given thee this Paufe between, (left if I had not, thou shouldest have boasted that I could not answer thee) to let thee know, that at first I thought that Liberty and Heaven had been the fame Thing to heavenly Souls; but now I perceive that most are fo. flothful, that they had rather ferve, be attending Spirits, and trained up in Festivals and Songs; fuch are thefe thou haft armed, the finging Minstrelfy of Heaven, Slavery contending against Freedom as the Comparison of this Day's Actions fhall prove.

To whom in few Words ABDIEL replied sternly: Apostate Spirit! thou erreft ftill, and wilt find no End of erring, being out of the Path of Truth; unjustly thou brandeft the Service that GoD or Nature or dains with the Name of Servitude; GoD and Nature command the fame Things, when he who rules is most worthy and moft excellent above thofe he governs. It is Servitude to ferve the Unwife, or who hath rebelled against that are worthier than himfelf, as thy Followers now ferve thee, thou thyfelf not being free, but in Slavery even to thyfelf, yet impioufly dareft upbraid our Obedience. Do thou reign in Hell, thy Kingdom, and let me ferve the everbleffed GoD in Heaven, and obey his divine Commands, which are worthieft to be obeyed! yet do not thou expect Realms, but Chains in Hell, and Punifhment; mean while receive from me (who just now thou faideft was returned from Flight) this Greeting upon thy wicked Head. Saying this he lifted up his Arm to strike a Blow, which immediately with great Strength and Swiftnefs fell on SATAN's proud Creft, that no Sight nor Motion of fwift Thought could intercept fuch Ruin, much lefs could his Shield He recoiled back ten Paces; the tenth his maffy Spear supported him upon his bended Knee; as if upon Earth fubterranean Winds and Waters had forced their Way, and fidelong had pushed a Mountain from

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its Seat, half funk with all its Trees. The rebellious Angels were seized with Amazement, but more with Rage, to fee their great General thus foiled; while our Powers were filled with Joy and Shouts, foretelling Victory and fierce Defire of Battle; whereat MICHAEL ordered the Arch-Angel Trumpet to be founded through all the Heavens, and the faithful Armies rung with Hofanna to the Higheft: Nor did the adverfe Legions ftand still to gaze, but with Sounds as hideous as ours were heavenly, joined the horrid Shock. Now ftorming Fury arofe, and a Clamour, fuch as 'till now were never heard in Heaven ; Arms clafhing upon Armour, made a harsh and terrible Difcord, and the furious Wheels of brazen Chariots raged The Noife of the Conflict was dreadful, the Hifs of fiery Darts flew in Vollies over Head, and as they flew covered either Army with Fire, under which they both rushed to Battle, with ruinous Affault and Rage not to be extinguished: All Heaven refounded, and all Earth had it been then would have been fhaken to its Centre: What Wonder? when Millions of encountering fierce Angels fought on each Side, the least of whom could move thefe Elements, and arm himself with all their Force: How much more Power had they, Army against Army, warring without Number, to raise dreadful Combustion, and difturb (though they had not Power to destroy) their native Seat! had not the Eternal and Almighty King, from the Seat of his Power, over-ruled and fet Limits to their Power: Though their Number was fuch, that each Legion might be thought a great Army, in Strength each armed Hand was as that of an entire Legion; they were led in Fight, yet each fingle Warrior feemed like a Leader, and as in chief; expert, and knowing when to advance, when to stand or turn the Sway of Battle, when to open, and when to clofe the Ranks; they had no Thought of Flight or of Retreat, or any unbecoming Action that argued

Fear;

Fear; each relied upon himself, as if only in his Arm lay the Balance of the Victory: Deeds were done of eternal Fame, for the War was fpread wide and various; fometimes a standing Fight upon firm Ground, then mounting upon main Wing, all the Air was troubled; for all the Air feemed then to be nothing but contending Fire; the Battle hung a long Time in even Scale, 'till SATAN (who that Day had fhewn prodigious Power, and in Arms had met no Equal) ranging through the dreadful Attack of Seraphim, confufedly fighting, at length faw where the Sword of MICHAEL fmote and felled whole Squadrons at once; his huge Weapon brandifhed aloft in both Hands, the horrid Edge came down, wafting far and near. TAN hafted to withstand fuch Deftruction, and oppofed his ample Shield that was of vaft Circumference, a rocky Orb of tenfold Adamant. MICHAEL, the great Arch-Angel, gave over fighting at his Approach, glad as hoping here to end inteftine War in Heaven, by fubduing SATAN, or dragging him Captive in Chains; but with a hoftile Frown, and a Countenance all inflamed, first spoke to him:

