The Complete Poetry of John Milton

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The Complete Poetry of John Milton Page 47

by John Milton


  He left it in thy power, ordaind thy will

  By nature free, not over-rul’d by Fate

  Inextricable, or strict necessity;

  Our voluntarie service he requires,

  530

  Not our necessitated, such with him

  Finds no acceptance, nor can find, for how

  Can hearts, not free, be tri’d whether they serve

  Willing or no, who will but what they must

  By Destinie, and can no other choose?

  535

  My self and all th’ Angelic Host that stand

  In sight of God enthron’d, our happie state

  Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds;

  On other surety none; freely we serve,

  Because wee freely love, as in our will

  540

  To love or not; in this we stand or fall:

  And som are fall’n, to disobedience fall’n,

  And so from Heav’n to deepest Hell; O fall

  From what high state of bliss into what woel

  To whom our great Progenitor. Thy words

  545

  Attentive, and with more delighted ear,

  Divine instructer, I have heard, then when

  Cherubic Songs by night from neighbouring Hills

  Aereal Music send: nor knew I not

  To be both will and deed created free;

  550

  Yet that we never shall forget to love

  Our maker, and obey him whose command

  Single, is yet so just, my constant thoughts

  Assur’d me, and still assure: though what thou tellst

  Hath past in Heav’n, som doubt within me move,

  555

  But more desire to hear, if thou consent,

  The full relation, which must needs be strange,

  Worthy of Sacred silence to be heard;

  And we have yet large day, for scarce the Sun

  Hath finisht half his journey, and scarce begins

  560

  His other half in the great Zone of Heav’n.

  Thus Adam made request, and Raphael

  After short pause assenting, thus began.

  High matter thou injoinst me, O prime of men,

  Sad task and hard, for how shall I relate

  565

  To human sense th’ invisible exploits

  Of warring Spirits; how without remorse

  The ruin of so many glorious once

  And perfet while they stood; how last unfould

  The secrets of another world, perhaps

  570

  Not lawful to reveal? yet for thy good

  This is dispenc’t, and what surmounts the reach

  Of human sense, I shall delineate so,

  By lik’ning spiritual to corporal forms,

  As may express them best, though what if Earth

  575

  Be but the shaddow of Heav’n,36 and things therein

  Each t’ other like, more then on earth is thought?

  As yet this world was not, and Chaos wild

  Reign’d where these Heav’ns now rowl, where Earth now rests

  Upon her Center pois’d, when on a day

  580

  (For Time, though in Eternitie, appli’d

  To motion, measures all things durable

  By present, past, and future) on such day

  As Heav’ns great Year37 brings forth, th’ Empyreal Host

  Of Angels by Imperial summons call’d,

  585

  Innumerable before th’ Almighties Throne

  Forthwith from all the ends of Heav’n appeerd

  Under thir Hierarchs in orders bright;

  Ten thousand thousand Ensignes high advanc’d,

  Standards, and Gonfalons38 twixt Van and Rear

  590

  Stream in the Air, and for distinction serve

  Of Hierarchies, of Orders, and Degrees;

  Or in thir glittering Tissues bear imblaz’d

  Holy Memorials, acts of Zeal and Love

  Recorded eminent. Thus when in Orbs

  595

  Of circuit inexpressible they stood,

  Orb within Orb, the Father infinite,

  By whom in bliss inbosom’d sat the Son,

  Amidst as from a flaming Mount, whose top

  Brightness had made invisible, thus spake.

  600

  Hear all ye Angels, Progenie of Light,

  Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Vertues, Powers,

  Hear my Decree, which unrevok’t shall stand.

  This day I have begot39 whom I declare

  My onely Son, and on this holy Hill

  605

  Him have anointed, whom ye now behold

  At my right hand; your Head I him appoint;

  And by my Self have sworn to him shall bow

  All knees in Heav’n, and shall confess him Lord:

  Under his great Vice-gerent Reign abide

  610

  United as one individual40 Soul

  For ever happie: him who disobeys

  Mee disobeys, breaks union, and that day

  Cast out from God and blessed vision, falls

  Into utter darkness, deep ingulft, his place

  615

  Ordaind without redemption, without end.

  So spake th’ Omnipotent, and with his words

  All seemd well pleas’d, all seem’d, but were not all.

  That day, as other solemn dayes, they spent

  In song and dance about the sacred Hill,

  620

  Mystical dance, which yonder starrie Sphear

  Of Planets and of fixt in all her Wheels

  Resembles nearest, mazes intricate,

  Eccentric, intervolv’d, yet regular

  Then most, when most irregular they seem:

  625

  And in thir motions harmonie Divine

  So smooths her charming tones, that Gods own ear

  Listens delighted. Eevning now approach’d

  (For wee have also our Eevning and our Morn,

  Wee ours for change delectable, not need)

  630

  Forthwith from dance to sweet repast they turn

  Desirous; all in Circles as they stood,

  Tables are set, and on a sudden pil’d

  With Angels Food, and rubied Nectar flows:

  In Pearl, in Diamond, and massie Gold

  635

  Fruit of delicious Vines, the growth of Heav’n.

