652
By living3592 streams among the trees of life,
653
Pavilions3593 numberless, and sudden reared,
654
Celestial tabernacles3594 where they slept,
655
Fanned with cool winds, save those who, in their course, 3595
656
Melodious hymns about the sov’reign throne
657
Alternate all night long. But not so waked
658
Satan—so call him now, his former name
659
Is heard no more in Heav’n. He of 3596 the first,
660
If not the first Arch-Angel, great in power,
661
In favor and pre-eminence, yet fraught3597
662
With envy against the Son of God, that day
663
Honored by his great Father, and proclaimed
664
Messiah, King anointed, could not bear
665
Through pride that sight, and thought himself impaired.3598
666
Deep malice thence conceiving, and disdain,
667
Soon as midnight brought on the dusky hour
668
Friendliest to sleep and silence, he resolved
669
With all his legions to dislodge, 3599 and leave
670
Unworshipped, unobeyed, the throne supreme,
671
Contemptuous. And his next subordinate3600
672
Awak’ning, thus to him in secret spoke:
673
“‘Sleep’st thou, companion dear? What sleep can close
674
Thy eye-lids, and 3601 rememb’rest what decree
675
Of yesterday, so late hath passed the lips
676
Of Heav’n’s Almighty? Thou to me thy thoughts
677
Wast wont,3602 I mine to thee was wont t’ impart.3603
678
Both waking, 3604 we were one. How then can now
679
Thy sleep dissent?3605 New laws thou see’st imposed:
680
New laws from Him who reigns, new minds may raise
681
In us who serve, new counsels to debate
682
What doubtful may ensue. More in this place
683
To utter is not safe. Assemble thou
684
Of all those myriads3606 which we lead the chief.3607
685
Tell them that by command, ere yet dim night
686
Her shadowy cloud withdraws, I am to haste, 3608
687
And all who under me their banners wave,
688
Homeward, with flying3609 march, where we possess3610
689
The quarters3611 of the North, there to prepare
690
Fit entertainment to receive our King,
691
The great Messiah, and his new commands,
692
Who speedily through all the hierarchies3612
693
Intends to pass triumphant, and give laws.
694
“So spoke the false Arch-Angel, and infused 3613
695
Bad influence3614 into th’ unwary breast
696
Of his associate. He3615 together calls,
697
Or several 3616 one by one, 3617 the regent 3618 Powers
698
Under him Regent;3619 tells, as he was taught,
699
That the Most High commanding, now ere night,
700
Now ere dim night had disincumbered 3620 Heav’n,
701
The great hierarchal standard3621 was to move;
702
Tells the suggested cause, and casts between
703
Ambiguous words and jealousies, to sound 3622
704
Or taint 3623 integrity. But all obeyed
705
The wonted 3624 signal and superior voice3625
706
Of their great Potentate, 3626 for great indeed
707
His name, and high was his degree3627 in Heav’n.
708
His count’nance, as the morning-star that guides
709
The starry flock, allured 3628 them, and with lies
710
Drew after him the third part of Heav’n’s host.
711
Meanwhile th’ Eternal eye, whose sight discerns
712
Abstrusest 3629 thoughts, from forth His holy mount
713
And from within the golden lamps that burn
714
Nightly before Him, saw without their light
715
Rebellion rising, saw in whom, how spread
716
Among the sons of morn, what multitudes
717
Were banded to oppose His high decree
718
And, smiling, to His only Son thus said:
719
“‘Son, thou in whom my glory I behold
720
In full resplendence, heir of all my might,
721
Nearly 3630 it now concerns us to be sure
722
Of our omnipotence, and with what arms
723
We mean to hold what anciently 3631 we claim
724
Of deity or empire. Such a foe
725
Is rising who intends t’ erect his throne
726
Equal to ours, throughout the spacious North,
727
Nor so content, hath in his thought to try
728
In battle what our power is, or our right.
729
Let us advise, 3632 and to this hazard 3633 draw
730
With speed what force is left, and all employ
731
In our defence, lest unawares we lose
732
This our high place, our sanctuary, our hill.
733
To whom the Son with calm aspect and clear,
734
Ligh’tning divine, ineffable, 3634 serene,
735
Made answer:
‘Mighty Father, Thou Thy foe
736
Justly hast in derision and, secure, 3635
737
Laugh’st at their vain designs and tumults3636 vain,
738
Matter to me of glory, whom their hate
739
Illustrates,3637 when they see all regal power
740
Giv’n me, to quell 3638 their pride, 3639 and in event3640
741
Know whether I be dextrous3641 to subdue
742
Thy rebels, or be found the worst in Heav’n.
743
“So spoke the Son. But Satan, with his Powers,
744
Far was advanced on3642 wingèd speed, an host
745
Innumerable3643 as the stars of night,
746
Or stars of morning, dew-drops, which the sun
747
Impearls on every leaf and every flower.
