So spake the Cherub, and his grave rebuke, Severe in youthful beauty, added grace Invincible: abash'd the devil stood,
And felt how awful goodness is, and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely, saw, and pined His loss; but chiefly to find here observed His lustre visibly impair'd; yet seem'd Undaunted. If I must contend, said he, Best with the best, the sender not the sent, Or all at once; more glory will be won, Or less be lost. Thy fear, said Zephon bold, Will save us trial what the least can do Single against thee wicked, and thence weak.
The fiend replied not, overcome with rage; But like a proud steed rein'd went haughty on, Champing his iron curb: to strive or fly
He held it vain; awe from above had quell'd His heart, not else dismay'd. Now drew they nigh The western point, where those half-rounding guards Just met, and closing stood in squadron join'd, Awaiting next command. To whom their chief Gabriel from the front thus call'd aloud.
O friends, I hear the tread of nimble feet Hasting this way, and now by glimpse discern Ithuriel and Zephon through the shade, And with them comes a third of regal port, But faded splendour wan; who by his gait And fierce demeanour seems the prince of hell, Nor likely to part hence without contest: Stand firm, for in his look defiance lours.
He scarce had ended, when those two approach'd, And brief related whom they brought, where found, How busied, in what form and posture couch'd. To whom with stern regard thus Gabriel spake. Why hast thou, Satan, broke the bounds prescribed To thy transgressions, and disturb'd the charge Of others, who approve not to transgress By thy example, but have power and right To question thy bold entrance on this place, Employ'd, it seems, to violate sleep, and those
Whose dwelling God hath planted here in bliss? To whom thus Satan with contemptuous brow. Gabriel, thou hadst in heav'n th' esteem of wise, And such I held thee; but this question ask'd Puts me in doubt. Lives there who loves his pain? Who would not, finding way, break loose from hell, Though thither doom'd? thou wouldst thyself, no doubt, And boldly venture to whatever place
Farthest from pain, where thou might'st hope to change Torment with ease, and soonest recompense
Dole with delight, which in this place I sought:
To thee no reason, who know'st only good,
But evil hast not tried: and wilt object His will who bound us? let Him surer bar His iron gates, if He intends our stay
In that dark durance: thus much what was ask'd. The rest is true; they found me where they say; But that implies not violence or harm.
Thus he in scorn. The warlike angel moved, Disdainfully half smiling, thus replied. O loss of one in heav'n to judge of wise, Since Satan fell, whom folly overthrew, And now returns him from his prison scaped, Gravely in doubt whether to hold them wise Or not, who ask what boldness brought him hither Unlicensed from his bounds in hell prescribed: So wise he judges it to fly from pain
However, and to scape his punishment.
So judge thou still, presumptuous, till the wrath, Which thou incurr'st by flying, meet thy flight Sevenfold, and scourge that wisdom back to hell, Which taught thee yet no better, that no pain Can equal anger infinite provoked.
But wherefore thou alone? wherefore with thee Came not all hell broke loose? is pain to them Less pain, less to be fled, or thou than they Less hardy to endure? courageons chief, The first in flight from pain, hadst thou alleged To thy deserted host this cause of flight, Thou surely hadst not come sole fugitive.
To which the fiend thus answer'd, frowning stern Not that I less endure, or shrink from pain, Insulting angel, well thou know'st I stood Thy fiercest, when in battle to thy aid The blasting vollied thunder made all speed, And seconded thy else not dreaded spear. But still thy words at random, as before, Argue thy inexperience what behoves From hard assays and ill successes past A faithful leader, not to hazard all Through ways of danger by himself untried. I therefore, I alone first undertook To wing the desolate abyss, and spy This new created world, whereof in hell Fame is not silent, here in hope to find Better abode, and my afflicted Powers To settle here on earth, or in mid air; Though for possession put to try once more What thou and thy gay legions dare against; Whose easier business were to serve their Lord High up in heav'n, with songs to hymn his throne, And practised distances to cringe, not fight. To whom the warrior angel soon replied.
and straight unsay, pretending first Wise to fly pain, professing next the spy, Argues no leader, but a liar traced,
Satan, and couldst thou faithful add? O name, O sacred name of faithfulness profaned! Faithful to whom? to thy rebellious crew?
Army of fiends, fit body to fit head:
Was this your discipline and faith engaged, Your military obedience, to dissolve
Allegiance to th' acknowledged Power supreme? And thou sly hypocrite, who now wouldst seem Patron of liberty, who more than thou Once fawn'd, and cring'd, and servilely adored Heav'n's awful Monarch ? wherefore but in hope To dispossess him, and thyself to reign? But mark what I arreed thee now; Avaunt; Fly thither whence thou fledst: if from this hour
Within these hallow'd limits thou appear, Back to th' infernal pit I drag thee chain'd, And seal thee so,' as henceforth not to scorn The facile gates of hell too slightly barr'd.
So threaten'd he: but Satan to no threats Gave heed, but waxing more in rage replied. Then, when I am thy captive talk of chains, Proud limitary Cherub; but ere then
Far heavier load thyself expect to feel
From my prevailing arm; though heaven's King Ride on thy wings, and thou with thy compeers, Used to the yoke, draw'st his triumphant wheels In progress through the road of heav'n star-paved. While thus he spake, th' angelic squadron bright Turn'd fiery red, sharp'ning in moonèd horns Their phalanx, and began to hem him round With ported spears, as thick as when a field Of Ceres, ripe for harvest, waving bends Her bearded
of grove ears, which way the wind Sways them; the careful ploughman doubting stands, Lest on the threshing floor his hopeful sheaves
Prove chaff. On the other side Satan alarm'd, Collecting all his might, dilated stood,
Like Teneriff or Atlas unremoved:
His stature reach'd the sky, and on his crest
Sat horror plumed; nor wanted in his grasp
What seem'd both spear and shield. Now dreadful deeds Might have ensued, nor only Paradise
In this commotion, but the starry cope
Of heav'n perhaps, or all the elements
At least had gone to wrack, disturb'd and torn With violence of this conflict, had not soon Th' Eternal to prevent such horrid fray
Hung forth in heav'n his golden scales,3 yet seen Betwixt Astrea and the Scorpion sign,
1 Rev, xx. 3.
? Ezek. i. x. and xi. 22.
The constellation Libra. This image of the Deity weighing the fates of the combatants is found both in HomerXXII "Iliad "-and in Virgil, who re
presents Jupiter as weighing the fates of Turnus and Eneas.-ADDISON. In Homer and Virgil the combatants are weighed one against another, but here Satan only is weighed in one scale the consequence of his retreating, in the other
Wherein all things created first be weigh'd The sendalona round earth with balansed air In ounterpoise; now ponders all events, Battles, and realms: in these be pat two weights, The sequel each of parting and of fight; The latter quick up dew and kick'd the beam: Which Gabriel spying thus bespeake the fend.
Satan, I know thy strength, and thou know'st mine: Neither our own but given; what folly then
To boast what arms can do, since thine no more Than heav'n permits, nor mine, though doubled now To trample thee as mire? for proof look up,
And read thy lot in yon celestial sign,
Where thou art weigh'd,' and shown how light, how weak, If thou resist. The fiend look'd up, and knew
His mounted scale aloft: nor more; but fled Murmuring, and with him fled the shades of night.
of his fighting. And there is this further Improvement, that, as in Homer and Virgil the fates are weighed to satisfy Jupiter himself, it is here done to satisfy
only the contending parties-for Satan to read his own destiny !"-NEWTON I Dan. v. 87.
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