Drew after him the third part of heav'n's hoft:
Mean while th'eternal eye, whofe fight difcernes
Abftrufeft thoughts, from forth his holy mount
And from within the golden lamps that burn
Nightly before him faw without their light
Rebellion rifing, faw in whom, how spred
Among the fons of morn, what multitudes
Were banded to oppose his high decree;
And smiling to his onely son thus said.

Son, thou in whom my glory I behold
In full refplendence, heir of all my might,
Neerly it now concerns us to be füre
Of our omnipotence, and with what arms
We mean to hold what anciently we claim
Of deitie or empire, fuch a foe

Is rifing, who intends to erect his throne
Equal to ours, throughout the spacious north
Nor fo content, hath in his thought to trie
In battle, what our power is, or our right.
Let us advise, and to this hazard draw
With speed what force is left, and all imploy
In our defence, left unawares we lose
This our high place, our fanctuarie, our hill.
To whom the son with calm afpect and cleer
Light'ning divine, ineffable, ferene,

Made answer. Mightie father, thou thy foes
Juftly haft in derifion, and secure

Laught'ft at their vain defignes and tumults vain,
Matter to me of glory, whom their hate
→ Illuftrates, when they see all regal power
Giv'n me to quell their pride, and in event

Know whether I be dextrous to fubdue
Thy rebels, or be found the worst in 'heav'n.
So fpake the son, but Satan with his powers
Far was advanc't on winged speed, an hoft
Innumerable as the stars of night,

Or ftars of morning, dew-drops, which the fun
Impearls on every leaf and every flour.
Regions they pafs'd, the mighty regencies
Of feraphim and potentates and thrones
In their triple degrees,-regions to which
All thy dominion, Adam, is no more
Than what this garden is to all the earth,
And all the fea, from one entire globese
Stretcht into longitude; which having pass'd
At length into the limits of the north
They came, and Satan to his royal feat
High on a hill, +får blazing, as a mount
Rais'd on a mount,' with: pyramids and towrs
From diamond quarries hew'n, and rocks of gold,
The palace of great Lucifer, (fo call
That ftructure in the dialect of men
Interpreted) which not long after, he
Affecting all equality with God,

In imitation of that mount whereon
Meffiah was declar'd in fight of heav'n,
The mountain of the congregation call'd;
For thither he affembl'd all his train,
Pretending fo commanded to confult
About the great reception of their king,
Thither to come, and with calumnious art
Of counterfeted truth thus held their ears.

Thrones, dominations, princeɗomes, vertues, powers, If these magnific titles yet remain Not meerely titular, fince by decree Another now hath to himself ingrofs't All power, and us eclipst under the name Of king anointed, for whom all this hafte Of midnight march, and hurried meeting here, This onely to confult how we may best With what may be devis'd of honours new Receive him coming to receive from us Knee tribute yet unpaid, proftration vile, Too much to one, but double how endur'd, To one and to his image now proclaim'd? But what if better counsels might erect Our minds and teach us to caft off this yoke ? Will ye fubmit your necks, and chufe to bend The supple knee? ye will not, if I trust To know ye right, or if ye know yourselves Natives and fons of heav'n poffeft before By none, and if not equal all, yet free, Equally free; for orders and degrees Jar not with liberty, but well confist. Who can in reason then or right assume Monarchie over fuch as live by right His equals, if in power and splendor less, In freedom equal? or can introduce Law and edict on us, who without law Erre not, much less for this to be our lord, And look for adoration to th'abuse

Of those imperial titles which affert

Our being ordain'd to govern, not to serve?

Thus far his bold difcourfe without controule
Had audience, when among the seraphim
Abdiel, than whom none with more zeale ador'd
The deitie, and divine commands obey'd,'
Stood up, and in a flame of zeale fevere
The current of his fury thus oppos'd,
O argument blafphemous, false and proud!
Words which no eare ever to hear in heav'n
Expected, least of all from thee, ingrate,
In place thyself fo high above thy peeres.
Canft thou with impious obliquie condemn
The juft decree of God, pronounc't and sworn,.-
That to his only fon by right endu'd

With regal scepter, every foul in heav'n

Shall bend the knee, and in that honour duebr
Confefs him rightful king? unjust thou faidst
Flatly unjust, to bind with laws the free,
And equal over equals to let reigne,

One over all with unfucceeded power.

Shalt thou give law to God,fhalt thou dispute -
With him the points of libertie, who made

Thee what thou art, and form'd the pow'rs of heav'n
Such as he pleas'd, and circumfcrib'd their being èð
Yet by experience taught we know how good,
And of our good, and of our dignitie...

How provident he is, how far from thought.
To make us lefs, bent rather to exalt
Our happie ftate under one head more neer
United. But to grant it thee unjust,

That equal over equals monarch reigne

Thyfelf though great and glorious dost thou count,

Or all angelic nature join'd in one,
Equal to him begotten son, by whom

As by his word the mighty father made

All things, ev'n thee, and all the spirits of heav'n '
By him created in their bright degrees,

Crown'd them with glory, and to their glory nam'd

Thrones, dominations, princedomes, vertues, powers,

Effential powers, nor by his reign obscur'd,
But more illuftrious made, fince he the head
One of our number thus reduc't becomes,
His laws our laws, all honour to him done
Returns our own.
Cease then this impious rage,
And tempt not these; but hast'n to appease
Th'incenfed Father, and th'incenfed Son,
While pardon may be found in time befought.
So fpake the fervent angel, but his zeale
None feconded, as out of season judg'd,
Or fingular and rash, whereat rejoic'd
Th'apoftat, and more haughty thus repli'd.

That we were form'd then faift thou? and the work

Of fecondarie hands, by task transfer'd

From father to his fon ? strange point and new !

Doctrin which we would know whence learnt: who saw
When this creation was?? remembreft thou

Thy making, while the Maker gave thee being?:
We know no time when we were not as now;
Know none before us, felf-begot, felf-rais'd
By our own quick'ning power, when fatal course
Had circl'd his full orbe, the birth mature
Of this our native heav'n, ethereal fons.
Our puissance is our own, our own right hand r

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