ing the horrid Silence with bold Words thus began to speak :

Ir thou art he, who in the happy Kingdoms of Light, cloathed with exceffive Brightnefs, didft outfhine Millions of the other Angels, though they were bright! If Mifery hath now joined with me in the fame Ruin, him whofe united Thoughts, and Counfels, whofe equal Hope, and Hazard with mutual League, joined with me once in the glorious Enterprize: How art thou fallen and changed! Thou feeft into what Pit, and from what Height we are thrown down; fo much stronger He proved with his Thunders, and till then, who had ever known the Force of those fatal Arms? And yet, not on the Account of thofe, or what the powerful Conqueror in his greatest Anger can inflict elfe, do I either change, or repent of that fixed Mind, (tho' my outward Luftre may feem diminished) nor of that high Difdain which arose in me from a Sense of injured Merit, that raised me to contend with him who is called MIGHTIEST, and brought along to the fierce Contention, a numberlefs Force of armed Spirits, who durft difapprove of his Government; and preferring me, with adverse Power oppofed his utmost Power, in a doubtful Battle fought in Heaven, in fuch a Manner as shook his Throne. What though we have fuffered fome Lofs? We have not loft all, our Will ftill remains unconquered; immortal Hate, and Study of Revenge yet remain, and a couragious Refolution never to yield or fubmit, that Glory his greatest Wrath or Power shall never extort from me, (what other Proof needs there, that we are not overcome?) To bow and pe

rent Orders and Digrees of the Holy Angels, fo there are fill among the wicked ones: Their Chief Prince is called Satan, Belzebub, the Old Serpent, &c.

For as every good Angel is not a Michael or a Gabriel; fo every Devil is not a Satan, a Lucifer, &c. And a Kingdom is afcribed to him, Matt. xii. 26. Eph. ii. 2.

tition for Grace, and with Supplications and bended Knees, acknowledge a Power to be infinite, and divine, who fo lately had Reafon from the Terror of my Power to doubt the Continuance of his Dominion: That would be low indeed, that would be worfe Difgrace, worfe Shame and Ignominy than this Downfall. Since we have (as well as He) by Fate (1) the Strength of Gods, and the Subftance of which we are, is immortal and cannot fail; fince by this laft great Event we have gained much Experience and Forefight, and for Oppofition still are not worse, we may now make a Refolution, (and hope well for Succefs,) to make either by Force or Fraud, eternal and irreconcileable War upon our great Enemy; who now indeed triumphs in the Excefs of Joy, and having no Competitor arbitrarily holds the Tyranny of Heaven.

THUS vaunting aloud fpoke the apoftate Angel, though he was in great Pain, and ftung with Tortures of the deepest Despair; and his intrepid Companion BEELZEBUB foon replied.

GREAT Prince Chief of the many throned Pow ers (m), that lead the Seraphim (n) to War in Order of Battle under thy Conduct, and fearless,

(Fate; Fr. Lat. i. e. The Speech, or Decree of God. A Word much used by the Stoicks, and other Heathen Philofophers for the Providence of God; the eternal and unchangeable Course of Things, the unalterable Law of Nature, Destiny.

(m) Powers; Fr. from the Lat. Such Angels as have Ability, Authority, Might and Force in Heaven. Here, fuch Princes among the Fallen Angels, who

ftill retained that high Order among themfelves, which they had before their Fall.

(n) Seraphim and Seraph; Heb. i. e. Burning and Flaming like Fire, to fhew the vaft Love and Zeal of those bleffed Spirits to God. In Scripture this Word denotes holy Angels of the first Order of the Celeftial Hierar chy. Here, Satan, who had been one of that high and happy Order,

brought

brought into Danger the perpetual King of Heaven, and put his high Supremacy to the Proof; whether he be upheld by Strength, by Chance, or by Fate, I fee too well and am grieved for the forrowful Event, that with foul Defeat and fad Destruction hath loft us Heaven, and with horrible Overthrow, thus low, laid all this mighty Hoft, as far as Gods, and hea venly Beings can perish; for the Mind and Spirit remain invincible, and Vigour foon returns; though all our Glory is extinct, and our happy Eftate here fwallowed up in endless Mifery. But what if our Conqueror (whom I now by Force believe to be almighty, fince nothing short of Omnipotence could have overcome fuch Force as ours) hath left us this our Spirit, and this our Strength intire, only to enable us to endure our Pains; that fo we may afford Satisfaction to his Wrath, or do him greater Service, as his Captives by Right of War; whatever his Bufinefs may be, either to work in Fire, here in the Midft of Hell, or do his Errands in the dark and gloomy Deep? Then what can it avail, that we feel no Decay of our Strength; or is eternal Being a Good, only to undergo eternal Punishment? Whereto SATAN, breaking in upon his Difcourfe, replied:

FALLEN Cherub! (o) to be weak is to be miferable, either acting or fuffering, but be certain of this, that to do any Thing good will never be our Business, but our only Delight always to do Ill, as being directly contrary to his high Will, whom we oppofe: So that if his Providence feeks out of our Evil to bring forth any Good, it must be our Labour to pervert that End, and ftill to find Means of Evil out of Good;

(0) Cherub, in the Singular Number, and Cherubim in the Plaral. Heb. i. e. Fullness of Knowledge, Angels of the Firit Order first mentioned, Gen. iii.

24. They were reprefented in the Tabernacle and Temple in human Shape, with two Wings, Exod. xxv. 18. 2 Chron. iii. 10.

which may often fucceed, fo as perhaps fhall moleft him, (if I fail not) and hinder his molt fecret Designs and Councils from their intended Aim. But look, the angry Conqueror hath recalled his (p) Minifters of Purfuit and Vengeance back to Heaven; the fiery Hail, that was fhot after us in a Storm, is now blown over, and hath laid the burning Flood, which from the Precipice of Heaven received us as we fell, and the Thunder which broke on us, following red Lightning with violent Force, perhaps hath spent its Shafts for now it ceases to bellow through the great and boundless Deep: Then let us not flip the Opportunity, whether Scorn or fatisfied Fury yield it us from our Enemy. Doft thou fee yonder difmal Plain, wild and comfortlefs, a Seat of Desolation and without Light, except what the glimmering of thefe livid Flames cafts pale and very dreadful? Thither let us repair from off the violent and painful Toffing of thefe Waves of Fire; there let us reft, if any Reft can be had there, and affembling our afflicted Powers again, confult how we may henceforward most annoy our great Foe, how repair our own Lofs, how overcome this doleful Calamity, what new Strength and Courage we may gain from Hope, and if none from thence, what Refolution we may gain from Despair,

THUS SATAN kept talking to BEELZEBUB, with his Head lifted up above the Waves, and glancing his Eyes from Side to Side: As for his other Parts, he lay extended in a melancholy Condition, floating in Length and Breadth over a vaft Space of the Abyss 'as large in Bulk as thofe, whom Fables have named of prodigious Size, as TITANIAN (q), or Earth-born,

() Minifters; Fr. Lat. Servants. Here, the Executioners of God's Vengeance upon these Rebels; the Holy Angels. See Pfalm ciii. 20.

who

who is faid to have made War on JovE; BRIAREUS, or TYPHON (r), who was buried in a Cave by antient TARSUS (5); or LEVIATHAN (t), which God crea