Thou fablest, here however to dwell free,
If not to reign. Mean while thy utmost force,
And join him named Almighty to thy aid,
I fly not, but have sought thee far and nigh.
They ended parle, and both address'd for fight
Unspeakable; for who, though with the tongue
Of Angels, can relate, or to what things
Liken on earth conspicuous, that may lift
Human imagination to such height
Of Godlike pow'r? for likest Gods they seem'd,
Stood they or moved, in stature, motion, arms,
Fit to decide the empire of great Heav'n.
Now waved their fiery swords, and in the air
Made horrid circles: two broad suns their shields
Blazed opposite, while expectation stood
In horror: from each hand with speed retired,
Where erst was thickest fight, th' angelic throng,
And left large field, unsafe within the wind
Of such commotion: such as, to set forth
Great things by small, if Nature's concord broke,
Among the constellations war were sprung,
Two planets rushing from aspéct malign
Of fiercest opposition in mid-sky
Should combat, and their jarring spheres confound.
Together both with next to' almighty arm
Uplifted imminent, one stroke they aim'd
That might determine, and not need repeat,
As not of pow'r at once; nor odds appear'd
In might or swift prevention. But the sword
Of Michael from the armoury of God,
Was giv'n him temper d so, that neither keen
Nor solid might resist that edge. It met
The sword of Satan with steep force to smite
Descending, and in half cut sheer; nor stay'd,
But with swift wheel reverse, deep ent'ring shared
All his right side: then Satan first knew pain,
And writhed him to and fro convolved; so sore
The griding sword with discontinuous wound
298. Can relate or liken: the substantive fight before mentioned must be understood after these verbs.
312. Bentley proposes to read warfare instead of war here. 321. So Virgil mentions the sword of Æneas; Homer and Tasso
also are imitated in this passage.
325. Homer, Il. iti. 363. Virgil, En. xii. 731.
329. Discontinuous, separating the parts.
Pass'd through him: but th' ethereal substance closed, Not long divisible; and from the gash
A stream of nect'rous humour issuing, flow'd
Sanguine, such as celestial Spirits may bleed,
And all his armour stain'd ere while so bright.
Forthwith on all sides to his aid was run
By angels many' and strong, who interposed
Defence, while others bore him on their shields
Back to his chariot, where it stood retired
From off the files of war: there they him laid
Gnashing for anguish, and despite, and shame, 340
To find himself not matchless, and his pride
Humbled by such rebuke, so far beneath
His confidence to equal God in pow'r.
Yet soon he heal'd; for Spirits that live throughout
Vital in ev'ry part, not as frail man
In entrails, heart or head, liver or reins,
Cannot but by annihilating die;
Nor in their liquid texture mortal wound
Receive, no more than can the fluid air.
All heart they live, all head, all eye, all ear,
All intellect, all sense: and as they please,
They limb themselves: and colour, shape, or size
Assume, as likes them best, condense or rare.
Meanwhile in other parts like deeds deserved
Memorial, where the might of Gabriel fought,
And with fierce ensigns pierced the deep array
Of Moloch, furious king; who him defy'd,
And at his chariot-wheels to drag him bound
Threaten'd; nor from the Holy One of Heav'n
Refrain'd his tongue blasphemous; but anon
Down cloven to the waist, with shatter'd arms
And uncouth pain fled bellowing. On each wing
Uriel and Raphaël his vaunting foe,
332. Homer calls the blood flowing from the gods ichor, that is, a pare fluid corresponding to the more refined substance of their bodies. Bentley reads ichorons instead of nect'rous, but this would be a tautology as sanguine follows.-See Hom. 11. v.
335. Was run, a Latinism, ventum est.
355. The might of Gabriel fought, a Greek expression frequent
362. So Mars is represented flying from battle in the Tiiad. 363. Raphael speaks here in the third person of himself, ais name being unknown to Adam-Some "itics propose to add each after Raphael.
Though huge, and in a rock of diamond arm'd,
Vanquish'd Adramelech and Asmadai,
Two potent Thrones, that to be less than Gods
Disdain'd, but meaner thoughts learn'd in their flight,
Mangled with ghastly wounds through plate and
Nor stood unmindful Abdiel to annoy
The atheist crew, but with redoubled blow
Ariel and Arioch, and the violence
Of Ramiel scorch'd and blasted overthrew.
I might relate of thousands, and their names
Eternize here on earth; but those elect
Angels, contented with their fame in Heaven,
Seek not the praise of men. The other sort
In might though wondrous, and in acts of war,
Nor of renown less eager, yet by doom
Cancell'd from Heaven and sacred memory,
Nameless in dark oblivion let them dwell.
For strength from truth divided and from just,
Illaudable, nought merits but dispraise
And ignominy; yet to glory' aspires
Vain-glorious, and through infamy seeks fame :
Therefore eternal silence be their doom.
And now their mightiest quell'd, the battle swerved.
With many an inroad gored; deformed rout
Enter'd, and foul disorder; ail the ground
With shiver'd armour strewn, and on a heap
Chariot and charioteer lay overturn'd,
And fiery foaming steeds: what stood, recoil'd
O'erwearied, through the faint Satanic host
Defensive scarce, or with pale fear surprised,
Then first with fear surprised and sense of pain,
Fled ignominious, to such evil brought
By sin 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 sinn'd,
365. Adramelech, afterwards one of the idols of Sepharvaim, 2 Kings xvii. 31. Asmadai, the same as Asmodeus, Tobit iii. 9. 371. Ariel, a name in Hebrew, meaning a strong lion: Arioch has a similar sense. Ramiel, one exalting himself against God. 391. What stood is the nominative to the verbs recoil'd and fled.
Not to have disobey'd: in fight they stood
Unwearied, unobnoxious to be pain'd
By wound, tho' from their place by violence moved.
Now Night her course began, and over Heaven
Inducing darkness, grateful truce imposed,
And silence on the odious din of war.
Under her cloudy covert both retired,
Victor and vanquish'd, on the foughten field
Michaël and his angels prevalent
Encamping, placed in guard their watches round,
Cherubic waving fires. On th' other part
Satan with bis rebellious disappear'd,
Far in the dark dislodged; 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,
Honour, 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 judged
Sufficient to subdue us to his will,
But proves not so: then fallible, it seems,
Of future we may deem him, though till now
Omniscient thought. Truc is, less firmly arm'd, 430
Some disadvantage we endured and pain,
Till now not known; but known, as soon contemn'd;
Since now we find this our empyreal form
Incapable of mortal injury,
Imperishable, and though pierced with wound, 435
Soon closing, and by native vigour 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 superior, while we can preserve
Unhurt our minds and understanding sound,
407. Inducing, bringing on.
Due search and consultation will disclose.
He sat; and in th' assembly next upstood
Nisroch, of principalities the prime.
As one he stood escaped 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
Valour or strength, though matchless, quell'd with
Which all subdues, and makes remiss the hands
Of mightiest? 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 defence, to me deserves
No less than for deliverance what we owe.
Whereto, with look composed, 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 surface
Of this ethereous mould 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 spirituous and fiery spume, till touch'd
With Heaven's ray, and temper'd, they shoot forth
So bounteous, op'ning to the ambient light?
These in their dark nativity the deep
447. Nisroch, god of the Assyrians, in whose temple Senna. cherib was slain. 2 Kings xix. 37. and Isa. xxvii. 37.
482. The deep, not hell, as is usually meant by this word, but the under parts of the ground.
|