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380

In might though wondrous and in acts of war,
Nor of renown less eager, yet by doom
Cancelled from Heaven and sacred memory,
Nameless in dark oblivion let them dwell
For strength from truth divided, and from just,
Illaudable, nought merits but dispraise
And ignominy, yet to glory aspires,
Vain-glorious, and through infamy seeks fame :
Therefore eternal silence be their doom!

‘And now, their mightiest quelled, the battle
swerved,

390

With many an inroad gored; deformèd rout
Entered, and foul disorder; all the ground
With shivered armour strown, and on a heap
Chariot and charioteer lay overturned,
And fiery foaming steeds; what stood recoiled,
O'er-wearied, through the faint Satanic host,
Defensive scarce, or with pale fear surprised-
Then first with fear surprised and sense of pain--
Fled ignominious, to such evil brought
By sin of disobedience, till that hour
Not liable to fear, or flight, or pain.
Far otherwise the inviolable Saints
In cubic phalanx firm advanced entire,
Invulnerable, impenetrably armed;
Such high advantages their innocence

400

Gave them above their foes-not to have sinned,
Not to have disobeyed; in fight they stood
Unwearied, unobnoxious to be pained

By wound, though from their place by violence
moved.

'Now Night her course began, and, over Heaven

Inducing darkness, grateful truce imposed,

The Satanic host gives

way

Satan en- And silence on the odious din of war.
courages Under her cloudy covert both retired,
his host Victor and vanquished. On the foughten field 410
Michaël and his Angels, prevalent

Encamping, placed in guard their watches round,
Cherubic waving fires: on the other part,
Satan with his rebellious disappeared,
Far in the dark dislodged, and, void of rest,
His potentates to council called by night,
And in the midst thus undismayed began :-
""O now in danger tried, now known in arms
Not to be overpowered, companions dear,
Found worthy not of liberty alone—
Too mean pretence-but, what we more affect,
Honour, dominion, glory, and renown;
Who have sustained one day in doubtful fight
(And, if one day, why not eternal days?)
What Heaven's Lord had powerfullest to send
Against us from about his throne, and judged
Sufficient to subdue us to his will,

420

But proves not so: then fallible, it seems,
Of future we may deem him, though till now
Omniscient thought!
True is, less firmly

armed,

430

Some disadvantage we endured, and pain-
Till now not known, but, known, as soon con-

temned;

Since now we find this our empyreal form
Incapable of mortal injury,

Imperishable, and, though pierced with wound,
Soon closing, and by native vigour healed.
Of evil, then, so small, as easy think
The remedy: perhaps more valid arms,
Weapons more violent, when next we meet

May serve to better us and worse our foes, 440 Nisroch
Or equal what between us made the odds,
If other hidden cause

In nature none.

Left them superior, while we can preserve
Unhurt our minds, and understanding sound,
Due search and consultation will disclose."

He sat; and in the assembly next upstood
Nisroch, of Principalities the prime.
As one he stood escaped from cruel fight
Sore toiled, his riven arms to havoc hewn,
And, cloudy in aspéct, thus answering spake:-450
"Deliverer from new Lords, leader to free
Enjoyment of our right as Gods! yet hard
For Gods, and too unequal work, we find
Against unequal arms to fight in pain,
Against unpained, impassive; from which evil
Ruin must needs ensue. For what avails
Valour or strength, though matchless, quelled
with pain,

460

Which all subdues, and makes remiss the hands
Of mightiest? Sense of pleasure we may well
Spare out of life perhaps, and not repine,
But live content-which is the calmest life;
But pain is perfect misery, the worst
Of evils, and, excessive, overturns

All patience. He who, therefore, can invent
With what more forcible we may offend
Our yet unwounded enemies, or arm
Ourselves with like defence, to me deserves
No less than for deliverance what we owe.'
'Whereto, with look composed, Satan re-
plied :-

"Not uninvented that, which thou aright
Believ'st so main to our success, I bring.

470

asks for a new defence

Satan's Which of us who beholds the bright surfáce ordnance Of this ethereous mould whereon we stand

This continent of spacious Heaven, adorned With plant, fruit, flower ambrosial, gems and gold

Whose eye so superficially surveys

These things as not to mind from whence they
grow

Deep under ground: materials dark and crude,
Of spirituous and fiery spume, till, touched
With Heaven's ray, and tempered, they shoot
forth

480

So beauteous, opening to the ambient light?
These in their dark nativity the Deep
Shall yield us, pregnant with infernal flame;
Which, into hollow engines long and round
Thick-rammed, at the other bore with touch of
fire

Dilated and infuriate, shall send forth

490

From far, with thundering noise, among our foes
Such implements of mischief as shall dash
To pieces and o'erwhelm whatever stands
Adverse, that they shall fear we have disarmed
The Thunderer of his only dreaded bolt.
Nor long shall be our labour; yet ere dawn
Effect shall end our wish. Meanwhile revive
Abandon fear; to strength and counsel joined
Think nothing hard, much less to be despaired."

;

'He ended; and his words their drooping cheer Enlightened, and their languished hope revived. The invention all admired, and each how he To be the inventor missed; so easy it seemed Once found, which yet unfound most would have thought

500

510

Impossible! Yet, haply, of thy race,
In future days, if malice should abound,
Some one, intent on mischief, or inspired
With devilish machination, might devise
Like instrument to plague the sons of men
For sin, on war and mutual slaughter bent.
Forthwith from council to the work they flew;
None arguing stood; innumerable hands
Were ready; in a moment up they turned
Wide the celestial soil, and saw beneath
The originals of Nature in their crude
Conception; sulphurous and nitrous foam
They found, they mingled, and, with subtle art
Concocted and adjusted, they reduced
To blackest grain, and into store conveyed.
Part hidden veins digged up (nor hath this Earth
Entrails unlike) of mineral and stone,
Whereof to found their engines and their balls
Of missive ruin; part incentive reed
Provide, pernicious with one touch to fire.
So all ere day-spring, under conscious Night,
Secret they finished, and in order set,
With silent circumspection, unespied.

520

Now, when fair Morn orient in Heaven
appeared,

Up rose the victor Angels, and to arms
The matin trumpet sung. In arms they stood
Of gol panoply, refulgent host,

Soon banded; others from the dawning hills
Looked round, and scouts each coast light-armèd

8cour,

530

Each quarter, to descry the distant foe,
Where lodged, or whither fled, or if for fight,
In motion or in halt. Him soon they met

the engines of missive ruin

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