The
Archangel Raphael is telling Adam and Eve the story of Satan's fall and the war
in Heaven. After Christ was named lord of the angels, Satan (called Lucifer
before he fell) gathered those under his command, amounting to one-third of all
the angels, and went to his throne in the north of Heaven. There, he announced
his plan to march to the mount of God and throw down the King. His troops all
supported him, except Abdiel, who defied him and prophesied that Satan would be
utterly destroyed by God. Satan's followers scorned and threatened him, and he
left to bring the news to the rest of the angels. He found them already
gathered for war, led by the Archangel Michael. The two hosts march to battle.
Satan comes forward alone. Abdiel can hardly stand the sight of him, and goes
to meet him:
So pondering, and from his armèd
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
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 th' 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
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
thousands err.”
Whom the grand foe with scornful
eye askance
Thus answered.
“Ill for
thee, but in wished hour
Of my revenge, first sought for
thou return'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
Vigor divine within them, can allow
Omnipotence to none. But well thou
com'st
Before thy fellows, ambitious to
win
From me some plume, that thy
success may show
Destruction to the rest: this pause
between
(Unanswered lest thou boast) to let
thee know;
At first I thought that liberty and
Heav'n
To Heav'nly souls had been all one;
but now
I see that most through sloth had
rather serve,
Minist'ring spirits, trained up in
feast and song;
Such hast thou armed, the
minstrelsy of Heav'n,
Servility with freedom to contend,
As both their deeds compared this
day shall prove.”
To whom in brief thus Abdiel stern
replied.
“Apostate, still thou err'st, nor
end wilt find
Of erring, from the path of truth
remote:
Unjustly thou deprav'st it with the
name
Of servitude to serve whom God
ordains,
Or Nature; God and Nature bid the
same,
When he who rules is worthiest, and
excels
Them whom he governs. This is
servitude,
To serve th' unwise, or him who
hath rebelled
Against his worthier, as thine now
serve thee,
Thyself not free, but to thyself
enthralled;
Yet lewdly dar'st our minist'ring
upbraid.
Reign thou in Hell thy kingdom, let
me serve
In Heav'n God ever blest, and his
divine
Behests obey, worthiest to be
obeyed,
Yet chains in Hell, not realms
expect: meanwhile
From me returned, as erst thou
saidst, from flight,
This greeting on thy impious crest
receive.”
So saying, a noble stroke he lifted
high,
Which hung not, but so swift with
tempest fell
On the proud crest of Satan, that
no sight,
Nor motion of swift thought, less
could his shield
Such ruin intercept: ten paces huge
He back recoiled; the tenth on
bended knee
His massy spear upstayed; as if on
Earth
Winds under ground or waters
forcing way
Sidelong, had pushed a mountain
from his seat
Half sunk with all his pines.
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