But that I doubt, however witness Heaven,
Heav’n witness thou anon, while we discharge
Freely our part; ye who appointed stand
Do as you have in charge, and briefly touch
What we propound, and loud that all may hear.’
“So scoffing in ambiguous words, he scarce
Had ended when to right and left the front
Divided, and to either flank retired.
Which to our eyes discovered new and strange,
A triple-mounted572 row of pillars laid
On wheels (for like to pillars most they seemed
Or hollowed bodies made of oak or fir
With branches lopped, in wood or mountain felled)
Brass, iron, stony mold576, had not their mouths
With hideous orifice gaped on us wide,
Portending hollow truce; at each behind
A Seraph stood, and in his hand a reed
Stood waving tipped with fire; while we suspense580,
Collected stood within our thoughts amused581,
Not long, for sudden all at once their reeds
Put forth, and to a narrow vent applied
With nicest touch. Immediate in a flame,
But soon585 obscured with smoke, all Heav’n appeared,
From those586 deep-throated engines belched, whose roar
Emboweled with outrageous noise the air,
And all her entrails tore, disgorging foul
Their devilish glut, chained thunderbolts589 and hail
Of iron globes, which on the victor host
Leveled, with such impetuous fury smote,
That whom they hit, none on their feet might stand,
Though standing else as rocks, but down they fell
By thousands, angel on archangel rolled;
The sooner595 for their arms, unarmed they might
Have easily as spirits evaded swift
By quick contraction or remove; but now
Foul dissipation598 followed and forced rout;
Nor599 served it to relax their serried files.
What should they do? If on they rushed, repulse
Repeated, and indecent601 overthrow
Doubled, would render them yet more despised,
And to their foes a laughter603; for in view
Stood ranked of Seraphim another row
In posture to displode605 their second tire
Of thunder: back defeated to return
They worse abhorred. Satan beheld their plight,
And to his mates thus in derision called.
“ ‘O friends, why come not on these victors proud?
Erewhile they fierce were coming, and when we,
To entertain them fair with open front611
And breast, (what could we more?) propounded terms
Of composition, straight they changed their minds,
Flew off,614 and into strange vagaries fell,
As they would dance, yet for a dance they seemed
Somewhat extravagant and wild, perhaps
For joy of offered peace: but I suppose
If our proposals once again were heard
We should compel them to a quick result.’
“To whom thus Belial in like gamesome mood.
‘Leader, the terms we sent were terms of weight,
Of hard contents, and full of force urged home,
Such as we might perceive amused623 them all,
And stumbled many: who receives them right,
Had need from head to foot well understand;
Not understood, this gift they have besides,
They show us when our foes walk not upright.’
“So they among themselves in pleasant vein
Stood scoffing, heightened in their thoughts beyond
All doubt of victory, eternal might
To match with their inventions they presumed
So easy, and of his thunder made a scorn,
And all his host derided, while they stood
A while in trouble; but they stood not long,
Rage prompted them at length, and found them arms635
Against such hellish mischief fit to oppose.
Forthwith (behold the excellence, the power
Which God hath in his mighty angels placed)
Their arms639 away they threw, and to the hills
(For Earth hath this variety from Heav’n
Of pleasure situate in hill and dale)
Light as the lightning glimpse they ran, they flew,
From their foundations loos’ning to and fro
They plucked the seated hills with all their load,
Rocks, waters, woods, and by the shaggy tops
Uplifting bore them in their hands: amaze646,
When coming towards them so dread they saw
The bottom of the mountains upward turned,
Till on those cursèd engines’ triple-row650
They saw them whelmed, and all their confidence
Under the weight of mountains buried deep,
Themselves invaded653 next, and on their heads
Main654 promontories flung, which in the air
Came shadowing, and oppressed655 whole legions armed,
Their armor helped their harm, crushed in and bruised
Into their substance pent657, which wrought them pain
Implacable, and many a dolorous groan,
Long struggling underneath, ere they could wind
Out of such prison, though spirits of purest light,
Purest at first, now gross by sinning grown.
The rest in imitation to like arms
Betook them, and the neighboring hills uptore;
So hills amid the air encountered hills
Hurled to and fro with jaculation665 dire
That underground they fought in dismal shade;
Infernal noise; war seemed a civil game
To this uproar; horrid confusion heaped
Upon confusion rose: and now all Heav’n
Had gone to wrack, with ruin overspread,
Had not th’ almighty Father where he sits
Shrined in his sanctuary of Heav’n secure,
Consulting on the sum of things673, foreseen
This tumult, and permitted all, advised:
That his great purpose he might so fulfill,
To honor his anointed Son avenged
Upon his enemies, and to declare
All power on him transferred: whence to his Son
Th’ assessor679 of his throne he thus began.
