Page:The Complete Poetical Works of John Milton.djvu/208

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��PARADISE LOST

��The Apostat in his sun-bright chariot sat, Idol of majesty divine, enclosed 101

With flaming Cherubim and golden shields; Then lighted from his gorgeous Throne

for now 'Twixt host and host but narrow space was

left,

A dreadful interval, and front to front Presented stood, in terrible array Of hideous length. Before the cloudy van, On the rough edge of battle ere it joined, Satan, with vast and haughty strides ad- vanced,

Came towering, armed in adamant and

gold. no

Abdiel that sight endured not, where he

stood Among the mightiest, bent on highest

deeds,

And thus his own undaunted heart ex- plores: " ' O Heaven ! that such resemblance of

the Highest

Should yet remain, where faith and realty Remain not ! Wherefore should not

strength and might There fail where virtue fails, or weakest

prove

Where boldest, though to sight unconquer- able ?

His puissance, trusting in the Almighty's aid, 1 19

I mean to try, whose reason I have tried Unsound and false; nor is it aught but just That he who in debate of truth hath won Should win in arms, in both disputes alike Victor. Though brutish that contest' and

foul, When reason hath to deal with force, yet

so

Most reason is that reason overcome.' " So pondering, and from his armed

peers

Forth-stepping opposite, half-way he met His daring foe, at this prevention more Incensed, and thus securely him defied: " ' Proud, art thou met ? Thy hope was to have reached 131

The highth of thy aspiring unopposed The Throne of God unguarded, and his

side

Abandoned at the terror of thy power Or potent tongue. Fool ! not to think how

vain Against the Omnipotent to rise in arms;

��Who, out of smallest things, could without

end

Have raised incessant armies to defeat Thy folly; or with solitary hand, Reaching beyond all limit, at one blow, 140 Unaided could have finished thee, and

whelmed Thy legions under darkness ! But thou

seest All are not of thy train; there be who

faith

Prefer, and piety to God, though then To thee not visible when I alone Seemed in thy world erroneous to dissent From all: my Sect thou seest; now learn

too late

How few sometimes may know when thou- sands err.' " Whom the grand Foe, with scornful

eye askance, Thus answered : '111 for thee, but in

wished hour 130

Of my revenge, first sought for, thou re-

turn'st

From flight, seditious Angel, to receive Thy merited reward, the first assay Of this right hand provoked, since first that

tongue,

Inspired with contradiction, durst oppose A third part of the Gods, in synod met Their deities to assert: who, while they feel Vigour divine within them, can allow Omnipotence to none. But well thou

com'st

Before thy fellows, ambitious to win 160 From me some plume, that thy success may

show

Destruction to the rest. This pause be- tween (Unanswered lest thou boast) to let thee

know.

At first I thought that Liberty and Heaven To heavenly souls had been all one; but

now I see that most through sloth had rather

serve, Ministering Spirits, trained up in feast and

song: Such hast thou armed, the minstrelsy of

heaven

Servility with freedom to contend, As both their deeds compared this day

shall prove.' 170

" To whom, in brief, thus Abdiel stern

replied :

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