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and fpiritual Compofitions, no more than thin and fluid Air can: They live as if they were all Heart, all Head, all Eye, Ear, Intellect, and Senfe; and as they please can form themfelves, and affume what Size, Colour, or Shape pleases them best, whether it be lefs or more fubftantial.

MEAN while in other Parts where the Powers of GABRIEL fought, other like Deeds deferved to be remembered; who fiercely pierced into the deep Array of the furious King MOLOCH, who defied him, and threatened to drag him bound at his Chariot Wheels, nor from the Holy-one of Heaven refrained his blafphemous Tongue; but foon by the Sword of GABRIEL being cloven down to the Waift, with fhattered Arms, and Pain to which he was before a Stranger, fled bellowing away. On each Wing URIEL and RAPHAEL Vanquished each his vaunting Foe, ADRAMELECH (a) and ASMODEUS, (though powerful and armed in a Rock of Diamond) two very great Angels, that difdained to be lefs than Gods; but in their Flight they learned to think a little meaner of themselves, being mangled with gafhly Wounds, through their broad and plated Coats of Mail. Nor did ABDIEL ftand unmindful to annoy all that was poffible the Atheist Crew, but with redoubled Blows overthrew ARIEL and ARIOC, and the Violence of the fcorched and blafted RAMIEL, a very haughty and afpiring Angel.

I MIGHT relate of Thoufands, and make their Names immortal here upon Earth; but those elect Angels fufficiently contented with their Fame in Hea

(a) Adramelech; Heb. i. e. A Magnificent King. A God of Sepharvaim and Affyrian Countries, 2 Kings xvii. 31. "And

the Avites made Nibbaz, and

"Tartak, and the Sepharvites "burn their Children in fire "to Adramelech, and Aname"lech, the Gods of Sephar"vaim."

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ven, do not feek the Praife of MEN; and the fallen) Angels, though wondrous in Might and in Acts of War, nor lefs eager of Renown, yet by Doom being blotted out of the Book of Heaven and all facred Remembrance, let them dwell nameless in dark Oblivion For Strength divided from Truth and Justice, is fo far from being laudable, that it merits nothing but Difpraise and Ignominy; yet being vain-glorious afpires to Glory, and feeks Fame through Infamy: Therefore let their Doom be eternal Silence.... 10

AND now their mightiest Chief being quelled, the Battle began to be difordered and broken into, with Rout and Confufion; all the Ground was ftrewed with fhivered Armour, and upon a Heap lay overturned Chariot and Charioteer, and fiery foaming Steeds: Thofe who ftood gave back, over-wearied, and fcarcely through the faint Army of SATAN maintaining a defenfive Fight, or furprized with pale Fear and Senfe of Pain, (being the first Fear and Pain they had ever known) fled fhamefully, brought to fuch Evil by the Sin of Difobedience; till that Hour not having been liable to Fear, or Flight, or Pain. Far otherwife the holy Saints (itanding firm in the Orders they were firft drawn up) advanced intire, invulnerable, and in Armour that was impenetrable: Such high Advantages their Innocence, not to have finned, not to have difobeyed, gave them above their Enemies! They stood unwearied in Fight, not liable to receive Pain from any Wound, though they might be removed from their Places by Violence.

CHAP.

CHA P. II.

Satan and his Powers retire under Night; he puts Michael and his Angels to fome Disorder in the fecond Day's Fight, but they overwhelm both his Force and his Engines.

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OW Night began her Courfe, and bringing on Darkness over Heaven and Silence, there was a Truce made to the hateful Din of War, and both the Victor and the Vanquished, as foon as it was Night retired. MICHAEL and his Angels, who had the Advantage on their Side, encamping on the Field where the Battle had been fought, placed Cherubic waving Fires round their Watches in Guard: On the other Part, SATAN with his rebellious Angels disappeared, and took their Stations far in the Dark, where finding it impoffible to take any Reft, he called his Potentates to Council by Night, and standing up in the Midst of them, thus began to fpeak:

DEAR Companions! now tried in Danger, and in Arms found to be invincible, and not worthy of Liberty only, (the Thing we pretended to contend for) but of what we more affect, Honour, Empire, Glory, and Renown, who have sustained one Day (and if one Day, why not for ever?) in a doubtful Fight, what GOD with his greatest Power could fend against us from about his Throne, and what he thought fufficient to fubdue us to his Will. But it does not prove fo.----Then it seems we may make a Judgment, that he is fallible as to the Knowledge of future Things, though 'till now he has been thought omnifcient. 'Tis true, happening to be worse armed, we have fuftained fome Difadvantage, and experienced what Pain

is; but we know withal, of how little Confequence it is, and defpife it, fince we find that we cannot be deftroyed, and that our Wounds foon clofe, healed by our native Vigour. Of fo fmall an Evil let us think the Remedy must be easy; perhaps when we meet next, better Arms may give us the Advantage, and destroy our Enemies, or at least make that equal between us, which before made the Odds, where there is none in Nature: If by any other hidden Cause they are indeed fuperior, while we can preferve our Minds unhurt, and our Understanding found, we shall difcover it by Confultation and proper Search.

He fat down, and there ftood up in the Affembly NISROC (b), one of the chief of the Principalities; he looked as one efcaped from the Slaughter of the Battle, fatigued and wearied out, his Armour fhattered and cut to Pieces, and gloomy in his Afpect; he thus replied:

DELIVERER from new Lords! and Leader to the free Enjoyment of our Right, as we are Gods! yet it is hard for Gods, and we find it too much to fight in Rain, against those who feel none, and are incapable of fuffering; from which Evil nothing but Ruin can enfue; for what fignifies Valour or Strength, if accompanied with Pain, which fubdues all Things, and makes weak the Hands of the most powerful? Perhaps we might be willing to be deprived of the Senfe of Pleasure, and live without repining in Quiet and Content, which is the calmeft Life; but Pain is perfect Mifery, a real Evil, and if it be exceflive, overturns all Patience. He therefore, who can invent

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what we may offend more forcibly our yet unwounded Enemies with, or how we fhall arm ourselves with the fame Defence they have, in my Opinion deferves no lefs, than what we already owe for our Deliverance.

WHERETO SATAN, with a compofed Look, replied: That which thou rightly believeft fo neceffary to our Succefs, is not now to be invented, it being already in my Power. Which is there of us, who beholds the bright Surface of this celeftial Mold upon which we ftand, this fpacious Continent of Heaven, adorned with fuch Diverfity of Plants, Fruits, fweeteft Flowers, Jewels, and Gold; whofe Eye is it that furveys thefe Things fo fuperficially, as not to obfervę from whence they grow deep under the Ground, made of dark and crude Materials, of fpirituous and fiery Sulphur, 'till touched with the Ray of Heaven and tempered, they fhoot forth fo beautifully up into Light? These the Deep fhall yield us in their first Forms, pregnant with ftrange Fire, which being rammed into hollow Engines, long and round, and touched at the other End with Fire dilated, and put into a violent Motion, fhall, with Noife like Thunder, fend from far fuch Implements of Mischief among our Foes, as fhall overwhelm and dash to Pieces whatever ftands against them; fo that they fhall be afraid that we have difarmed the Thunderer of his only dreaded Thunder-bolt: Nor fhall our Labour be long, for yet before Break of Day what we wish shall be effected: Mean while chear up, and abandon Fear; think nothing hard to Strength joined with good Counfel, much less to be despaired of.

HE finished his Speech, and his Words gave a little glimmering of Joy to their dejected Countenances, and revived their languifhing Hope; all admired the Invention, and it feemed fo eafy, once being found, (which being unfound moft would have thought im

poffible.)

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