Sceptra palam afpicient mihi tradita, & exitus ingens
Monftrabit, noftrone cadent fub vulnere victi,
An mihi fit toto dextra ignaviffima cœlo.
Continuit vocem Natus: verum agmine magno
Stipatum celeri jam vexerat Ala volatu
Longiùs abreptum Satanam. Quot splendida Noctis
Sidera; quot gemmas aperit Sol lumine primo,
Stellanti cum rore comæ floresque relucent,
Tot cinxere Ducem populi: Per maxima regna,
Quæ latè ditione vagâ tenuere Seraphes,
Sceptra Poteftatesque (triplex fic dicitur Ordo)
Per tractus ibant, præ queis Tibi quicquid ubique
Terrarum eft Adame, nihil fefe amplius effert,
Quàm fpatia hæc breviora horti, fi tota tumefcens
Spectetur Tellus juxta & fuperaddita ponti
Æquora, per planam latè exporrecta figuram.
His adeò emenfis jam tandem Aquilonis in oras
Deventum eft; Satanafque excelfæ regia Sedis
Giv'n Me to quell their pride; and in event
Know whether I be dext'rous to fubdue
Thy rebels, or be found the worst in Heav'n.
So fpake the SoN: but Satan with his Pow'rs,
Far was advanc'd on winged speed; an Host
Innumerable as the Stars of Night,
Or Stars of Morning, Dew-drops, which the
Impearls on every leaf, and every flow'r.
Regions they pass'd, the mighty Regencies
Of Seraphim, 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 Sea, from one entire globofe
Stretch'd into Longitude; which having pafs'd,
At length into the limits of the North
They came; and Satan to his Royal feat
Culmina confcendit, fpectanda cacumine claro,
Ceu montem monti impofitum, jactantiaque arces
Latè effulgentes, scopulis adamantis & auri
Excifas: fas fit dixiffe palatia magni
Luciferi: quæ, non longo post tempore, fummo
Ipfe DEO affectans animis fe æquare fuperbis,
Concilii montem haud dubitavit dicere, fancti
Montis ad exemplar; fancta in quo nomina cepit,
Meffias, cœlo quondam fancitus aperto.
Scilicet huc acies Satanas acciverat omnes,
Hoc fibi mandatum fimulans, ut grande coacti
Concilium magni de adventu Regis haberent
Jam tum promiffi: folitâ quum fubdolus arte
Adductas fpecie Veri fic perculit aures :
Imperia atque Arces fanctæ, Diademata cœli,
Sceptraque, Virtutefque; decus fi Nomina verum
Hæc retinent, nec vana foni vos ludit Imago;
Quandoquidem cunctos nunc vindicat Alter honores,
High on a Hill, far blazing, as a Mount
Rais'd on a Mount, with Pyramids and Tow'rs
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 affembled all his Train,
Pretending fo commanded, to confult
About the great reception of their King,
Thither to come: and with calumnious Art
Of counterfeited truth thus held their ears.
Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues,
Pow'rs,
If these magnific Titles yet remain,
Not merely titular, fince by Decree
Another now hath to Himself ingrofs'd
(Sic ftat Decretum omnipotens) fe nomine inunctum
Jactitat, ac noftros reprimit fulgoribus ignes,
Cujus ut illuftrem miro excipiamus honore
Adventum cultuque novo, tota ætheris alti
Regia ad indignum mediâ fic nocte cietur
Concilium, dona officii nunquam ante foluta
Ferre nimis facilis, demiffaque flectere genua.
Ceffimus hoc non fponte Uni; nunc afferit Alter,
Servitioque novo premit Ille, prioris Imago.
Quin corda erigimus, docti meliora, jugumque
Excutere audemus? dabitifne volentia turpi
Colla jugo? indecori flectetis genua pavore?
