that, chose not to be at all; but having loft that Hope he loft all Fear: He made no Account of God, or Hell, or worse, and fpoke as follows:

My Sentence is altogether for open War; I boast not of Stratagems, for in them I am not fkilful; let thofe contrive them who have no better Means to use, and when there may be Occasion for them, not now: For while they fit inventing, fhall the reft, fo many Millions that ftand in Arms and impatiently wait the Signal to afcend, fit lingering here; Heaven's Fugitives, and accept for their Dwelling-Place this dark and fhameful Pit, which is the Prifon of his Tyranny, who reigns only by our Delay? No, let us chufe rather, arm'd with Fury and Hell Flames, all at once to force refiftlefs Way over the high Towers of Heaven, turning our Tortures into horrible Arms against him who tortures us; when he fhall hear, to meet the Noife of his almighty Thunder, infernal Thunder, and for Lightning, fee black Fire and Horrot fhot with as great Rage among His Angels; and fee His Throne itself, mix'd with burning Sulphur and ftrange Fire, Torments which He himfelt invented.

But, perhaps, the Way feems hard and steep, to fcale upward upon the Wing, against a Foe above us. If the steepy Drench of that Lake does not still ftupify, let fuch bethink them, that we afcend in our proper Motion, up to our Native Seats; Defcent and Sinking is contrary to our celeftial Natures. Who were there of late, when our fierce Foe purfued us closely through the Deep, but felt with what Compulfion and Labour we funk thus low? The Afcent then is easy, but the Event is feared: It is objected, that if we fhould again provoke HIM, who is ftronger than us, His Wrath may find some worse Way to our Destruction; as if those who are already in Hell could fear to be worse deftroyed. What can be worse

than to dwell here, driven out from Blifs, and condemned in this abhorred Prifon to utter Woe: where Pain of unquenchable Fire muft torment us, without any Hope or End? We are the Objects of His eternal Wrath, whenever His y unmerciful Scourge and the Hour of Torture calls us to Punishment: If we were to be more deftroyed than this, we fhould be quite annihilated and expire. What do we fear then? What Doubts do we raife, to inflame His utmost Rage? which raised to the Height, will either confume us quite, and reduce thefe Effences of ours to nothing; (which is happier far, than to be miferable and have eternal Being) or if our Natures be indeed immortal, and we cannot ceafe to be, then, at worst, we are on this Side nothing; and we feel by Proof, that our Power is fufficient to difturb His Heaven, and with continual Affaults to allarm His fatal Throne, although it may be inacceffible; which, if it is not Victory, it is nevertheless Revenge.

He concluded frowning, and his Look threatened defperate Revenge and dangerous Battle, to any who were lefs than Gods. On the other Side BELIAL rofe up, more graceful and humane in his Carriage; a fairer Perfon did not lofe Heaven; he feemed compofed for Dignity, and for high Exploits; but all was falfe and hollow; though his Tongue was eloquent and could make the worse Reafon appear the better, to perplex and confound the wifeft Councils: For his Thoughts were low, induftrious to Vice, but timorous and flothful to nobler Deeds; yet he pleafed the Ear, and with moving and perfuafive Oratory began thus:

I SHOULD, O Peers! be very much for open War, (as not the leaft behind for Hate) if what was the main Reafon infifted upon to perfwade me to it, did not diffwade me from it, and feem to caft an ill-boding Conjecture upon the Succefs of the whole; when he,

who

who excells moft in valiant Deeds, fufpicious of the Event, builds his Courage upon Defpair, and confiders utter Diffolution as the Scope of all his Aim, after fome fatal Revenge. First, what Revenge? The Towers of Heaven are always filled with armed Watch, which takes off the Poffibility of all Access: Nay, the Legions of the holy Angels do often encamp upon the bordering Deep, or with darkened Wings fcout far and wide into the Regions of Night, and fcorn all Surprize. Or could we by Force break our Way, and all Hell fhould rife at our Heels with blackest Rebellion, to confound Heaven's pure Light; yet our great Enemy would remain unpolluted and incorruptible on his Throne, and the heavenly Substance not fubject to any Blot or Stain, would foon expel all Mischief, and victoriously purge off all our ineffectual Fires. Thus repulfed, our final Hope would indeed be flat Defpair; we fhould thus exafperate the Almighty Conqueror to fpend all his Rage upon us, and that muft end us; that at laft must be our Cure, to be no more.A fad Cure! for who, though full of Pain,would lofe this wife and understanding Nature of ours; thefe Thoughts, that can wander through Eternity; and rather chufe to perish, to be fwallow'd up, and loft in everlasting Darknefs, without Senfe and Motion? And fuppofing this to be a Good, and to be chofe before our prefent Pain, who knows whether our angry Foe can give it, or ever will? How he can is quite doubtful, but that he never will is very fure. Will he, who is fo very wife, at once let loose his Anger; belike through Want of 'Power to curb his Paffions, or at unawares, to give his Enemies their Wish, and to put an End to them in his Anger, whom his Anger faves only to punifh for ever?-Wherefore then fay they who counsel War, why do we ceafe? We are predeftinated, referved, and destined to eternal Mifery, let us do what we will, what can we fuffer more, what can we fuffer worse?

Is

+

Is this then worst, thus in Arms, fitting and confulting? What! when we fled fwiftly, and the afflicting Thunder of Heaven purfued and ftruck us, and we befought the Deep to fhelter us? This Hell, fcorching as it is, then feemed a Refuge from those Wounds. Or when we lay chained upon the burning Lake? That furely was worfe. What if the fame Breath that kindled thofe Fires, again provoked, fhould blow them feven Times hotter, and plunge us in the Flames; or if from above the God of Vengeance, who has abated for a little Space, fhould arm again his incensed Right-Hand to plague us; what if all Heaven were opened, and this Firmament of Hell fhould fpout out its Cataracts (c) of Fire? Impending Horrors! threatning hideous Fall upon our Heads: While we, perhaps, defigning or confulting glorious War, fhall be caught in a fiery Tempeft, and each of us be transfixed on fome Rock, the Sport and Prey of continual and racking Whirlwinds; to converfe there with everlasting Groans, without any Intermiffion, unpitied and unreprieved, and this for Ages without End! This would be worse, therefore I declare against War, either open or concealed: For what can Force or Fraud do against him? Or who can pretend to deceive his Mind, who views all Things at one View? HE from high Heaven fees and derides

(c) Cataracts; Ital. Span. Fr. Lat. from the Gr. i. e. Falling down with Force, rufhing violently downwards. Water-Falls in Rivers from high Rocks, as thofe of the Danube and Nile, which makes the Inhabitants deaf for three Leagues, through the hideous Noife of their Fall. Many fuch are in the great River Tornea in Lapland, and in moft Rivers that defcend from high rocky Mountains. But the

Cataract of Nigaria near New York in North America, is the greatest in the World, being heard above thirty Miles off; for the Fall of it is feveral hundred Feet deep. Mr. Cockburn faw one in South America fix-hundred Feet high, and heard the Noife of it two Days before they came to it, Journey, P. 224. Here the Sluices of Hell Fire let out upon the Fallen Angels.

all

all these our vain Motions: Nor is he more almighty to refift us, than he is wife to fruftrate all our Plots and Stratagems. But it will be faid, fhall we then live here thus vile, who are the Race of Heaven, thus trampled on, thus expelled, to fuffer Chains and these Torments? By my Advice, better thefe than worse, fince inevitable Fate fubdues us, and an omnipotent Decree; which is the Will of our Conqueror. Our Strength is equal to fuffer, or to act, nor is the Law unjuft that ordains it fo; thus, if we were wife, we refolved at firft, contending against fo great an Enemy, and being fo uncertain what might happen. I laugh, when those who are bold and adventurous at the Spear, if that fail them, fhrink, and are afraid of what they know muft follow; that is, to undergo Banishment, Ignominy, or Bonds, or Pain; if the Victor pafs fuch Sentence upon them. This is now what we are doom'd to! which if we can fupport and fuftain, our fupreme Foe may in Time abate of his Anger; and perhaps now we are thus far removed, not mind us, if we offend no more, but be fatisfied with what is punished; and then thefe raging Fires will facken, if his Breath does not blow up their Flames: Our pure Effence will at length overcome their noxious Vapour, or elfe being long inured to it, at last we fhall not feel it, or changed and conformed to the Place, in Temper and in Nature, we fhall receive the fierce Heat familiar, and without Pain: What seems horrid now will grow mild, and this Darkness grow more like Light; befides what Hope the never-ending Courfe of future Time may bring, what Chance, what Change worth waiting for; fince our present Lot, thinking all Happiness is but ill, yet though ill, not worst of all, except we become our own Enemies, and bring more Mifery upon ourselves.

THUS BELTAL, in Words which appeared to flow from Reafon, counfelled difhonourable Eafe and

Sloth,