Tears, such as angels weep, burst forth; at last

620

Words, interwove with sighs, found out their way.

'O myriads of immortal spirits! O powers Matchless, but with the Almighty; and that strife

Was not inglorious, though the event was dire, 624

As this place testifies, and this dire change,
Hateful to utter! but what power of mind,
Foreseeing or presaging, from the depth
Of knowledge, past or present, could have
feared

How such united force of gods, how such As stood like these, could ever know repulse? 630

For who can yet believe, though after loss,
That all these puissant legions, whose exile
Hath emptied heaven, shall fail to reascend
Self-raised, and repossess their native seat?
For me, be witness all the host of heaven,
If counsels different, or dangers shunned 636
By me, have lost our hopes. But he who
reigns

Monarch in heaven, till then as one secure
Sat on this throne upheld by old repute,
Consent or custom; and his regal state 640
Put forth at full, but still his strength con-
cealed,

Which tempted our attempt, and wrought our fall.

Henceforth his might we know, and know our own;

So as not either to provoke, or dread
New war, provoked; our better part re-
mains,
645

To work in close design, by fraud or guile,
What force effected not; that he no less
At length from us may find, who over-

He spake; and, to confirm his words, outflew

Millions of flaming swords, drawn from the thighs

Of mighty cherubim; the sudden blaze 665 Far round illumined hell; highly they raged Against the Highest, and fierce with grasped

The riches of heaven's pavement, trodden gold,

Than aught, divine or holy, else enjoyed
In vision beatific; by him first

Men also, and by his suggestion taught, 685 Ransacked the center, and with impious hands

Rifled the bowels of their mother earth
For treasures, better hid. Soon had his

crew

Opened into the hill a spacious wound,
And digged out ribs of gold. Let none ad-

mire

690

To vice industrious, but to nobler deeds Timorous and slothful; yet he pleased the ear,

And with persuasive accent thus began:

'I should be much for open war, O peers, As not behind in hate; if what was urged 120 Main reason to persuade immediate war, Did not dissuade me most, and seem to cast Ominous conjecture on the whole success When he who most excels in fact of arms, In what he counsels and in what excels 125 Mistrustful, grounds his courage on despair And utter dissolution as the scope

Of all his aim, after some dire revenge. First, what revenge? The towers of heaven are filled

With armed watch, that render all access 130 Impregnable; oft on the bordering deep Encamp their legions; or, with obscure wing,

Scout far and wide into the realm of night, Scorning surprise. Or could we break our