“ ‘Effulgence of my glory, Son beloved,
Son in whose face invisible is beheld681
Visibly681, what by deity I am,
And in whose hand what by decree I do,
Second omnipotence684, two days are passed,
Two days, as we compute the days of Heav’n,
Since Michael and his powers went forth to tame
These disobedient; sore hath been their fight,
As likeliest was, when two such foes met armed;
For to themselves I left them, and thou know’st,
Equal in their creation they were formed,
Save what sin hath impaired, which yet hath wrought
Insensibly, for I suspend their doom;
Whence in perpetual fight they needs must last
Endless, and no solution will be found:
War wearied hath performed what war can do,
And to disordered rage let loose the reins,
With mountains as with weapons armed, which makes
Wild work in Heav’n, and dangerous to the main698.
Two days are therefore passed, the third is thine699;
For thee I have ordained it, and thus far
Have suffered701, that the glory may be thine
Of ending this great war, since none but thou
Can end it. Into thee such virtue and grace
Immense I have transfused, that all may know
In Heav’n and Hell thy power above compare,
And this perverse commotion governed thus,
To manifest thee worthiest to be heir707
Of all things707, to be heir and to be King
By sacred unction, thy deservèd right.
Go then thou mightiest in thy Father’s might,
Ascend my chariot, guide the rapid wheels
That shake Heav’n’s basis, bring forth all my war712,
My bow and thunder, my almighty arms
Gird on, and sword upon thy puissant thigh;
Pursue these sons of darkness, drive them out
From all Heav’n’s bounds into the utter716 deep:
There let them learn, as likes them, to despise
God and Messiah his anointed King.’
“He said, and on his Son with rays direct
Shone full,720 he all his Father full expressed
Ineffably into his face received,
And thus the filial Godhead answering spake:
“ ‘O Father, O supreme of Heav’nly thrones,
First, highest, holiest, best, thou always seek’st
To glorify725s thy Son, I always thee,
As is most just; this I my glory account,
My exaltation, and my whole delight,
That thou in me well pleased728, declar’st thy will
Fulfilled, which to fulfill is all my bliss.
Scepter and power, thy giving, I assume,
And gladlier shall resign, when in the end731
Thou shalt be all in all731, and I in thee
Forever, and in me all whom thou lov’st:
But whom thou hat’st, I hate734, and can put on
Thy terrors, as I put thy mildness on,
Image of thee in all things; and shall soon,
Armed with thy might, rid Heav’n of these rebelled,
To their prepared ill mansion738 driven down
To chains of darkness, and th’ undying worm,739
That from thy just obedience could revolt,
Whom to obey is happiness entire.
Then shall thy saints unmixed, and from th’ impure
Far separate, circling thy holy mount
Unfeignèd hallelujahs744 to thee sing,
Hymns of high praise, and I among them chief.’
So said, he o’er his scepter bowing, rose
From the right hand of glory where he sat,
And the third sacred morn began to shine
Dawning through Heav’n: forth749 rushed with whirlwind sound
The chariot of paternal deity,
Flashing thick flames, wheel within wheel undrawn,
Itself instinct with752 spirit, but convoyed
By four cherubic shapes, four faces each
Had wondrous, as with stars their bodies all
And wings were set with eyes, with eyes the wheels
Of beryl756, and careering fires between;
Over their heads a crystal firmament,
Whereon a sapphire throne, inlaid with pure
Amber, and colors of the show’ry arch759.
He in celestial panoply all armed
Of radiant urim761, work divinely wrought,
Ascended, at his right hand Victory762
Sat eagle-winged, beside him hung his bow
And quiver with three-bolted thunder stored,
And from about him fierce effusion rolled
Of smoke and bickering766 flame, and sparkles dire;
Attended with767 ten thousand thousand saints,
He onward came, far off his coming shone,
And twenty thousand (I their number heard)
Chariots of God, half on each hand were seen:
He on771 the wings of Cherub rode sublime
On the crystalline sky, in sapphire throned.
Illustrious773 far and wide, but by his own
First seen, them unexpected joy surprised,
When the great ensign of Messiah blazed
Aloft by angels borne, his sign776 in Heav’n:
Under whose conduct Michael soon reduced777
His army, circumfused on either wing,
Under their head779 embodied all in one.
Before him power divine his way prepared;
At his command the uprooted hills retired
Each to his place, they heard his voice and went
Obsequious, Heav’n his wonted face renewed,
And with fresh flow’rets hill and valley smiled.
This saw his hapless foes but stood obdured785,
And to rebellious fight rallied their powers
Insensate, hope conceiving from despair.