  On flowrs repos’d, and with fresh flowrets crownd,

  They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet

  Quaff immortalitie and joy, secure

  Of surfet where full measure onely bounds

  640

  Excess, before th’ all-bounteous King, who showrd

  With copious hand, rejoycing in thir joy.

  Now when ambrosial Night with Clouds exhal’d

  From that high mount of God, whence light and shade

  Spring both, the face of brightest Heav’n had chang’d

  645

  To grateful Twilight (for Night comes not there

  In darker veil) and roseat Dews dispos’d

  All but th’ unsleeping eyes of God to rest,

  Wide over all the Plain, and wider farr

  Then all this globous Earth in Plain outspred,

  650

  (Such are the Courts of God) th’ Angelic throng

  Disperst in Bands and Files thir Camp extend

  By living Streams among the Trees of Life,

  Pavilions numberless, and sudden reard,

  Celestial Tabernacles, where they slept

  655

  Fannd with cool Winds, save those who in thir course

  Melodious Hymns about the sovran Throne

  Alternate all night long: but not so wak’d

  Satan, so call him now, his former name

  Is heard no more in Heav’n; he of the first,

  660

  If
not the first Arch-Angel, great in Power,

  In favour and in præeminence, yet fraught

  With envie against the Son of God, that day

  Honourd by his great Father, and proclaimd

  Messiah King anointed, could not bear

  665

  Through pride that sight, and thought himself impaird.

  Deep malice thence conceiving and disdain,

  Soon as midnight brought on the duskie hour

  Friendliest to sleep and silence, he resolv’d

  With all his Legions to dislodge, and leave

  670

  Unworshipt, unobey’d the Throne supream

  Contemptuous, and his next subordinate41

  Awak’ning, thus to him in secret spake.

  Sleepst thou Companion dear, what sleep can close

  Thy eye-lids? and remembrest what Decree

  675

  Of yesterday, so late hath past the lips

  Of Heav’ns Almightie. Thou to me thy thoughts

  Wast wont, I mine to thee was wont t’ impart;

  Both waking we were one; how then can now

  Thy sleep dissent? new Laws thou seest impos’d;

  680

  New Laws from him who reigns, new minds may raise

  In us who serve, new Counsels, to debate

  What doubtful may ensue, more in this place

  To utter is not safe. Assemble thou

  Of all those Myriads which we lead the chief;

  685

  Tell them that by command, ere yet dim Night

  Her shadowie Cloud withdraws, I am to haste,

  And all who under me thir Banners wave,

  Homeward with flying march where we possess

  The Quarters of the North, there to prepare

  690

  Fit entertainment to receive our King

  The great Messiah, and his new commands,

  Who speedily through all the Hierarchies

  Intends to pass triumphant, and give Laws.

  So spake the false Arch-Angel, and infus’d

  695

  Bad influence into th’ unwarie brest

  Of his Associate; hee together calls,

  Or several one by one, the Regent Powers,

  Under him Regent, tells, as he was taught,

  That the most High commanding, now ere Night,

  700

  Now ere dim Night had disincumberd Heav’n,

  The great Hierarchal Standard was to move;

  Tells the suggested cause, and casts between

  Ambiguous words and jealousies, to sound

  Or taint integritie; but all obey’d

  705

  The wonted signal, and superior voice

  Of thir great Potentate; for great indeed

  His name, and high was his degree in Heav’n;

  His count’nance, as the Morning Starr that guides

  The starrie flock, allur’d them, and with lyes

  710

  Drew after him the third part of Heav’ns Host:42

  Mean while th’ Eternal eye, whose sight discerns

  Abstrusest thoughts, from forth his holy Mount

  And from within the golden Lamps that burn

  Nightly before him, saw without thir light

  715

  Rebellion rising, saw in whom, how spred

  Among the sons of Morn, what multitudes

  Were banded to oppose his high Decree;

  And smiling to his onely Son thus said.

  Son, thou in whom my glory I behold

  720

  In full resplendence, Heir of all my might,

  Neerly it now concerns us to be sure

  Of our Omnipotence, and with what Arms

  We mean to hold what anciently we claim

  Of Deitie or Empire, such a foe

  725

  Is rising, who intends t’ erect his Throne

  Equal to ours, throughout the spacious North;

  Nor so content, hath in his thought to try

  In battel, what our Power is, or our right.

