,
Receive him coming to receive from us
Knee-tribute yet unpaid, prostration vile,
Too much to one, but double 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 Heav'n 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 pow'r 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 th' 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 805
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 Heav'n
Expected, least of all from thee, Ingrate,
In place thyself so high above thy peers.
799. There is a difficulty in the construction of this passage; but it is explained by taking for this to be our Lord,' in connexion with can introduce law and edict.'
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, ev'ry soul in Heav'n
Shall bend the knee, and in that honour due
Confess him rightful King? Unjust, thou say'st,
Platly unjust, to bind with laws the free,
And equal over equals to let reign,
One over all with unsucceeded pow'r.
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 pow'rs of Heav'n Such as he pleased, and circumscribed their being? Yet, by experience taught, we know how good, 826 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 Word the mighty Father made
All things, ev'n thee; and all the Spirits of Heav'n By him created in their bright degrees,
Crown'd them with glory', and to their glory named
Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Pow'rs,
Essential Pow'rs; nor by his reign obscured,
But more illustrious made; since he the Head
One of our number thus reduced becomes;
His laws our laws; all honour to him done
Returns our own. Cease then this impious rage,
And tempt not these; but hasten to appease
Th' incensed Father and th' incensed Son,
While pardon may be found, in time besought.
So spake the fervent Angel; but his zeal
None seconded, as out of season judged,
Or singular and rash, whereat rejoiced
Th' Apostate, and more haughty thus replied:
That we were form'd then, say'st thou and the work
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