i68
��PARADISE LOST
��Prodigious power had shown, and met in
arms
No equal, ranging through the dire attack Of fighting Seraphim confused, at length Saw where the sword of Michael sinote, and felled 250
Squadrons at once: with huge two-handed
sway Brandished aloft, the horrid edge came
down
Wide-wasting. Such destruction to with- stand
He hasted, and opposed the rocky orb Of tenfold adamant, his ample shield, A vast circumference. At his approach The great Archangel from his warlike toil Surceased, and, glad, as hoping hereto end Intestine war in Heaven, the Arch-foe sub- dued,
Or captive dragged in chains, with hostile frown 260
And visage all inflamed, first thus be- gan:
" ' Author of Evil, unknown till thy re- volt, Unnamed in Heaven, now plenteous as thou
seest These acts of hateful strife hateful to
all,
Though heaviest, by just measure, on thy- self
And thy adherents how hast thou dis- turbed Heaven's blessed peace, and into Nature
brought
Misery, uncreated till the crime Of thy rebellion ! how hast thou instilled Thy malice into thousands, once upright And faithful, now proved false ! But think not here 271
To trouble holy rest; Heaven casts thee
out From all her confines; Heaven, the seat 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 !
Ere this avenging sword begin thy doom, Or some more sudden vengeance, winged
from God,
Precipitate thee with augmented pain.' 280 " So spake the Prince of Angels; to whom thus
��The Adversary : ' Nor think thou with
wind Of airy threats to awe whom yet with
deeds Thou canst not. Hast thou turned the
least of these
To flight or, if to fall, but that they rise Unvanquished easier to transact with me That thou shouldst hope, imperious, and
with threats To chase me hence ? Err not that so shall
end The strife which thou call'st evil, but we
style
The strife of glory; which we mean to win, Or turn this Heaven itself into the Hell 291 Thou f ablest; here, however, to dwell free, If not to reign. Meanwhile, thy utmost
force And join Him named Almighty to thy
aid I fly not, but have sought thee far and
nigh.' " They ended parle, and both addressed
for fight Unspeakable; for who, though with the
tongue
Of Angels, can relate, or to what things Liken on Earth conspicuous, that may lift Human imagination to such highth 300
Of godlike power ? for likest gods they
seemed, Stood they or moved, in stature, motion,
arms,
Fit to decide the empire of great Heaven. Now waved their fiery swords, and in the
air Made horrid circles; two broad suns their
shields
Blazed opposite, while Expectation stood In horror; from each hand with speed re- tired, Where erst was thickest fight, the Angelic
throng, And left large field, unsafe within the
wind 309
Of such commotion: such as (to set forth Great things by small) if, Nature's concord
broke,
Among the constellations war were sprung, Two planets, rushing from aspect' malign Of fiercest opposition, in mid sky Should combat, and their jarring spheres
confound. Together both, with next to almighty arm
�� �
