Army against army numberless to raise
Dreadful combustion225 warring, and disturb,
Though not destroy, their happy native seat;
Had not th’ Eternal King omnipotent
From his stronghold of Heav’n high overruled
And limited their might; though numbered229 such
As each divided legion might have seemed
A numerous host, in strength each armèd hand
A legion; led in fight, yet leader seemed
Each warrior single as in chief, expert
When to advance, or stand, or turn the sway
Of battle, open when, and when to close
The ridges236 of grim war; no thought of flight,
None of retreat, no unbecoming deed
That argued fear; each on himself relied,
As only in his arm the moment239 lay
Of victory; deeds of eternal fame
Were done, but infinite: for wide was spread
That war and various; sometimes on firm ground
A standing fight, then soaring on main243 wing
Tormented244 all the air; all air seemed then
Conflicting fire: long time in even scale
The battle hung; till Satan, who that day
Prodigious power had shown, and met in arms
No equal248, ranging through the dire attack
Of fighting Seraphim confused, at length
Saw where the sword of Michael250 smote, and felled
Squadrons at once; with huge two-handed sway
Brandished aloft the horrid edge came down
Wide-wasting; such destruction to withstand
He hasted, and opposed the rocky orb254
Of tenfold adamant, his ample shield
A vast circumference: at his approach
The great archangel from his warlike toil
Surceased, and glad as hoping here to end
Intestine war259 in Heav’n, the arch-foe subdued
Or captive dragged in chains, with hostile frown
And visage all enflamed first thus began.
“ ‘Author262 of evil, unknown till thy revolt,
Unnamed in Heav’n, now plenteous, as thou seest
These acts of hateful strife, hateful to all,
Though heaviest by just measure on thyself
And thy adherents: how hast thou disturbed
Heav’n’s blessèd 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
To trouble holy rest; Heav’n casts thee out
From all her confines. Heav’n the seat of bliss
Brooks not the works of violence and war.
Hence then, and evil go with thee along
Thy offspring276, 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.’
“So spake the prince of angels; to whom thus
The Adversary282. ‘Nor think thou with wind
Of airy threats to awe whom yet with deeds
Thou canst not. Hast thou284 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 that288 so shall end
The strife which thou call’st evil, but we style
The strife of glory290: which we mean to win,
Or turn this Heav’n itself into the Hell
Thou fablest, 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 parle296, and both addressed for fight
Unspeakable; for who, though with the tongue297
Of angels, can relate, or to what things
Liken on Earth conspicuous299, that may lift
Human imagination to such highth
Of godlike power: for likest gods they seemed,
Stood they or moved, in stature, motion, arms
Fit to decide the empire303 of great Heav’n.
Now waved their fiery swords, and in the air
Made horrid circles; two broad suns their shields
Blazed opposite, while expectation stood306
In horror306; from each hand with speed retired
Where erst was thickest fight, th’ angelic throng,
And left large field, unsafe within the wind
Of such commotion,310 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,
Uplifted imminent one stroke they aimed
That might determine, and not need repeat,318
As not of power, at once318; nor odds appeared
In might or swift prevention320; but the sword
Of Michael from the armory of God321
Was giv’n him tempered so, that neither keen
Nor solid might323 resist that edge: it met
The sword of Satan with steep force to smite
Descending, and in half cut sheer, nor stayed,
But with swift wheel reverse, deep ent’ring shared
All his right side; then Satan first knew pain,
And writhed him to and fro convolved328; so sore
The griding329 sword with discontinuous wound
Passed through him, but th’ ethereal substance closed
Not long divisible, and from the gash
A stream of nectarous332 humor issuing flowed
Sanguine, such as celestial spirits may bleed,
And all his armor stained erewhile so bright.
Forthwith on all sides to his aid was run335
By angels335 many and strong, who interposed
Defense, while others bore him on their shields
Back to his chariot, where it stood retired
From off the files of war; there they him laid
Gnashing for anguish and despite and shame
To find himself not matchless, and his pride
Humbled by such rebuke, so far beneath
His confidence to equal God in power.
Yet soon he healed; for spirits that live throughout
Vital in every345 part, not as frail man
In entrails, heart or head, liver or reins346,
Cannot but by annihilating347 die;
Nor in their liquid texture mortal wound
Receive, no more than can the fluid air:
All heart they live, all head, all eye, all ear,
All intellect, all sense, and as they please,
They limb themselves, and color, shape or size
Assume, as likes353 them best, condense or rare.
“Meanwhile in other parts like deeds deserved
Memorial, where the might of Gabriel fought,
And with fierce ensigns356 pierced the deep array
Of Moloch357 furious king, who him defied,
And at his chariot wheels to drag him bound
Threatened, nor from the Holy One of Heav’n
Refrained his tongue blasphemous; but anon
Down clov’n to the waste, with shattered arms
And uncouth362 pain fled bellowing. On each wing
Uriel and Raphael363 his vaunting foe,
Though huge, and in a rock of diamond364 armed,
Vanquished Adrame
lec, and Asmadai365,
Two potent Thrones, that to be less than gods
Disdained, but meaner thoughts learned in their flight,
Mangled with ghastly wounds through plate and mail.
Nor stood unmindful Abdiel to annoy
The atheist crew, but with redoubled blow
Ariel and Arioch371, and the violence
Of Ramiel scorched and blasted overthrew.
I might373 relate of thousands, and their names
Eternize here on Earth; but those elect
Angels contented with their fame in Heav’n
Seek not the praise of men: the other sort
In might though wondrous and in acts of war,
Nor of renown less eager, yet by doom
Cancelled from Heav’n and sacred memory,
Nameless in dark oblivion let them dwell.
For strength from truth divided and from just,
Illaudable382, naught merits but dispraise
And ignominy, yet to glory aspires
Vainglorious, and through infamy seeks fame:
Therefore eternal silence be their doom.
“And now their mightiest quelled, the battle386 swerved,
With many an inroad gored; deformèd rout
Entered, and foul disorder; all the ground
With shivered armor strown, and on a heap
Chariot and charioteer lay overturned
And fiery foaming steeds; what391 stood, recoiled
O’erwearied, through the faint Satanic host
Defensive scarce393, or with pale fear surprised,
Then first with fear surprised and sense of pain
Fled ignominious, to such evil brought
By sin of disobedience, till that hour
Not liable to fear or flight or pain.
Far otherwise th’ inviolable saints
In cubic phalanx399 firm advanced entire,
Invulnerable, impenetrably armed:
Such high advantages their innocence
Gave them above their foes, not to have sinned,
Not to have disobeyed; in fight they stood
Unwearied, unobnoxious404 to be pained
By wound, though from their place by violence moved.
“Now night her course began, and over Heav’n
Inducing darkness, grateful truce imposed,
And silence on the odious din of war:
Under her cloudy covert both retired,
Victor and Vanquished: on the foughten field410
Michael and his angels prevalent411
Encamping, placed in guard their watches round,
Cherubic waving fires413: on th’ other part
Satan with his rebellious disappeared,
Far in the dark dislodged415, and void of rest,
His potentates416 to council called by night;
And in the midst thus undismayed began.
“ ‘O now in danger tried, now known in arms
Not to be overpowered, companions dear,
Found worthy not of liberty alone,
Too mean pretense421, but what we more affect,
Honor, dominion, glory, and renown,
Who have sustained one day in doubtful fight423,
(And if one day, why not eternal days?)
What Heaven’s Lord had powerfullest to send
Against us from about his throne, and judged
Sufficient to subdue us to his will,
But proves not so: then fallible, it seems,
Of future429 we may deem him, though till now
Omniscient thought430. True is, less firmly armed,
Some disadvantage we endured and pain,
Till now not known, but known as soon contemned432,
Since now we find this our empyreal form
Incapable of mortal injury
Imperishable, and though pierced with wound,
Soon closing, and by native vigor healed.
Of evil then so small as easy think
The remedy; perhaps more valid arms,
Weapons more violent, when next we meet,
May serve to better us, and worse440 our foes,
Or equal what between us made the odds,
In nature none: if other hidden cause
Left them superior, while we can preserve
Unhurt our minds, and understanding sound,
Due search and consultation will disclose.’
“He sat; and in th’ assembly next upstood
Nisroch447, of Principalities the prime;
As one he stood escaped from cruel fight,
Sore toiled, his riven arms to havoc hewn449,
And cloudy in aspect thus answering spake.
