Obedient? Can we want obedience then

To him, or possibly his love desert,

520

Who form'd us from the dust and placed us here,
Full to the utmost measure of what bliss

Human desires can seek or apprehend?

To whom the Angel: Son of Heaven and Earth,

Attend! That thou art happy, owe to God;
That thou continuest such, owe to thyself,
That is, to thy obedience; therein stand.

525

This was that caution given thee; be advised.
God made thee perfect, not immutable ;

And good he made thee, but to persevere

530

He left it in thy power; ordain'd thy will

By nature free, not overruled by fate
Inextricable, or strict necessity:
Our voluntary service he requires,
Not our necessitated; such with him

535

Finds no acceptance, nor can find; for how

Can hearts, not free, be tried whether they serve

Willing or no, who will but what they must

By destiny, and can no other choose?

Myself, and all the angelic host, that stand

540

In sight of God enthroned, our happy state

Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds;
On other surety none: freely we serve,
Because we freely love, as in our will
To love or not; in this we stand or fall:
And some are fallen, to disobedience fallen,
And so from Heaven to deepest Hell; O fall
From what high state of bliss, into what woe!
To whom our great progenitor: Thy words
Attentive, and with more delighted ear,
Divine instructor, I have heard, than when
Cherubic songs by night from neighbouring hills
Aerial music send: nor knew I not

545

550

To be both will and deed created free;
Yet that we never shall forget to love

Our Maker, and obey him whose command

550

Single is yet so just, my constant thoughts

Assured me, and still assure: though what thou tell'st Hath pass'd in Heaven some doubt within me move,

But more desire to hear, if thou consent,

The full relation, which must needs be strange,
Worthy of sacred silence to be heard;
And we have yet large day, for scarce the sun
Hath finish'd half his journey, and scarce begins
His other half in the great zone of Heaven.
Thus Adam made request: and Raphaël,
After short pause assenting, thus began :

560

565

High matter thou enjoin'st me, O prime of men

- Sad task and hard: for how shall I relate

To human sense the invisible exploits

570

Of warring Spirits? how, without remorse,

The ruin of so many glorious once

And perfect while they stood? how last unfold

The secrets of another world, perhaps

Not lawful to reveal? yet for thy good

575

This is dispensed; and what surmounts the reach
Of human sense, I shall delineate so,

By likening spiritual to corporeal forms,

As may express them best; though what if Earth

Be but the shadow of Heaven, and things therein 580
Each to other like, more than on earth is thought?
As yet this world was not, and Chaos wild

[now rests

585

Reign'd where these Heavens now roll, where Earth
Upon her centre poised; when on a day
(For time, though in eternity, applied
To motion, measures all things durable
By present, past, and future,) on such day

As Heaven's great year brings forth, the empyrial host
Of Angels, by imperial summons call'd,

Innumerable before the Almighty's throne

Forthwith, from all the ends of Heaven, appear'd
Under their Hierarchs in orders bright:

Ten thousand thousand ensigns high advanced,
Standards and gonfalons 'twixt van and rear

590

Stream in the air, and for distinction serve
Of hierarchies, of orders, and degrees;
Or in their glittering tissues bear imblazed
Holy memorials, acts of zeal and love
Recorded eminent. Thus when in orbs
Of circuit inexpressible they stood,
Orb within orb, the Father Infinite,

505

600

By whom in bliss imbosom'd sat the Son,

Amidst as from a flaming mount,' whose top
Brightness had made invisible, thus spake :
Hear, all ye Angels, progeny of light,

605

Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers;

Hear my decree, which unrevoked shall stand.
This day I have begot whom I declare

My only Son, and on this holy hill

Him have anointed, whom ye now behold

610

At my right hand; your head I him appoint;

And by myself have sworn, to him shall bow

All knees in Heaven, and shall confess him Lord;
Under his great vicegerent reign abide

United, as one individual soul,

615

For ever happy: him who disobeys,
Me disobeys, breaks union, and that day,
Cast out from God and blessed vision, falls
Into utter darkness, deep ingulf'd, his place
Ordain'd without redemption, without end.

620

So spake the Omnipotent, and with his words All seem'd well pleased; all seem'd, but were not all.

That day, as other solemn days, they spent

In song and dance about the sacred hill;
Mystical dance, which yonder starry sphere

625

Of planets, and of fix'd, in all her wheels
Resembles nearest, mazes intricate,
Eccentric, intervolved, yet regular

Then most, when most irregular they seem;

And in their motions harmony divine

630

So smooths her charming tones, that Gods own ear

Listens delighted. Evening now approach'd

(For we have also our evening and our morn, We ours for change delectable, not need ;) Forthwith from dance to sweet repast they turn

Desirous all in circles as they stood,

::

Tables are set, and on a sudden piled

With Angels' food, and rubied nectar flows

635

In pearl, in diamond, and massy gold,

Fruit of delicious vines, the growth of Heaven.

640

On flowers reposed, and with fresh flowerets crown'd, They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet Quaff immortality and joy, secure

Of surfeit, where full measure only bounds

646

Excess, before the all bounteous King, who shower'd
With copious hand, rejoicing in their joy.
Now when ambrosial night, with clouds exhaled.
From that high mount of God whence light and shade
Spring both, the face of brightest Heaven had changed
To grateful twilight (for night comes not there
In darker veil,) and roseate dews disposed
All but the unsleeping eyes of God to rest;
Wide over all the plain, and wider far
Than all this globous earth in plain outspread

650

(Such are the courts of God,) the angelic throng, 655 Dispersed in bands and files, their camp extend

By living streams among the trees of life,
Pavilions numberless, and sudden rear'd,
Celestial tabernacles, where they slept

Fann'd with cool winds; save those, who in their course,

Melodious hymns about the sov'reign throne

661

Alternate all night long: but not so waked

Satan; so call him now, his former name

Is heard no more in Heaven; he of the first,

If not the first Archangel, great in power,

665

In favour, and preeminence, yet fraught

With envy against the Son of God, that day
Honour'd by his great Father, and proclaim'd
Messiah King anointed, could not bear

Through pride that sight, and thought himself impair'd.

Deep malice thence conceiving and disdain,
Soon as midnight brought on the dusky hour
Friendliest to sleep and silence, he resolved
With all his legions to dislodge, and leave
Unworship'd, unobey'd, the throne supreme,
Contemptuous; and his next subordinate
Awakening, thus to him in secret spake :

671

675

Sleep'st thou, companion dear? What sleep can close Thy eyelids? and remember'st what decree Of yesterday, so late hath pass'd the lips

680

Of Heaven's Almighty. Thou to me thy thoughts
Wast wont, I mine to thee was wont to impart :
Both waking we were one; how then can now
Thy sleep dissent? new laws thou seest imposed;
New laws from him who reigns new minds may raise
In us who serve, new counsels to debate

What doubtful may ensue: More in this place
To utter is not safe. Assemble thou

686

Of all those myriads which we lead the chief;
Tell them, that by command, ere yet dim night
Her shadowy cloud withdraws, I am to haste,
And all who under me their banners wave,
Homeward, with flying march, where we possess
The quarters of the north; there to prepare
Fit entertainment to receive our king,
The great Messiah, and his new commands,
Who speedily through all the hierarchies
Intends to pass triumphant, and give laws..
So spake the false Archangel, and infused
Bad influence into the unwary breast
Of his associate: he together calls,

690

695

700

Or several one by one, the regent Powers,

Under him Regent; tells, as he was taught,

That the Most High commanding, now ere night,

Now ere dim night had disencumber'd Heaven,

705

The great hierarchal standard was to move;
Tells the suggested cause, and cast between