In Heav’nly spirits could such perverseness dwell?
But to convince the proud what signs avail,
Or wonders move th’ obdurate to relent?
They hardened more791 by what might most reclaim,
Grieving to see his glory, at the sight
Took envy, and aspiring to his highth,
Stood re-embattled fierce, by force or fraud
Weening to prosper, and at length prevail
Against God and Messiah, or to fall
In universal ruin last797, and now
To final battle drew, disdaining flight,
Or faint retreat; when the great Son of God
To all his host on either hand thus spake.
“ ‘Stand still in bright array ye saints801, here stand
Ye angels armed, this day from battle rest;
Faithful hath been your warfare, and of God
Accepted, fearless in his righteous cause,
And as ye have received, so have ye done
Invincibly; but of this cursèd crew
The punishment to other hand belongs,
Vengeance808 is his, or whose he sole appoints;
Number to this day’s work is not ordained
Nor multitude, stand only and behold
God’s indignation on these godless poured
By me, not you but me they have despised,
Yet envied; against me is all their rage,
Because the Father, t’ whom in Heav’n supreme
Kingdom and815 power and glory appertains,
Hath honored me according to his will.
Therefore to me their doom he hath assigned;
That they may have their wish, to try with me
In battle which the stronger proves, they all,
Or I alone against them, since by strength
They measure all, of other excellence
Not emulous, nor care who them excels;
Nor other strife with them do I vouchsafe.’
“So spake the Son, and into terror changed
His count’nance too severe to be beheld
And full of wrath bent on his enemies.
At once the Four827 spread out their starry wings
With dreadful shade contiguous828, and the orbs
Of his fierce chariot rolled, as with the sound
Of torrent floods, or of a numerous host.
He on his impious foes right onward831 drove,
Gloomy as night; under his burning wheels
The steadfast empyrean shook throughout,833
All but the throne itself of God833. Full soon
Among them he arrived; in his right hand
Grasping ten thousand thunders, which he sent
Before him, such as in their souls infixed
Plagues838; they astonished all resistance lost,
All courage; down their idle weapons dropped;
O’er shields840 and helms, and helmèd heads he rode
Of Thrones and mighty Seraphim prostrate,
That wished842 the mountains now might be again
Thrown on them as a shelter from his ire.
Nor less on either side tempestuous fell
His arrows, from the fourfold-visaged Four,
Distinct846 with ey
es, and from the living wheels
Distinct alike with multitude of eyes;
One spirit in them ruled, and every eye
Glared lightning, and shot forth pernicious849 fire
Among th’ accursed, that withered all their strength,
And of their wonted vigor left them drained,
Exhausted, spiritless, afflicted, fall’n.
Yet half his strength he put not forth, but checked
His thunder in mid-volley, for he meant
Not to destroy, but root them out of Heav’n:
The overthrown he raised, and as a herd
Of goats857 or timorous flock together thronged
Drove them before him thunderstruck, pursued
With terrors and with furies to the bounds
And crystal wall of Heav’n, which op’ning wide,
Rolled inward861, and a spacious gap disclosed
Into the wasteful862 deep; the monstrous sight
Strook them with horror backward, but far worse
Urged them behind; headlong themselves they threw
Down from the verge of Heav’n; eternal wrath
Burnt after them to the bottomless pit.
“Hell heard th’ unsufferable noise, Hell saw
Heav’n ruining868 from Heav’n and would have fled
Affrighted; but strict fate869 had cast too deep
Her dark foundations, and too fast had bound.
Nine days they fell871; confounded Chaos roared,
And felt tenfold confusion in their fall
Through his wild anarchy, so huge a rout873
“headlong themselves they threw / Down from the verge of Heav’n” (6.864–65). (illustration credit 6.1)
Encumbered him with ruin: Hell at last874
Yawning received them whole, and on them closed874,
Hell their fit habitation fraught with fire
Unquenchable, the house of woe and pain.
Disburdened Heav’n rejoiced, and soon repaired
Her mural breach, returning whence it rolled.
Sole victor from th’ expulsion of his foes
Messiah his triumphal chariot turned:
To meet him all his saints, who silent stood
Eye-witnesses of his almighty acts,
With jubilee884 advanced; and as they went,
Shaded with branching palm885, each order bright
Sung triumph, and him sung victorious King,
Son, Heir, and Lord, to him dominion giv’n,
Worthiest to reign: he celebrated rode
Triumphant through mid-Heav’n, into the courts
And temple of his mighty Father throned
On high: who into glory him received,
Where now he sits at the right hand892 of bliss.
“Thus measuring things in Heav’n by things on Earth
At thy request, and that thou may’st beware
By what is past, to thee I have revealed