The Complete Poetry of John Milton (93 page)

   580     
Stood waving tipt with fire; while we suspense,
³⁶

               
Collected stood within our thoughts amus’d,
³⁷

               
Not long, for sudden all at once thir Reeds

               
Put forth, and to a narrow vent appli’d

               
With nicest
³⁸
touch. Immediate in a flame,

   585     
But soon obscur’d with smoak, all Heav’n appeerd,

               
From those deep-throated Engins belcht, whose roar

               
Emboweld
³⁹
with outragious noise the Air,

               
And all her entrails tore, disgorging foul

               
Thir devilish glut, chaind Thunderbolts and Hail

   590     
Of Iron Globes, which on the Victor Host

               
Level’d, with such impetuous furie smote,

               
That whom they hit, none on thir feet might stand,

               
Though standing else as Rocks, but down they fell

               
By thousands, Angel on Arch-Angel rowl’d;

   595     
The sooner for thir Arms, unarm’d they might

               
Have easily as Spirits evaded swift

               
By quick contraction or remove; but now

               
Foul dissipation follow’d and forc’t rout;

               
Nor serv’d it to relax thir serried files.

   600     
What should they do? if on they rusht, repulse

               
Repeated, and indecent overthrow

               
Doubl’d, would render them yet more despis’d,

               
And to thir foes a laughter; for in view

               
Stood rankt of Seraphim another row

   605     
In posture to displode thir second tire
⁴⁰

               
Of Thunder: back defeated to return

               
They worse abhorr’d.
Satan
beheld thir plight,

               
And to his Mates thus in derision call’d.

           
      
       
O Friends, why come not on these Victors proud?

   610     
Ere while they fierce were coming, and when wee,

               
To entertain them fair with open Front

               
And Brest (what could we more?), propounded terms

               
Of composition,
⁴¹
strait they chang’d thir minds,

               
Flew off, and into strange vagaries fell,

   615     
As they would dance, yet for a dance they seemd

               
Somwhat extravagant and wild, perhaps

               
For joy of offerd peace: but I suppose

               
If our proposals once again were heard

               
We should compel them to a quick result.

   620  
      
       To whom thus
Belial
in like gamesom mood.

               
Leader, the terms we sent were terms of weight,

               
Of hard contents, and full of force urg’d home,

               
Such as we might perceive amus’d them all,

               
And stumbl’d many, who receives them right,

   625     
Had need from head to foot well understand;

               
Not understood, this gift they have besides,

               
They shew us when our foes walk not upright.

           
      
       So they among themselves in pleasant vein

               
Stood scoffing, highth’n’d in thir thoughts beyond

   630     
All doubt of Victorie, eternal might

               
To match with thir inventions they presum’d

               
So easie, and of his Thunder made a scorn,

               
And all his Host derided, while they stood

               
A while in trouble; but they stood not long,

   635     
Rage prompted them at length, and found them arms

               
Against such hellish mischief fit t’ oppose.

               
Forthwith (behold the excellence, the power

               
Which God hath in his mighty Angels plac’d)

               
Thir Arms away they threw, and to the Hills

   640     
(For Earth hath this variety from Heav’n

               
Of pleasure situate in Hill and Dale)

               
Light as the Lightning glimps they ran, they flew,

               
From thir foundations loosning to and fro

               
They pluckt the seated Hills with all thir load,

   645     
Rocks, Waters, Woods, and by the shaggie tops

               
Up lifting bore them in thir hands:
⁴²
Amaze,

               
Be sure, and terrour seis’d the rebel Host,

               
When coming towards them so dread they saw

               
The bottom of the Mountains upward turn’d,

   650     
Till on those cursed Engins triple-row

               
They saw them whelm’d, and all thir confidence

               
Under the weight of Mountains buried deep,

               
Themselves invaded next, and on thir heads

               
Main Promontories flung, which in the Air

   655     
Came shadowing, and opprest whole Legions arm’d,

               
Thir armor help’d thir harm, crush’t in and bruis’d

               
Into thir substance pent, which wrought them pain

               
Implacable, and many a dolorous groan,

               
Long strugling underneath, ere they could wind

   660     
Out of such prison, though Spirits of purest light,

               
Purest at first, now gross by sinning grown.

