Fonsque Paterque Mali, cernis quo turbine bella,
Nec fuperas memorata priùs nec nota per oras,
Te fervent auctore, invifa atque afpera cunctis,
Sorte tibi meritâ miferifque afperrima turmis.
Ut placidam Superûm pacem fedesque beatas
Turbâfti ferus! Ut Naturam indigna gementem
Prole novâ attonitam laceras! Ut millia quondam
Fidorum infido vitiafti corda veneno!
At fanctæ haud iterum fperes difperdere pacis
Otia; Te cœlum extirpans agit omnibus oris,
Pacis amica domus cœlum; nec tristia litis
Murmura, nec patitur truculenti verbera belli.
Hinc age; Teque Malum, Sanguis tuus, ufque fequatur
Tartareas fua regna domos: ibi jurgia rauca
Mifcebis, dirâ fremitum ingeminante Catervâ.
Vade priùs, gladio ultrici quàm persequar, aut quàm
Ipfius ira DEI rapido te turbine volvat
Præcipitem, ftimulifque furens immanibus angat.
Author of evil, unknown 'till thy revolt,
Unnam'd in Heav'n, now plenteous, as thou feeft
Thefe Acts of hateful ftrife; hateful to all,
Though heaviest by just measure on thy felf,
And thy adherents: how haft thou disturb'd
Heav'n's bleffed peace, and into Nature brought
Mifery, uncreated 'till the crime
Of thy Rebellion? how haft thou inftill'd
Thy malice into thousands, once upright
To trouble holy Reft: Heav'n cafts thee out
From all her confines: Heav'n, the feat of bliss,
Brooks not the works of violence and war.
Hence then, and Evil go with thee along,
Thy offspring, to the place of Evil, Hell;
Thou and thy wicked Crew: there mingle broils;
E'er this avenging Sword begin thy doom;
Or fome more fudden Vengeance wing'd from
GOD
And faithful, now prov'd falfe? But think not here Precipitate thee with augmented pain.
Vix ea Cælicolûm Princeps; cum talia contra
Hoftis atrox: Ne me vanis terrere minarum
Flatibus incaffum fperes, quem Dextera nunquam
Terruit. Ergo fugâ indecori, Te urgente, meorum
Terga dedit minimus? Siqui cecidere, refurgunt
Indomiti. Meque ampullis & fulmine inani
Verborum turbare putas? Spes mitte protervas.
Haud ita fe dirimet, quam Tu mentitus iniquam
Appellas, bene nos titulo dignamur honesto,
Lis augufta, ingens. Palmam aut referemus ovantes,
Viribus aut cœlum hoc noftris vertemus in ifta
Tartara, quæ vanus memoras: hic candida faltem
Libertas aderit, fi non & regna fequantur.
Vim dextræ interea veftræ, quæ maxima, (& Illum
Adfcifcas, falfò omnipotens qui dicier ambit)
Non fugimus: quin dudum avidi quæfivimus ultro.
Finierant. Pugnæ extemplo fe accingit uterque
Infandæ : nam quî terrenis talia cœptis
So fpake the Prince of Angels: to whom thus
The Adverfary: nor think thou with wind
Of airy threats to awe, whom yet with deeds
Thou canst not. Haft thou turn'd the least of these
To flight? or if to fall, but that they rife
Unvanquish'd; eafier to tranfact with me
That ftrife which thou call'ft evil, but we style
The ftrife of Glory: which we mean to win,
Or turn this Heav'n it felf into the Hell
Thou fableft; here however to dwell free,
If not to reign: mean while thy utmost force,
And join Him nam'd Almighty to thy aid,
That thou shouldft hope, imperious, and with I fly not; but have fought thee far, and nigh.
To chafe me hence? Err not that fo fhall end
They ended parle; and both address for fight Unfpeakable: for who, though with the tongue
Affimilem? linguæ quâ vi, quo pingeret aptè
Eloquio Vox ipforum facunda Seraphum ?
Magnos tanta Duces infigniit æmula Virtus
Divinæ procero habitu geftuque minaci
Ambo Diis fimiles, armis cœleftibus Ambo
Induti, dignique manu qui maxima cœli
Imperia affererent. Tum defuper igne corufco
Undantes gladii gyros fublime dederunt
Terrificos, geminique adverfo lumine foles
Fulfere Umbones. Juxta imminet anxius Horror
Eventum grandem expectans: divisa recedit
Hinc atque hinc Superorum Acies, vel turbinis auram
Formidans; belli rabies quà afperrima dudum
Sæviit, ingenti nunc panditur area campo.
Non fecus ac (parva ut liceat componere magnis)
Fœdere Naturæ rupto si sidera pugnent
Sideribus, geminique adverfà fronte Planetæ
Æthere concurrant medio, vultufque malignos
Of Angels, can relate? or to what things
Liken on Earth confpicuous, that may lift
Human imagination to fuch height
Of Godlike Pow'r? For likeft Gods they feem'd,
Stood they, or mov'd; in ftature, motion, arms,
Fit to decide the Empire of great Heav'n.
Now wav'd their fiery Swords, and in the Air
Made horrid Circles; two broad Suns their
Shields
Blaz'd oppofite, while Expectation stood
In horror: from each hand with speed retir'd,
Where erft was thickeft fight, th' Angelic throng,
And left large field, unfafe within the wind
Of fuch commotion: fuch as to fet forth
Great things by fmall, if Nature's concord broke,
Among the Conftellations war were sprung,
Two Planets, rushing from aspect malign
Of fierceft oppofition, in mid sky
Incendant, trepidofque impingant orbibus orbes.
Jamque utriufque manus fublata (armavit utramque
Vis pæne omnipotens) altè minitata superbo
Impete vulnus atrox, plagâ quod fimplice pugnam
Finiret. Vigilique oculo fortique lacerto
Ambo pares: valido fed præftitit ense Michaal;
Ipfa DEI hunc dederant Armamentaria, mirâ
Materie fabricatum opus, ut nec acuta ruenti
Nec folida obftarent: Satana ruit acer in ensem
Declivi venientem acie, mediumque refringit;
Nec mora, quin celeri redit orbe rotatus, & Ipsum
Tranfadigit, dextrumque latus mucrone recludit.
Tum primùm Satanas acrem fenfiffe dolorem
Teftatus, tortufque fremens huc flexit & illuc
Obliquos; tam diro immanis vulnere mucro
Hauferat: at coitu fubito miroque recurfu
Protinus æthereæ rediere in priftina partes.
Sed vafto erumpens manârat rivus hiatu
Should combat, and their jarring fpheres con-
found.
Together both with next to Almighty Arm
Uplifted imminent, one ftroke they aim'd
That might determine, and not need repeat,
As not of pow'r at once: nor odds appear'd
In might, or swift prevention: but the fword
Of Michael, from the Armory of GoD
Was giv'n him temper'd fo, that neither keen
Nor folid might refift that edge. It met
The Sword of Satan, with steep force to smite
Descending, and in half cut sheer; nor staid,
But with fwift wheel reverfe, deep entring, fhar'd
All his right fide. Then Satan first knew pain,
And writh'd him to and fro convolv'd; fo fore
The griding fword with discontinuous wound
Pafs'd thro' him: but th' Ethereal fubftance clos'd,
Not long divifible; and from the gafh
Nectareus, qualis Cæleftibus effluit humor,
Sanguinis in morem, radiantiaque inquinat arma.
Undique ad auxilium concurfum eft: multa potentum
Feftinat Procerum manus, immenfaque coronâ
Circumftant regale latus; Pars deinde levatum
Subjectis referunt scutis, curruque reponunt
Bellantum procul ordinibus trepidoque tumultu.
Ille autem horrendum frendens torquetur; adurit
Cordis ad ima Pudor, miftoque Infania Luctu.
Vim fibi non prorfum indomitam, oftentataque tela
Jam contufa videt; feque Omnipotente minorem
Indignans, ftomacho multum obluctante, fatetur.
At cito convaluit; cunctis nam partibus æquè
Æthereas infufa Animas agit integra Vita,
Non, Hominum ritu, cerebrum, renes, jecur aut cor
Fixa tenet: neque enim pereunt, ni forte recedant
In nihilum, nec texto unquam lethale fluenti
Excipiunt vulnus; divulfæ & fponte recurrunt
A ftream of nectarous humor iffuing flow'd,
Sanguin, fuch as celeftial Spirits may bleed,
And all his Armour ftain'd, e'er while fo bright.
Forthwith on all fides to his aid was run
By Angels many and ftrong, who interpos'd
Defense; while others bore him on their fhields
Back to his chariot, where it stood retir'd
From off the files of war: there they him laid
Gnafhing for anguifh and defpite and shame
To find himself not matchlefs, and his pride
Humbled by fuch rebuke, fo far beneath
His confidence to equal GoD in pow'r.
Yet foon he heal'd; for Spirits that live through-
Vital in every part, not as frail Man
In Entrails, Heart or Head, Liver, or Reins,
Cannot but by annihilating die:
Nor in their liquid textue mortal wound
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