748
Regions they passed, the mighty regencies
749
Of Seraphim, and Potentates, and Thrones
750
In their triple degrees3644 —regions to which
751
All thy dominion, Adam, is no more
752
Than what this garden is to all the earth
753
And all the sea, from one entire globose3645
754
Stretched into longitude3646 —which, having passed,
755
At length into the limits3647 of the North
756
They came. And Satan to his royal seat
757
High on a hill, far blazing, as a mount
758
Raised on a mount, with pyramids and tow’rs
759
From diamond quarries hewn, and rocks of gold,
760
The palace of great Lucifer (so call
761
That structure, in the dialect of men
762
Interpreted)3648 which, not long after, he
763
(Affecting all equality with God)
764
In imitation of that mount whereon
765
Messiah was declared, in sight of Heav’n,
766
The Mountain of the Congregation called,
767
For thither he assembled all his train,
768
Pretending3649 so commanded to consult
769
About the great reception of their King,
770
Thither to come, and with calumnious3650 art
771
Of counterfeited truth thus held their ears:
772
“‘Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers—
773
If these magnific titles yet remain
774
Not merely titular, 3651 since by decree
775
Another now hath to himself engrossed 3652
776
All power, and us eclipsed under the name
777
Of King anointed, for whom all this haste
778
Of midnight-march and hurried meeting here,
779
This only to consult how we may best,
780
With what may be devised of honors new,
781
Receive him coming to receive from us
782
Knee-tribute yet unpaid, prostration vile!
783
Too much to one! But double how endured,
784
To one and to His image3653 now proclaimed?
785
But what if better counsels might erect 3654
786
Our minds, and teach us to cast off this yoke?
787
Will ye submit your necks, and choose to bend
788
The supple knee? Ye will not, if I trust
789
To know ye right, or if ye know yourselves
790
Natives and sons of Heav’n, possessed before
791
By none, and if not equal all, yet free,
792
Equally free, for orders and degrees
793
Jar not with liberty, but well consist.3655
794
Who can in reason, then, or right, assume
795
Monarchy over such as live by right
796
His equals, if in power and splendor less,
797
In freedom equal? Or can introduce
798
Law and edict on us, who without law
799
Err not? Much less for this to be our Lord
800
And look for adoration, to th’ abuse3656
801
Of those imperial titles which assert
802
Our being ordained to govern, not to serve.
803
“Thus far his bold discourse without control3657
804
Had audience, when among the Seraphim
805
Abdiel,3658 than whom none with more zeal adored
806
The Deity, and divine commands obeyed,
807
Stood up, and in a flame of zeal severe3659
808
The current 3660 of his fury thus opposed:
809
“‘O argument blasphemous, false, and proud!
810
Words which no ear ever to hear in Heav’n
811
Expected, least of all from thee, ingrate,
812
In place thyself so high above thy peers.
813
Canst thou with impious obloquy3661 condemn
814
The just decree of God, pronounced and sworn,
815
That to His only Son, by right endued3662
816
With regal scepter, every soul in Heav’n
817
Shall bend the knee, and in that honor due3663
818
Confess3664 him rightful King? Unjust, thou say’st,
819
Flatly unjust, to bind with laws the free,
820
And equal over equals to let reign,
821
One over all with unsucceeded 3665 power.
822
Shalt thou give law to God? Shalt thou dispute
823
With Him the points of liberty, who made
824
Thee what thou art, and formed the Powers of Heav’n
825
Such as He pleased, and circumscribed3666 their being?
826
Yet, by experience taught, we know how good,
827
And of our good and of our dignity
828
How provident 3667 He is, how far from thought
829
To make us less, bent3668 rather to exalt
830
Our happy state, under one head more near3669
831
United. But to grant it thee unjust3670
832
That equal over equals monarch reign:
833
Thyself, though great and glorious, dost thou count—
834
Or all Angelic nature joined in one
835
Equal to him, begotten Son? By whom,
836
As by His Word, the Mighty Father made
837
All things, ev’n thee, and all the Spirits of Heav’n
838
By Him created in their bright degrees,
839
Crowned them with glory, and to their glory named
840
Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,
841
Essential Powers, nor by His reign obscured 3671
842
But more illustrious made, since He the head
843
One of our number thus reduced becomes,
844
His laws our laws, all honor to Him done
845
Returns our own. Cease then this impious rage,
846
And tempt not these, 3672 but hasten to appease3673
847
Th’ incensèd Father and th’ incensèd Son,
848
While pardon may be found, in time3674 besought.
849
“So spoke the fervent 3675 Angel, but his zeal
850
None seconded, as out of season3676 judged,
851
Or singular 3677 and rash.3678 Whereat rejoiced
852
Th’ apostate and, more haughty, thus replied:
853
“‘That we were formed then, say’st thou? And the work
854
Of secondary 3679 hands, by task transferred
855
From Father to His Son? Strange3680 point and new!
856
Doctrine which we would know whence learned. Who saw
857
When this creation was? Remember’st thou
858
Thy making, while the Maker gave thee being?
859
We know no time when we were not as now,
860
Know none before us, self-begot, self-raised
861
By our own quick’ning 3681 power, when fatal3682 course
862
The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Page 33
