"When he who rules is worthiest, and excels

"Them whom he governs. This is servitude,

"To serve the unwise, or him who hath rebelled Against his worthier, as thine now serve thee,

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Thyself not free, but to thyself enthralled;

"Yet lewdly darest our ministering upbraid.

Reign thou in Hell-thy kingdom; let me serve "In Heaven God ever blest, and his divine

"Behests obey, worthiest to be obeyed!

"Yet chains in Hell, not realms, expect: meanwhile, "From me returned, as erst thou saidst, from flight, "This greeting on thy impious crest receive.'

"So saying, a noble stroke he lifted high, "Which hung not, but so swift with tempest fell "On the proud crest of Satan, that no sight, "Nor motion of swift thought, less could his shield, "Such ruin intercept; ten paces huge "He back recoiled; the tenth on bended knee "His massy spear upstaid; as if on earth,

"Winds under ground, or waters, forcing way,

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Sidelong had pushed a mountain from his seat,

"Half sunk with all his pines. Amazement seized

"The rebel Thrones, but greater rage, to see

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"Thus foiled their mightiest; ours joy filled, and shout, 200 "Presage of victory, and fierce desire

"Of battle: whereat Michaël bid sound

"The archangel trumpet ;. through the vast of Heaven
"It sounded, and the faithful armies rung
"Hosanna to the Highest: nor stood at gaze
"The adverse legions, nor less hideous joined
"The horrid shock. Now storming fury rose,
"And clamour, such as heard in Heaven till now
“Was never; arms on armour clashing brayed.
"Horrible discord, and the madding wheels
"Of brazen chariots raged: dire was the noise
"Of conflict; over head the dismal hiss
"Of fiery darts in flaming volleys flew,

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And, flying, vaulted either host with fire:

"So under fiery cope together rushed
"Both battles main, with ruinous assault

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"And inextinguishable rage. All Heaven
"Resounded; and had Earth been then, all Earth
"Had to her centre shook. What wonder? when
"Millions of fierce encountering angels fought
"On either side, the least of whom could wield
"These elements, and arm him with the force
"Of all their regions: how much more of power
"Army against army numberless to raise
"Dreadful combustion warring, and disturb,
"Though not destroy, their happy native seat!
"Had not the Eternal King Omnipotent,
"From his strong hold of Heaven, high overruled
"And limited their might; though numbered such,
"As each divided legion might have seemed
"A numerous host; in strength each armed hand
"A legion; led in fight, yet leader seemed
"Each warrior single, as in chief, expert
"When to advance, or stand, or turn the sway
"Of battle, open when, and when to close
"The ridges of grim war: no thought of flight-
"None of retreat-no unbecoming deed

"That argued fear; each on himself relied,
"As only in his arm the moment lay

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"Of victory. Deeds of eternal fame

"Were done, but infinite; for wide was spread

240

"That war and various; sometimes on firm ground

"A standing fight; then, soaring on main wing,
"Tormented all the air; all air seemed then
"Conflicting fire. Long time in even scale
"The battle hung; till Satan, who that day

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Prodigious power had shown, and met in arms "No equal, ranging through the dire attack

"Of fighting Seraphim confused, at length

"Saw where the sword of Michael smote, and felled

66

Squadrons at once; with huge two-handed sway "Brandished aloft, the horrid edge came down "Wide-wasting! Such destruction to withstand "He hasted, and opposed the rocky orb "Of tenfold adamant, his ample shield,"A vast circumference. At his approach,

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66 The

great archangel from his warlike toil Surceased; and, glad, as hoping here to end "Intestine war in Heaven, the arch-foe subdued "Or captive dragged in chains, with hostile frown And visage all inflamed, first thus began:

66

66 6

Author of evil, unknown till thy revolt, Unnamed in Heaven; now plenteous, as thou seest “These acts of hateful strife, hateful to all,

66

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66

Though heaviest, by just measure on thyself
And thy adherents: how hast thou disturbed
Heaven's blessed peace, and into nature brought

"6 Misery,

Of

uncreated till the crime

thy rebellion! how hast thou instilled Thy malice into thousands, once upright

And faithful-now proved false! But think not here "To trouble holy rest; Heaven casts thee out

་་

From all her confines; Heaven, the seat of bliss,

Brooks not the works of violence 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 sword begin thy doom;

Or

260

some more sudden vengeance, winged from God, Precipitate thee with augmented pain.'

So spake the prince of angels; to whom thus

The adversary: 'Nor think thou with wind

Of airy threats to awe, whom yet with deeds

66 Thou canst not. Has thou turned the least of these

To flight; or if to fall, but that they rise

Unvanquished; easier to transact with me

270

That thou shouldst hope, imperious, and with threats
To chase me hence? Err not, that so shall end

The strife which thou callst evil, but we style

The strife of glory; which we mean to win, Or turn this Heaven itself into the Hell "Thou fablest; here, however, to dwell free, "If not to reign: meanwhile 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 addressed for fight

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290

66

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 power? for likest Gods they seemed,
"Stood they or moved, in stature, motion, arms,——

"Fit to decide the empire of great Heaven.
"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, the 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,
66 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

66

Uplifted imminent, one stroke they aimed
"That might determine, and not need repeat
"As not of power at once; nor odds appeared
"In might or swift prevention: but the sword
"Of Michael from the armoury of God

"Was given him tempered so, that neither keen,
"Nor solid, might resist that edge: it met
"The sword of Satan, with steep force to smite

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Descending, and in half cut sheer; nor staid,

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320

"But with swift wheel reverse, deep entering, 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
"Passed through him; but the ethereal substance closed, 330
"Not long divisible; and from the gash

"A stream of nectarous humour issuing flowed
Sanguine, such as celestial spirits may bleed,
"And all his armour stained, erewhile so bright.
"Forthwith on all sides to his aid was run