Beft with the beft, the fender, not the fent,

Or all at once;

more glory will be won,

Or lefs be loft.

855

Thy fear, faid Zephon bold,
Will fave us trial what the leaft can do
Single against thee wicked, and thence weak.
The fiend reply'd not, overcome with rage;
But like a proud fteed rein'd, went haughty on,
Champing his iron curb; to ftrive or fly
He held it vain; awe from above had quell'd
His heart, not elfe difmay'd. Now drew they nigh
The western point, where thofe half-rounding guards
Juft met, and clofing flood in fquadron join'd,
Awaiting next command. To whom their chief,
Gabriel, from the front thus call'd aloud:

O friends, I hear the tread of nimble feet
Hafting this way, and now by glimpfe difcern
Ithuriel and Zephon through the shade;
And with them comes a third of regal port,
But faded fplendor wan; who by his gait
And fierce demeanour feems the prince of hell,
Not likely to part hence without contest
Stand firm, for in his look defiance lours.

;

860

865

870

He fcarce had ended, when those two approach'd, And brief related whom they brought, where found, 875 How bufied, in what form and pofture couch'd.

To whom with ftern regard thus Gabriel spake:
Why haft thou, Satan, broke the bounds prescrib'd
To thy tranfgreffions, and difturb'd the charge
Of others, who approve not to tranfgrefs
By thy example, but have pow'r and right
To queftion thy bold entrance on this place;
Employ'd, it seems, to violate fleep, and thofe
Whofe dwelling God hath planted here in blifs?
To whom thus Satan, with contemptuous brow:
Gabriel, thou hadst in heav'n th' esteem of wife,
And fuch I held thee; but this question ask’d ̧

880

: 835

Puts me in doubt. Lives there who loves his pain? Who would not, finding way, break loose from hell, Though thither doom'd? Thou wouldst thyfelf, no doubt, And boldly venture to whatever place 891 Fartheft from pain, where thou might'it hope to change Torment with cafe, and fooneft recompenfe

Dole with delight, which in this place I fought;

To thee no reason, who know'st only good,

895

But evil haft not try'd and wilt object

His will who bound us? let him furer bar

His iron gates, if he intends our stay

In that dark durance: thus much what was ask’d.

The rest is true, they found me where they say ;
But that implies not violence or harm.

Thus he in fcorn. The warlike angel mov'd,,
Difdainfully half smiling thus reply'd :
O loss of one in heav'n to judge of wife,
Since Satan fell, whom folly overthrew,
And now returns him from his prison scap'd,
Gravely in doubt whether to hold them wife
Or not, who afk what boldness brought him hither
Unlicens'd from his bounds in hell prescrib'd;
So wife he judges it to fly from pain

However, and to fcape his punishment.

905

910

So judge thou ftill, presumptuous! till the wrath,
Which thou incurr'ft by flying, meet thy flight
Sev'nfold, and fcourge that wifdom back to hell,
Which taught thee yet no better, that no pain
Can equal anger infinite provok'd.

915

But wherefore thou alone? wherefore with thee
Came not all hell broke loofe? is pain to them
Lefs pain, lefs to be fled? or thou than they
Lefs hardy to endure? courageous chief,
The first in flight from pain, hadft thou alleg'd
To thy deferted hoft this caufe of flight,
Thou furely hadft not come fole fugitive.

920

925

To which the fiend thus anfwer'd, frowning ftern;

Not that I lefs endure, or shrink from pain,

Infulting angel; well thou know'ft I ftood
Thy fierceft, when in battle to thy aid
The blafting vollied thunder made all speed,
And feconded thy elfe not dreaded spear.
But ftill thy words at random, as before,
Argue thy inexperience what behoves
From hard affays and ill fucceffes paft

930

A faithful leader, not to hazard all

Through ways of danger by himself untry'd :

I therefore, I alone firft undertook

935

To wing the desolate abyfs, and spy

This new-created world, whereof in hell
Fame is not filent; here in hope to find
Better abode, and my afflicted pow'rs
To fettle here on earth, or in mid-air ;:
Though for poffeffion put to try once more
What thou and thy gay legions dare against;
Whose easier business were to ferve their Lord

940

High up in heav'n, with fongs to hymn his throne,

And practis'd diftances to cringe, not fight.

945

To whom the warrior angel foon reply'd:

To fay and ftrait unfay, pretending firft.

Wife to fly pain, profeffing next the spy,

Argues no leader, but a liar trac'd,

Satan; and couldft thou faithful add? O name,

950

O facred name of faithfulness profan'd!