Non ita, fi bene vos novi; vos funditus ipfos
Si nôftis, prifci Indigenæ & celfiffima Proles
Ætheris, æterno quem primi habitâstis ab ævo;
Sin minor adfit honos, Libertas omnibus una est,
Nec Libertati officiunt diverfa locorum
Intervalla gradusque. Ecquis moderamine justo
All Pow'r, and us eclips'd, under the name
Of King anointed: for whom all this hafte
Of midnight-march, and hurry'd meeting here;
This only 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 counfels might erect
Our minds, and teach us to caft off this Yoke?
Will
ye fubmit your necks, and chufe to bend
The fupple knee? Ye will not, if I trust
To know ye right; or if ye know your
Natives and Sons 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 confift.
Who can in reason then, or right, affume
Monarchy over fuch as live by right
Nos teneat fibi jure pares; fi difpare fedis
Et tituli splendore, haud libertate minores?
Quis leges nobis audet dare, lege carentes
Qui nunquam à Recto erramus? Tandem Hiccine noftrum
Se Regem Dominumque palam feret? Hiccine Numen
Audiat, ac titulos noftros & nomina calcet
Regifica infultans; quæ nos juga turpia ferre
Indociles, natofque excelfa ad fceptra fatentur ?
Hactenus audaces nullo obluctante triumphans
Effudit fremitus; mediis quum deinde Seraphum
Abdial ordinibus furgit; quo nemo Supremi
Alta DEI magis adveneratus Juffa, magisve
Numen adorabat: flammâ Pietatis honestâ
Exarfit, reprimitque undantem hâc voce furorem:
Proh turpis furor, & linguæ fcelerata Venena
Sacrilege! quæ nulla unquam fperaverat Auris
Æthereis audiffe plagis, Te nulla vomentem,
Ingrate, ante omnes, cui primi Culmen honoris !
His equals? if in pow'r and splendor lefs,
In freedom equal. Or, can introduce
Law and Edict on us, who without law
Err not? Much lefs, 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 controul
Had audience; when among the Seraphim
Abdiel, than whom none with more zeal ador'd
The Deity, and divine commands obey'd,
Stood up, and in a flame of zeal fevere,
The current of his fury thus oppos'd.
O argument blafphemous, filfe and proud!
Words, which no ear ever to hear in Heav'n
Expected, leaft of all from Thee, ingrate,
In place thy felf fo high above thy Peers.
Canft thou with impious Obloquy condemn
Tune palam opprobriis audes juftum Omnipotentis
Carpere Decretum, fancto quod tradidit ore,
Ipfe fuo jurans, fibi quem generaverat unum,
Deberi Nato imperium; cui genua Cohortes
Curvarent Superorum omnes, quem jure volentes
Acciperent? Hoc Tu quereris malefanus, iniquum
Exclamans, legem fubeant ut libera corda,
Parque pares fupra regnum immortale capeffat.
Tune DEO legem imponas? Tu fortiter Olli
Contendas Libertatis de jure tuendo,
Qui tibi, quicquid habes, folus dedit? Ille cohortes
Æthereas, quales vifum eft fibi condere, finxit,
Limitibus claufas certis. At jura Suorum
Quàm foveat, noftros quàm protegat æquus honores,
Nos dudum experti; quantum averfatur iniquis
Extenuare modis. En! noftræ ut gaudia vitæ
Jam nunc provehere aggreditur, fub Principis almis
Unius aufpiciis.
Quod fi cedamus iniquum
The juft Decree of GoD, pronounc'd, and
fworn ;
That to His only Son, by right indu'd
With regal Sceptre, every Soul in Heav'n
Shall bend the knee, and in that honour due
Confefs him rightful King? Unjuft, thou fay'ft,
Flatly unjust, to bind with Laws the free,
And equal over equals to let reign,
One over all, with unfucceeded pow'r.
With Him the points of liberty, 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?
Yet, by experience taught, we know how good,
And of our good and of our dignity
How provident He is; how far from thought
To make us lefs: bent rather to exalt
Our happy ftate, under one Head more near
Shalt Thou give Law to GOD? fhalt Thou difpute United. But, to grant it thee unjust,
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