And join him nam'd 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 mov'd, in stature, motion, arms,
Fit to decide the empire of great heav'n.
Now wav'd their fiery swords, and in the air
Made horrid circles; two broad suns their shields
Blaz'd opposite, while expectation stood

In horror; from each hand with speed retir'd,
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 aspect malign
Of fiercest opposition in mid sky

Should combat, and their jarring spheres confound.
Together both with next to almighty arm
Up-lifted imminent, one stroke they aim'd
That might determine, and not need repeat,
As not of pow'r at once; and odds appear'd
In might or swift prevention: but the sword
Of Michael from the armoury of God
Was given 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 shar'd
A his right side: then Satan first knew pain,
And writh'd him to and fro convolv'd: so sore
The griding sword with discontinuous wound
Pass'd through him; but th' etherial substance clos'd,
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 erewhile so bright.
Forthwith on all sides to his aid was run

By angels many and strong, who interpos'd
Defence, while others bore him on their shields
Back to his chariot, where it stood retir'd

From off the files of war; there they him laid
Gnashing for anguish, and despite and shame,
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 every 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 deserv'd
Memorial, where the might of Gabriel fought,
And with fierce ensigns pierc'd 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 Raphael his vaunting foe,

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 mail
Nor stood unmindful Abdiel to annoy

The atheist crew, but with redoubled blow
Ariel and Arioch, and the violence

Of Ramial, 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 heav'n,
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
Cancel'd from heav'n and sacred

memory,
Nameless in dark oblivion let them dwell.
For strength from truth divided and from just,
Ilaudable naught 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 swerv'd
With many an inroad gor'd; deformed rout
Enter'd, and foul disorder; all the ground
With shiver'd armour strown, and on a heap
Chariot and charioteer lay overturn'd,
And fiery foaming steeds; what stood, recoil'd
O'er-wearied, through the faint satanic host
Defensive scarce, or with pale fear surpris'd,
Then first with fear surpris'd 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 advanc'd entire,
Invulnerable, impenetrably arm'd ;
Such high advantages their innocence
Gave them above their foes, not to have sinn'd.
Not to have disobey'd; in fight they stood
Unwearied, unobnoxious to be pain'd

By wound, though from their place by violence mov'
Now night her course began, and over heav'n
Inducing darkness, grateful truce impos'd,

And silence on the odious din of war:
Jnder her cloudy covert both retir'd,

Victor and vanquish'd; on the foughten field

Michael and his angels prevalent

Encamping, plac'd in guard their watches round,
Cherubic waving fires: on th' other part
Satan with his rebellious disappear'd,

Far in the dark dislodg'd; 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 heav'n's Lord had pow'rfullest to send
Against us from about his throne, and judg'd
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. True is, less firmly arm'd,
Some disadvantage we endur'd, 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 pierc'd with wound,
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
Due search and consultation will disclose.

He sat; and in th' assembly next upstood
Nisroch, of principalities the prime:
As one he stood escap'd from cruel fight,

Sore toil, his riven arms to havoc hewn,
And cloudy in aspect thus answering spake:
Deliverer from new lords, leader to free
Enjoyment of our rights 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 pain
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.
Wheretc with look compos'd 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 etherous mould whereon we stand,
'I his continent of spacious heav'n adorn'd
With plant, fruit, flow'r ambrosial, geins and gold;
Whose eye so superficially surveys

hese things, as not to mind from whence they grow eep under ground, materials dark and crude,

f spirituous and fiery spume, till touch'd

With heaven's ray, and temper'd they shoot forth
So beauteous, opening to the ambient light?
These in their dark nativity the deep

Shali yield us pregnant with infernal flame,
Which into hollow engines long and round
Thick-ramin'd, at th' other bore with touch of fire
Dilated and infuriate, shall send forth

cora far with thund'ring roise among our foes