‘Deliverer from new lords, leader to free
Enjoyment of our right as gods; yet hard
For gods, and too unequal work we find
Against unequal arms to fight in pain,
Against unpained, impassive455; from which evil
Ruin must needs ensue; for what avails
Valor or strength, though matchless, quelled with pain
Which all subdues, and makes remiss458 the hands
Of mightiest. Sense of pleasure we may well
Spare out of life perhaps, and not repine,
But live content, which is the calmest life:
But pain is perfect misery, the worst
Of evils, and excessive, overturns
All patience. He who464 therefore can invent
With what more forcible we may offend465
Our yet unwounded enemies, or arm
Ourselves with like defense, to me deserves467
No less than for deliverance what we owe467.’
“Whereto with look composed Satan replied.
‘Not uninvented that, which thou aright
Believ’st so main471 to our success, I bring;
Which of us472 who beholds the bright surface
Of this ethereous473 mold whereon we stand,
This continent of spacious Heav’n, adorned
With plant, fruit, flow’r ambrosial, gems and gold,
Whose eye so superficially surveys
These things, as not to mind from whence they grow
Deep under ground, materials dark and crude478,
Of spiritous479 and fiery spume, till touched
With Heav’n’s ray, and tempered they shoot forth
So beauteous, op’ning to the ambient light.
These in their dark nativity the deep
Shall yield us pregnant with infernal483 flame,
Which into hollow engines484 long and round
Thick-rammed, at th’ other bore485 with touch of fire
Dilated and infuriate shall send forth
From far with thund’ring noise among our foes
Such implements of mischief as shall dash
To pieces, and o’erwhelm whatever stands
Adverse, that they shall fear we have disarmed
The thunderer of his only dreaded bolt.
Nor long shall be our labor, yet ere dawn,
Effect shall end our wish. Meanwhile revive;
Abandon fear; to strength and counsel494 joined
Think nothing hard, much less to be despaired.’
He ended, and his words their drooping cheer496
Enlightened, and their languished hope revived.
Th’ invention all admired498, and each, how he
To be th’ inventor missed, so easy it seemed
Once found, which yet unfound most would have thought
Impossible: yet haply of thy race
In future days, if malice should abound,
Some one intent on mischief, or inspired
With dev’lish machination might devise
Like instrument to plague the sons of men
For sin, on war and mutual slaughter bent.
Forthwith from council to the work they flew,507
None arguing stood, innumerable hands
Were re
ady, in a moment up they turned
Wide the510 celestial soil, and saw beneath
Th’ originals of nature in their crude
Conception; sulfurous and nitrous foam512
They found, they mingled, and with subtle art,
Concocted and adusted514 they reduced
To blackest grain515, and into store conveyed:
Part hidden veins digged up (nor hath this Earth
Entrails unlike) of mineral and stone,
Whereof to found518 their engines and their balls
Of missive519 ruin; part incentive reed
Provide, pernicious520 with one touch to fire.
So all ere day-spring, under conscious521 night
Secret they finished, and in order set,
With silent circumspection unespied.
Now when fair morn orient in Heav’n appeared
Up rose the victor angels, and to arms
The matin trumpet sung: in arms they stood
Of golden panoply, refulgent host,
Soon banded; others from the dawning hills
Looked round, and scouts each coast light-armèd scour,
Each quarter, to descry the distant foe,
Where lodged, or whither fled, or if for fight,
In motion or in halt: him soon they met
Under spread ensigns moving nigh, in slow
But firm battalion; back with speediest sail
Zophiel535, of Cherubim the swiftest wing,
Came flying, and in mid-air aloud thus cried.
“ ‘Arm, warriors, arm for fight, the foe at hand,
Whom fled we thought, will save us long pursuit
This day, fear not his flight; so thick a cloud
He comes, and settled in his face I see
Sad541 resolution and secure: let each
His adamantine coat gird well, and each
Fit well his helm, grip fast his orbèd shield,
Borne ev’n or high544, for this day will pour down,
If I conjecture aught, no drizzling shower,
But rattling storm of arrows barbed with fire.’
So warned he them aware themselves547, and soon
In order, quit of all impediment548;
Instant549 without disturb they took alarm,
And onward move embattled550; when behold
Not distant far with heavy pace the foe
Approaching gross and huge; in hollow cube
Training553 his devilish enginery, impaled
On every side with shadowing squadrons deep,
To hide the fraud. At interview555 both stood
A while, but suddenly at head appeared
Satan: and thus was heard commanding loud.
“ ‘Vanguard, to right and left the front unfold;
That all may see who hate us, how we seek
Peace and composure560, and with open breast
Stand ready to receive them, if they like
Our overture562, and turn not back perverse;