SA

THOU Author of Evil! which 'till thy Revolt had no Name in Heaven, now as thou feeft these Acts of hateful Strife are become plentiful; hateful to all, though by juft Measure heaviest upon thyself and all thy Adherents: How haft thou difturbed the bleffed Peace of Heaven, and brought Mifery into Nature, which was not created 'till the Time of thy Rebellion ? How haft thou inftilled thy Malice into Thousands, who were once upright and faithful, but now are proved falfe? But think not to trouble holy Rest here in Heaven; Heaven cafts thee out from all her Confines; Heaven, which is the Seat of Blifs, fuffers not Deeds of Violence and War to be done here: Hence then! and let Evil, which is thy Offspring, go along with thee to Hell, the Place of Evil: Hence

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thou and thy wicked Crew! and there stir up Broils; before this my avenging Sword begin thy Doom, or fome more fudden Vengeance, winged immediately from GoD, hurl thee down headlong with still additional Pain.

THUS fpake MICHAEL, the Prince of the An, gels; to whom the Adversary SATAN replied: Think not with empty and airy Threats to awe thole, whom yet with Deeds thou canst not: Haft thou put the least of these to Flight? Or made fall, but that they rife again unvanquished? Doft thou think it easier to contend with me, that thou shouldeft hope, imperious Arch-Angel, with Threats to chafe me hence? Miftake not fo much, as to think that we shall end fo that Strife which thou calleft Evil, but we stile the Strife of Glory; which we intend to win, orelse turn this Heaven itfelf into the Hell thou haft been telling Fables of; here intending however to dwell free if not to reign: Mean while thy utmost Force (and call him who is named ALMIGHTY to thy Affiftance) I have not fied from; but instead of that, have fought thee far and near.

THEY ended talking, and both addreffed themselves for Fight in a Manner not to be defcribed; for who can relate, though with the Tongue of Angels, or to what Things liken it that are feen upon Earth, that may lift the human Imagination to fuch a Height of godlike Power? For they seemed likeft Gods, whether they stood ftill or moved; in Arms, in Stature, and Motion, fit to decide the great Empire of Heaven: Now their fiery Swords waved, and made broad Circles in the Air; their Shields, like two broad Suns, blazed oppofite each other, while either Side looked on with Expectation and Horror: The Angelical Bands from each Hand where the Fight before was hotteft retired with Speed, and left. large Field for them to combat in;

it being unfafe to remain near fuch Commotion : Such (to fet great Things forth by fmall) as if the Concord of Nature being broke, War was fprung among the Conftellations, and two Planets rufhing from a malign Afpect of fierce Oppofition, fhould meet in the Middle of the Sky, and confound their jarring Spheres. Both together, with an Arm next to Almighty, lifted up imminent, aimed one Stroke that might determine at once and not need Repetition, nor did there appear any Odds in Power, or in Swiftnefs, to prevent each other; but the Sword of MICHAEL, which he had from the Armoury of GOD, was given him tempered fo, that nothing either keen or folid might refift that Edge; it met the Sword of SATAN, defcending with great Force to ftrike, and cut it quite in two, nor ftaid there, but wheeling fwift reverfed, deeply entering, divided all his Right-Side. It was then that SATAN first knew Pain, and writhed himself to and fro, rowling about with Anguish, fo forely the piercing Sword with feparating Sharpness paffed through him; but the heavenly Subftance foon clofed, which could not be long divided, and from the Gafh flowed Blood, fuch as celestial Spirits may bleed, and stained all his Armour, which before was fo bright. Forthwith on every Side many strong Angels run to his Aid, who interpofed in his Defence; while others bore him upon their Shields back to his Chariot, where it ftood retired fome Distance off the Files of War; there they laid him, gnafhing his Teeth for Anguish, Shame, and Defpite, to find himself not matchlefs, and have his Pride humbled by fuch a Rebuke, fo far beneath the Confidence he had conceived to have equalled GOD in Power: Yet he healed foon; for Spirits that live throughout their whole Being, live wholly in every Part, (not like frail MAN, whofe Life is in his Entrails, Heart, Head, Liver, or Reins) and cannot die but by Anni hilation, nor receive any mortal Wound into their fine

and