Each warrior fingle as in chief, expert
When to advance, or ftand, or turn the fway Of battel, open when, and when to clofe
The ridges of grim war: no thought of flight, None of retreat, no unbecoming deed
That argued fear; each on himself rely'd, As only in his arm the moment lay Of victory: deeds of eternal fame
Were done, but infinite; for wide was fpread That war and various, fometimes on firm ground A ftanding fight, then foaring on main wing Tormented all the air; all air feem'd then Conflicting fire: long time in even scale The battel hung; till Satan, who that day Prodigious pow'r had fhown, and met in arms No equal, ranging through the dire attack
Of fighting Seraphim confus'd, at length
Saw where the fword of Michael fmote, and fell'd 250 Squadrons at once; with huge two-handed sway Brandish'd aloft the horrid edge came down Wide wafting; fuch deftruction to withstand He hafted, and oppos'd the rocky orb Of tenfold adamant, his ample fhield, A vaft circumference: At his approach The great Arch-Angel from his warlike toil Surceas'd, and glad as hoping here to end Inteftin war in Heav'n, th' arch-foe fubdu'd Or captive dragg'd in chains, with hoftile frown 260 And vifage all inflam'd first thus began.
Author of evil, unknown till thy revolt,
Unnam'd in Heav'n, now plenteous, as thou feeft Thefe acts of hateful ftrife, hateful to all, Though heaviest by just measure on thyself And thy adherents: how haft thou disturb'd Heav'n's bleffed peace, and into nature brought Mifery, uncreated till the crime
Of thy rebellion? how hast thou instill'd
Thy malice into thousands, once upright
And faithful, now prov'd falfe? But think not here To trouble holy rest; Heav'n casts thee out From all her confines. Heav'n the feat of blifs Brooks not the works of yiolence and war. Hence then, and evil go with thee along,
Thy offspring, to the place of evil, Hell, Thou and thy wicked crew; there mingle broils, Ere this avenging fword begin thy doom,
Or fome more fudden vengeance wing'd from God ~ Precipitate thee with augmented pain.
So fpake the Prince of Angels; to whom thus The Adverfary. Nor think thou with wind Of aery threats to awe whom yet with deeds Thou canst not.
Haft thou turn'd the least of these:
To flight, or if to fall, but that they rise Unvanquish'd, eafier to tranfact with me
That thou shouldft hope, imperious, and with threats To chace me hence? err not that fo fhall end The ftrife which thou call'ft evil, but we stile The ftrife of glory; which we mean to win, Or turn this Heav'n itself into the Hell Thou fableft, here however to dwell free
If not to reign mean while thy utmost force, And join him nam'd Almighty to thy aid, I fly not, but have fought thee far and nigh. They ended parle, and both address'd for fight Unfpeakable; for who, though with the tongue Of Angels, can relate, or to what things Liken on earth confpicuous, that may lift Human imagination to fuch highth
Of Godlike pow'r? for likeft Gods they seem'd, Stood they or mov'd, in stature, motion, arms, Fit to decide the empire of great Heaven. Now way'd their fiery fwords, and in the air
Made horrid circles; two broad funs their shields 305 Blaz'd oppofit, while expectation stood
In horror; from each hand with speed retir'd, Where erst was thickest fight, th' angelic throng, And left large field, unfafe within the wind Of fuch commotion; fuch as, to fet forth Great things by small, if nature's concord broke, Among the conftellations war were fprung, Two planets rushing from aspéct malign Of fierceft oppofition in mid fky
Should combat, and their jarring spheres confound. Together both with next to' almighty arm Up-lifted imminent, one ftroke they aim'd That might determin, and not need repeat, As not of pow'r at once; nor odds appear'd In might or swift prevention: but the fword Of Michael from the armoury of God Was given him temper'd fo, that neither keen
Nor folid might refift that edge: it met
The fword of Satan with steep force to finite Defcending, and in half cut sheer; nor stay'd, But with fwift wheel reverfe, deep entring fhar'd All his right fide: then Satan first knew pain, And writh'd him to and fro convolv'd; fo fore The griding fword with difcontinuous wound Pafs'd through him: but th' ethereal substance clos'd, Not long divifible; and from the gafl
A ftream of necta'rous humor iffuing flow'd Sanguin, fuch as celeftial Spi'rits may bleed, And all his armour ftain'd ere while fo bright. Forthwith on all fides to his aid was run By Angels many and strong, who interpos'd Defense, while others bore him on their fhields Back to his chariot, where it stood retir'd From off the files of war; there they him laid Gnafhing for anguifh and defpite and shame,
To find himself not matchlefs, and his pride
Humbled by fuch rebuke, fo far beneath His confidence to equal God in power.
Yet foon he heal'd; for Spi'rits 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 fenfe; and as they please, They limb themselves, and color, shape or size
Affume, as likes them best, condense or rare. Mean while in other parts like deeds deferv'd Memorial, where the might of Gabriel fought, And with fierce enfigns 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 Heaven Refrain'd his tongue blafphémous; but anon Down cloven to the wafte, with fhatter'd arms And uncouth pain fled bellowing. On each wing Uriel and Raphaël his vaunting foe,
Though huge, and in a rock of diamond arm'd, Vanquish'd Adramelech, and Afmadai,
Two potent thrones, that to be less than Gods Disdain'd, but meaner thoughts learn'd in their flight, Mangled with ghaftly 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 Ramiel fcorch'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 fort,
In might though wondrous and in acts of war, Nor of renown less eager, yet by doom
Cancel'd. from Heav'n and facred memory,
Nameless in dark oblivion let them dwell.
For ftrength from truth divided and from just, Illaudable, nought merits but difpraise
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