  Let us advise, and to this hazard draw

  730

  With speed what force is left, and all imploy

  In our defence, lest unawares we lose

  This our high place, our Sanctuarie, our Hill.

  To whom the Son with calm aspect and cleer

  Light’ning Divine, ineffable, serene,

  735

  Made answer. Mightie Father, thou thy foes

  Justly hast in derision,43 and secure

  Laugh’st at thir vain designes and tumults vain,

  Matter to mee of Glory, whom thir hate

  Illustrates, when they see all Regal Power

  740

  Giv’n me to quell thir pride, and in event

  Know whether I be dextrous44 to subdue

  Thy Rebels, or be found the worst in Heav’n.

  So spake the Son, but Satan with his Powers

  Farr was advanc’t on winged speed, an Host

  745

  Innumerable as the Starrs of Night,

  Or Starrs of Morning, Dew-drops, which the Sun

  Impearls on every leaf and every flower.

  Regions they pass’d, the mightie Regencies

  Of Seraphim and Potentates and Thrones

  750

  In thir triple Degrees,45 Regions to which

  All thy Dominion, Adam, is no more

  Then what this Garden is to all the Earth,

  And all the Sea, from one entire globose46

  Stretcht into Longitude; which having pass’d

  755

  At length into the limits of the North

  They came, and Satan to his Royal seat

  High on a Hill, far blazing, as a Mount

  Rais’d on a Mount, with Pyramids and Towrs

  From Diamond Quarries hew’n, and Rocks of Gold,

  760

  The Palace of great Lucifer (so call

  That Structure in the Dialect of men

  Interpreted), which not long after, he

  Affecting all equality with God,

  In imitation of that Mount whereon

  765

  Messiah was declar’d in sight of Heav’n,

  The Mountain of the Congregation call’d;

  For thither he assembl’d all his Train,

  Pretending so commanded to consult

  About the great reception of thir King,

  770

  Thither to come, and with calumnious Art

  Of counterfeted truth thus held thir ears.

  Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Vertues, Powers,

  If these magnific Titles yet remain

  Not meerly titular, since by Decree

  775

  Another now hath to himself ingross’t

  All Power, and us eclipst under the name

  Of King anointed, for whom all this haste

  Of midnight march, and hurried meeting here,

  This onely to consult how we may best

  780

  With what may be devis’d of honours new

  Receive him coming to receive from us

  Knee-tribute yet unpaid, prostration vile,

  Too much to one, but double how endur’d,

  To one and to his image now proclaim’d?

  785

  But what if better counsels might erect

  Our minds and teach us to cast off this Yoke?

  Will ye submit your necks, and chuse to bend

  The supple knee? ye will not, if I trust

  To know ye right, or if ye know your selves

  790

  Natives and Sons of Heav’n possest before

  By none, and if not equal all, yet free,

  Equally free; for Orders and Degrees

  Jarr not with liberty, but well consist.

  Who can in reason then or right assume

  795

  Monarchic over such as live by right

  His equals, if in power and splen
dor less,

  In freedom equal? or can introduce

  Law and Edict on us, who without law

  Err not, much less for this to be our Lord,

  800

  And look for adoration to th’ abuse

  Of those Imperial Titles which assert

  Our being ordain’d to govern, not to serve?

  Thus farr his bold discourse without controul

  Had audience, when among the Seraphim

  805

  Abdiel, then whom none with more zeal ador’d

  The Deitie, and divine commands obei’d,

  Stood up, and in a flame of zeal severe

  The current of his fury thus oppos’d.

  O argument blasphemous, false and proud!

  810

  Words which no ear ever to hear in Heav’n

  Expected, least of all from thee, ingrate

  In place thy self so high above thy Peers.

  Canst thou with impious obloquie condemn

  The just Decree of God, pronounc’t and sworn,

  815

  That to his only Son by right endu’d

  With Regal Scepter, every Soul in Heav’n

  Shall bend the knee, and in that honour due

  Confess him rightful King? unjust thou saist

  Flatly unjust, to bind with Laws the free,

  820

  And equal over equals to let Reigne,

  One over all with unsucceeded power.

  Shalt thou give Law to God, shalt thou dispute

  With him the points of libertie, who made

  Thee what thou art, and formd the Pow’rs of Heav’n

  825

  Such as he pleas’d, and circumscrib’d thir being?

  Yet by experience taught we know how good,

  And of our good, and of our dignitie

  How provident he is, how farr from thought

  To make us less, bent rather to exalt

  830

  Our happie state under one Head more neer

  United. But to grant it thee unjust,

  That equal over equals Monarch Reigne:

  Thy self though great and glorious dost thou count,

  Or all Angelic Nature joind in one,

 

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