               
The rest in imitation to like Armes

               
Betook them, and the neighbouring Hills uptore;

               
So Hills amid the Air encounterd Hills

   665     
Hurl’d to and fro with jaculation dire,

               
That under ground they fought in dismal shade;

               
Infernal noise; Warr seem’d a civil
⁴³
Game

               
To this uproar; horrid confusion heapt

               
Upon confusion rose: and now all Heav’n

   670     
Had gon to wrack, with ruin overspred,

               
Had not th’ Almightie Father where he sits

               
Shrin’d in his Sanctuarie of Heav’n secure,

               
Consulting on the sum of things, foreseen

               
This tumult, and permitted all, advis’d:
⁴⁴

   675     
That his great purpose he might so fulfill,

               
To honour his Anointed Son aveng’d

               
Upon his enemies, and to declare

               
All power on him transferr’d: whence to his Son

               
Th’ Assessor
⁴⁵
of his Throne he thus began.

   680  
      
       Effulgence of my Glorie, Son belov’d,

               
Son in whose face invisible is beheld

               
Visibly, what by Deitie I am,

               
And in whose hand what by Decree I doe,

               
Second Omnipotence, two dayes are past,

   685     
Two dayes, as we compute the dayes of Heav’n,

               
Since
Michael
and his Powers went forth to tame

               
These disobedient; sore hath been thir fight,

               
As likeliest was, when two such Foes met arm’d;

               
For to themselves I left them, and thou knowst,

   690     
Equal in their Creation they were form’d,

               
Save what sin hath impaird, which yet hath wrought

               
Insensibly, for I suspend thir doom;

               
Whence in perpetual fight they needs must last

               
Endless, and no solution will be found:

   695     
Warr wearied hath perform’d what Warr can do,

               
And to disorder’d rage let loose the reins,

               
With Mountains as with Weapons arm’d, which makes

               
Wild work in Heav’n, and dangerous to the main.

               
Two dayes are therefore past, the third is thine;

   700     
For thee I have ordain’d it, and thus farr

               
Have sufferd, that the Glorie may be thine

               
Of ending this great Warr, since none but Thou

               
Can end it. Into thee such Vertue and Grace

               
Immense I have transfus’d, that all may know

   705     
In Heav’n and Hell thy Power above compare,

               
And this perverse Commotion governd thus,

               
To manifest thee worthiest to be Heir

               
Of all things, to be Heir and to be King

               
By Sacred Unction,
⁴⁶
thy deserved right.

   710     
Go then thou Mightiest in thy Fathers might,

               
Ascend my Chariot, guide the rapid Wheels

               
That shake Heav’ns basis, bring forth all my Warr,

               
My Bow and Thunder, my Almightie Arms

               
Gird on, and Sword upon thy puissant Thigh;

   715     
Pursue these sons of Darkness, drive them out

               
From all Heav’ns bounds into the utter Deep:

               
There let them learn, as likes them, to despise

               
God and
Messiah
his anointed King.

           
      
       He said, and on his Son with Rayes direct

   720     
Shon full, he all his Father full exprest

               
Ineffably into his face receiv’d,

               
And thus the filial Godhead answering spake.

           
      
       O Father, O Supream of heav’nly Thrones,

               
First, Highest, Holiest, Best, thou alwayes seekst

   725     
To glorifie thy Son, I alwayes thee,

               
As is most just; this I my Glorie account,

               
My exaltation, and my whole delight,

               
That thou in me well pleas’d, declarst thy will

               
Fulfill’d, which to fulfil is all my bliss.

   730     
Scepter and Power, thy giving, I assume,

               
And gladlier shall resign, when in the end

               
Thou shalt be All in All,
⁴⁷
and I in thee

               
For ever, and in mee all whom thou lov’st:

               
But whom thou hat’st, I hate, and can put on

   735     
Thy terrors, as I put thy mildness on,

               
Image of thee in all things; and shall soon,

               
Armd with thy might, rid heav’n of these rebell’d,

               
To thir prepar’d ill Mansion driven down

               
To chains of darkness, and th’ undying Worm,
⁴⁸