Heav'n's purest light, yet our Great Enemy, All incorruptible, would on his throne Sit unpolluted, and th' ethereal mould Incapable of stain would soon expel Her mischief, and purge off the baser fire Victorious. Thus repuls'd, our final hope Is flat despair. We must exasperate
Th' Almighty Victor to spend all his rage, And that must end us; that must be our cure, 145 To be no more? Sad cure; for who would lose, Though full of pain, this intellectual being, Those thoughts that wander through eternity, To perish rather, swallow'd up and lost
In the wide womb of uncreated night,
Devoid of sense and motion? And who knows, Let this be good, whether our angry Foe
Can give it, or will ever. How he can Is doubtful; that he never will is sure. Will he so wise, let loose at once his ire, Belike through impotence, or unaware, To give his enemies their wish, and end Them in his anger, whom his anger saves To punish endless? Wherefore cease we then? Say they who counsel war, we are decreed, 160 Reserv'd, and destin'd, to eternal woe? Whatever doing, what can we suffer more, What can we suffer worse? Is this then worst, Thus sitting, thus consulting, thus in arms? What when we fled amain, pursu'd and struck 165 With Heav'n's afflicting thunder, and besought
The deep to shelter us? This Hell then seem'd A refuge from those wounds: or when we lay Chain'd on the burning lake? That sure was worse. What if the breath that kindled those grim fires, Awak'd should blow them into sev'nfold rage, 171 And plunge us in the flames? Or from above Should intermitted vengeance arm again His red right hand to plague us? What if all Her stores were open'd, and this firmament 175 Of Hell should spout her cataracts of fire, Impendent horrors, threat'ning hideous fall One day upon our heads; while we perhaps Designing or exhorting glorious war, Caught in a fiery tempest, shall be hurl'd Each on his rock transfix'd, the sport and Of wracking whirlwinds, or for ever sunk Under yon boiling ocean, wrapt in chains; There to converse with everlasting groans, Unrespited, unpity'd, unrepriev'd,
Ages of hopeless end? This would be worse. War therefore, open or conceal'd, alike My voice dissuades; for what can force or guile With him, or who deceive his mind, whose Views all things at one view? He from Heav'n's height
All these our motions vain, sees and derides: Not more almighty to resist our might Than wise to frustrate all our plots and wiles. Shall we then live thus vile, the race of Heav'n Thus trampled, thus expell'd to suffer here 195
Chains and these torments? Better these than
By my advice: since fate inevitable
Subdues us, and omnipotent decree The Victor's will. To suffer, as to do, Our strength is equal; nor the law unjust That so ordains. This was at first resolv'd, If we were wise, against so great a Foe Contending, and so doubtful what might fall. I laugh, when those who at the spear are bold And vent'rous, if that fail them, shrink and fear What yet they know must follow, to endure 206 Exile or ignominy, or bonds, or pain, The sentence of their Conqu'ror. This is now Our doom; which if we can sustain and bear, Our Supreme Foe in time may much remit 210 His anger, and perhaps, thus far remov'd, Not mind us not offending, satisfy'd
With what is punish'd; whence these raging fires Will slacken, if his breath stir not their flames. Our purer essence then will overcome
Their noxious vapour, or inur'd not feel, Or chang'd at length, and to the place conform'd In temper and in nature, will receive Familiar the fierce heat, and void of pain; This horror will grow mild, this darkness light, Besides what hope the never-ending flight 221 Of future days may bring, what chance, what change
Worth waiting, since our present lot appears For happy though but ill, for ill not worst,
If we procure not to ourselves more woe. Thus Belial with words, cloth'd in reason's garb, Counsel'd ignoble ease and peaceful sloth, Not peace and after him thus Mammon spake: Either to disenthrone the King of Heav'n We war, if war be best, or to regain 230 Our own right lost: him to unthrone we then May hope, when everlasting Fate shall yield To fickle Chance, and Chaos judge the strife. The former vain to hope, argues as vain
The latter; for what place can be for us 235 Within Heav'n's bound, unless Heav'n's Lord
We overpow'r? Suppose he should relent, And publish grace to all, on promise made Of new subjection; with what eyes could we Stand in his presence humble, and receive Strict laws impos'd, to celebrate his throne With warbled hymns, and to his Godhead sing Forc'd hallelujahs, while he lordly sits Our envy'd Sov'reign, and his altar breathes Ambrosial odours and ambrosial flow'rs, Our servile off'rings? This must be our task In Heav'n, this our delight. How wearisome Eternity so spent in worship paid
To whom we hate! Let us not then pursue By force impossible, by leave obtain'd Unacceptable, though in Heav'n, our state Of splendid vassalage; but rather seek
Our own good from ourselves, and from our own
Live to ourselves, though in this vast recess, Free, and to none accountable, preferring Hard liberty before the easy yoke
Of servile pomp. Our greatness will appear Then most conspicuous, when great things of small,
Useful of hurtful, prosp'rous of adverse
We can create, and in what place soe'er Thrive under ev'l, and work ease out of pain Thro' labour and endurance. This deep world Of darkness do we dread? How oft amidst Thick clouds and dark doth Heav'n's all-ruling Sire Choose to reside, his glory unobscur'd, And with the majesty of darkness round Covers his throne; from whence deep thunders roar, Must'ring their rage, and Heav'n resembles Hell? As he our darkness, cannot we his light Imitate when we please? This desart soil 270 Wants not our hidden lustre, gems, and gold; Nor want we skill or art, from whence to raise Magnificence: and what can Heav'n shew more? Our torments also may in length of time Become our elements; these piercing fires 275 As soft as now severe, our temper chang'd Into their temper; which must needs remove The sensible of pain. All things invite To peaceful counsels. and the settled state Of order, how in safety best we may Compose our present evils, with regard Of what we are and where, dismissing quite
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