Faithful to whom? to thy rebellious crew?

Army of fiends; fit body to fit head.

Was this your discipline, and faith engag'd,
Your military obedience, to diffolve
Allegiance to th' acknowledg'd Pow'r fupreme?
And thou, fly hypocrite, who now wouldft feem
Patron of liberty, who more than thou

Once fawn'd, and cring'd, and fervilely ador'd...

9555

Heav'n's awful Monarch? wherefore, but in hope 960 To difpoffefs him, and thyfelf to reign?

But mark what I arreed thee now: Avant!
Fly thither whence thou fled'st: if from this hour
Within these hallow'd limits thou appear,
Back to th' infernal pit I drag thee chain'd,
And feal thee fo, as henceforth not to fcorn
The facile gates of hell too flightly barr'd.

965

So threaten'd he; but Satan to no threats
Gave heed, but waxing more in rage, reply'd ::
Then when I am thy captive talk of chains,.
Proud limitary Cherub; but ere then
Far heavier load thyfelf expect to feel

970

975

From my prevailing arm; though heav'n's King
Ride on thy wings, and thou with thy compeers,
Us'd to the yoke, draw'st his triumphant wheels
In progress through the road of heav'n ftar-pav'd.
While thus he fpake, th' angelick fquadron bright
Turn'd fiery red, fharp'ning in mooned horns
Their phalanx, and began to hem him round
With ported spears; as thick as when a field
Of Ceres ripe for harvest waving bends
Her bearded grove of ears, which way the wind
Sways them; the careful ploughman doubting ftands,
Left on the threshing-floor his hopeful fheaves
Prove chaff. On th' other fide, Satan alarm❜d,
Collecting all his might, dilated flood,,

Like Teneriff or Atlas unremov❜d:

980

98

L. 980. —As thick as when a field, &c.] It is familiar with the poets to compare an army with their fpears and fwords, to a field of standing corn. Homer has a fimile much of the fame nature, comparing the motions of the army, after Agamemnon's speech, the waving of the ears of corn. Iliad II. 147. Newton.

to

L. 987. Like Teneriff or Atlas unremov'd.] Mr. Hume fays, that the Peak of Teneriff is 15 miles high; and Mr. Richardson afferts, that it is 45 miles perpendicular, if that be not a false print, 45 for 15: But the utmost that we can suppose, is, that it is 15 miles from the very first afcent of the hill, till you come through the various turnings and windings to the top of all; for I have been affured from

His ftature reach'd the fky, and on his creft
Sat horror plum'd; nor wanted in his grasp

What seem'd both fpear and fhield. Now dreadful deeds
Might have enfu'd, nor only Paradise

In this commotion, but the starry cope

Of heav'n perhaps, or all the elements,

At least had gone to wrack, difturb'd and torn
With violence of this conflict, had not soon
Th' Eternal, to prevent fuch horrid fray,-
Hung forth in Heav'n his golden fcales, yet feen
Betwixt Aftræa and the Scorpion fign,
Wherein all things created first he weigh'd,.
The pendulous round earth with balanc'd air
In counterpoife, now ponders all events,
Battles and realms in thefe he put two weights,
The fequel each of parting and of fight;.
The latter quick up flew, and kick'd the beam ;
Which Gabriel spying, thus befpake.the fiend:

991

9955

10009

1005;

Satan, I know thy ftrength, and thou know'ft mine ;; Neither our own, but given: what folly then To boaft what arms can do? fince thine no more: Than heav'n permits; nor mine, though doubled now. To trample thee as mire: for proof look up, And read thy lot in yon celeftial fign,

1010

[weak,

Where thou art weigh'd, and' fhown how light, how
If thou refift. The fiend look'd u
up, and knew.
His mounted scale aloft: nor more; but fled.

Murm'ring, and with him fled the shades of night. 1015.

a gentleman who measured it, that the perpendicular height of it is no more than one mile and three quarters. Newton.

L. 996. Th' Eterual, to prevent fuch horrid fray.] The breaking off the combat between Gabriel and Satan, by the hanging out of the golden fcales in heaven, is a refinement upon Homer's thought, who tells us, that before the battle between Hector and Achilles, Jupiter weighed the event of it in a pair of fcales. The reader may fee the whole paffage in the 22d. Iliad. Addifen.

L. 998. Aftrea.] Lat. i. c. aftar. The daughter of Jupiter and Themis, and goddess of justice.

End of Book FOURTH.