To pieces, and o'erwhelm whatever stands Adverse, that they shall fear we have disarm'd The Thunderer of his only dreaded bolt. Nor long shall be our labor: yet ere dawn, Effect shall end our wish. Meanwhile 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 cheer Enlighten'd, and their languish'd hope revived. The invention all admired, and each, how he To be the inventor miss'd; so easy it seem'd [thought Once found, which yet unfound most would have Impossible: Yet haply of thy race
In future days, if malice should abound, Some one intent on mischief, or inspired With devilish machination, might devise Like instrument to plague the sons of men For sin, on war and mutual slaughter 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 soil, and saw beneath
The originals of nature in their crude
Conception; sulphurous and nitrous foam
They found, they mingled, and, with subtile art, Concocted and adjusted, they reduced
To blackest grain, and into store convey'd:
Part hidden veins digged up (nor hath this carth Entrails unlike) of mineral and stone,
Whereof to found their engines and their balls Of missive ruin; part incentive reed
Provide, pernicious with one touch to fire,
So all ere dayspring, under conscious night,
Secret they finish'd, and in order set,
With silent circumspection, unespied.
Now when fair morn orient in Heaven appear'd,
Up rose the victor-Angels, and to arms
The matin trumpet sung: in arms they stood Of golden panoply, refulgent host, Soon banded; others from the dawning hills
Look round, and scouts each coast light-armed scour, Each quarter, to descry the distant foe,
Where lodged, or whither fled, or if for fight In motion or in halt: Him soon they met Under spread ensigns moving nigh, in slow But firm battalion: back with speediest sail Zophiel, of Cherubim the swiftest wing, Came flying, and in mid air aloud thus cried:
Arm, Warriors, arm for fight; the foe at hand, Whom fled we thought, will save us long pursuit This day; fear not his flight; so thick a cloud He comes, and settled in his face I see Sad resolution, and secure: Let each
His adamantine coat gird well, and each
Fit well his helm, gripe fast his orbed shield,
Borne even or high; for this day will pour down,
If I conjecture aught, no drizzling shower,
But rattling storms of arrows barb'd with fire.
So warn'd he them, aware themselves, and soon In order, quit of all impediment;
Instant without disturb they took alarm,
And onward moved embattled: When behold! Not distant far with heavy pace the foe Approaching gross and huge, in hollow cube Training his devilish enginery, impaled
On every side with shadowing squadrons deep, To hide the fraud. At interview both stood Awhile; but suddenly at head appear'd Satan, and thus was heard commanding loud: Vanguard, to right and left the front unfold; That all may see who hate us, how we seek Peace and composure, and with open breast
Stand ready to receive them, if they like Our overture, and turn not back perverse; But that I doubt; however witness, Heaven! Heaven, witness thou anon! while we discharge Freely our part: ye who appointed stand, Do as you have in charge, and briefly touch What we propound, and loud that all may hear! So scoffing in ambiguous words, he scarce Had ended; when to right and left the front Divided, and to either flank retired:
Which to our eyes discover'd, new and strange, A triple mounted row of pillars laid
On wheels (for like to pillars most they seem'd, Or hollow'd bodies made of oak or fir,
With branches lopp'd, in wood or mountain fell'd,) Brass, iron, stony mould, had not their mouths With hideous orifice gaped on us wide, Portending hollow truce: At each behind A Seraph stood, and in his hand a reed
Stood waving tipp'd with fire: while we, suspense, Collected stood within our thoughts amused, Not long: for sudden all at once their reeds Put forth, and to a narrow vent applied With nicest touch. Immediate in a flame,
But soon obscured with smoke, all Heaven appear'd, From those deep-throated engines belch'd, whose roar Embowel'd with outrageous noise the air, And all her entrails tore, disgorging foul
Their devilish glut, chain'd thunderbolts and hail Of iron globes; which on the victor host Level'd, with such impetuous fury smote,
That whom they hit none on their feet might stand, Though standing else as rocks, but down they fell By thousands, Angel on Archangel roll'd;
The sooner for their arms; unarm'd, they might 595 Have easily, as Spirits, evaded swift
By quick contraction or remove; but now Foul dissipation follow'd, and forced rout; Nor served it to relax their serried files.
What should they do? if on they rush'd, repulse 600 Repeated, and indecent overthrow
Doubled, would render them yet more despised, And to their foes a laughter; for in view Stood rank'd of Seraphim another row, In posture to displode their second tire Of thunder: Back defeated to return
They worse abhorred. Satan beheld their plight, And to his mates thus in derision call'd:
O Friends! why come not on these victors proud? Ere while they fierce were coming; and when we 610 To entertain them fair with open front
And breast, (what could we more?) propounded terms Of composition, straight they chang'd their minds, Flew off and into strange vagaries fell,
As they would dance; yet for a dance they seem'd 615 Somewhat extravagant and wild: perhaps For joy of offer'd peace: But I suppose If our proposals once again were heard, We should compel them to a quick result.
To whom thus Belial, in like gamesome mood: 620 Leader! the terms we sent were terms of weight, Of hard contents, and full of force urged home; Such as we might perceive amused them all, And stumbled many: Who receives them right Had need from head to foot well understand; Not understood, this gift they have besides, They show us when our foes walk not upright. So they among themselves in pleasant vein Stood scoffing, heighten'd in their thoughts beyond All doubt of victory: Eternal Might
To match with their inventions they presumed So easy, and of his thunder made a scorn,
And all his host derided, while they stood
Awhile in trouble: But they stood not long; Rage prompted them at length, and found them arms Against such hellish mischief fit to oppose. Forthwith (behold the excellence, the power, Which God hath in his mighty Angels placed! Their arms away they threw, and to the hills (For Earth hath this variety from Heaven Of pleasure situate in hill and dale,)
Light as the lightning glimpse they ran, they flew; From their foundations loosening to and fro, They pluck'd the seated hills, with all their load, Rocks, waters, woods, and by the shaggy tops Uplifting bore them in their hands: Amaze, Be sure, and terror seized the rebel host, When coming towards them so dread they saw The bottom of the mountains upward turn'd; Till on those cursed engines' triple-row
They saw them whelm'd, and all their confidence Under the weight of mountains buried deep; Themselves invaded next, and on their heads Main promontories flung, which in the air
Came shadowing, and oppress'd whole legions arm'd; Their armor helped their harm, crush'd in and bruised Into their substance pent, which wrought them pain Implacable, and many a dolorous groan;
Long struggling underneath, ere they could wind. Out of such prison, though Spirits of purest light, 660 Purest at first, now gross by sinning grown.
The rest, in imitation, to like arms
Betook them, and the neighboring hills uptore: So hills amid the air encounter'd hills, Hurl'd to and fro with jaculation dire; That under ground they fought in dismal shade; Infernal noise! war seem'd a civil game To this uproar; horrid confusion heap'd
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