Read The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Online
Authors: John Milton,Burton Raffel
Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Literary Collections, #Poetry, #Classics, #English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh, #English poetry
796
His equals, if in power and splendor less,
797
In freedom equal? Or can introduce
798
Law and edict on us, who without law
799
Err not? Much less for this to be our Lord
800
And look for adoration, to th’ abuse
3656
801
Of those imperial titles which assert
802
Our being ordained to govern, not to serve.
803
“Thus far his bold discourse without control
3657
804
Had audience, when among the Seraphim
805
Abdiel,
3658
than whom none with more zeal adored
806
The Deity, and divine commands obeyed,
807
Stood up, and in a flame of zeal severe
3659
808
The current
3660
of his fury thus opposed:
809
“‘O argument blasphemous, false, and proud!
810
Words which no ear ever to hear in Heav’n
811
Expected, least of all from thee, ingrate,
812
In place thyself so high above thy peers.
813
Canst thou with impious obloquy
3661
condemn
814
The just decree of God, pronounced and sworn,
815
That to His only Son, by right endued
3662
816
With regal scepter, every soul in Heav’n
817
Shall bend the knee, and in that honor due
3663
818
Confess
3664
him rightful King? Unjust, thou say’st,
819
Flatly unjust, to bind with laws the free,
820
And equal over equals to let reign,
821
One over all with unsucceeded
3665
power.
822
Shalt thou give law to God? Shalt thou dispute
823
With Him the points of liberty, who made
824
Thee what thou art, and formed the Powers of Heav’n
825
Such as He pleased, and circumscribed
3666
their being?
826
Yet, by experience taught, we know how good,
827
And of our good and of our dignity
828
How provident
3667
He is, how far from thought
829
To make us less, bent
3668
rather to exalt
830
Our happy state, under one head more near
3669
831
United. But to grant it thee unjust
3670
832
That equal over equals monarch reign:
833
Thyself, though great and glorious, dost thou count—
834
Or all Angelic nature joined in one
835
Equal to him, begotten Son? By whom,
836
As by His Word, the Mighty Father made
837
All things, ev’n thee, and all the Spirits of Heav’n
838
By Him created in their bright degrees,
839
Crowned them with glory, and to their glory named
840
Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,
841
Essential Powers, nor by His reign obscured
3671
842
But more illustrious made, since He the head
843
One of our number thus reduced becomes,
844
His laws our laws, all honor to Him done
845
Returns our own. Cease then this impious rage,
846
847
Th’ incensèd Father and th’ incensèd Son,
848
While pardon may be found, in time
3674
besought.
849
“So spoke the fervent
3675
Angel, but his zeal
850
None seconded, as out of season
3676
judged,
851
852
Th’ apostate and, more haughty, thus replied:
853
“‘That we were formed then, say’st thou? And the work
854
Of secondary
3679
hands, by task transferred
855
From Father to His Son? Strange
3680
point and new!
856
Doctrine which we would know whence learned. Who saw
857
When this creation was? Remember’st thou
858
Thy making, while the Maker gave thee being?
859
We know no time when we were not as now,
860
Know none before us, self-begot, self-raised
861
862
Had circled his full orb, the birth mature
3683
863
Of this our native Heav’n, ethereal
3684
sons.
864
Our puissance
3685
is our own: our own right hand
865
Shall teach us highest deeds, by proof to try
866
Who is our equal. Then thou shalt behold
867
Whether by supplication we intend
868
869
Beseeching or besieging. This report,
870
These tidings carry to th’ anointed King,
871
And fly,
3688
ere evil intercept thy flight.
872
“He said, and as the sound of waters deep
873
Hoarse murmur echoed to his words applause,
3689
874
Through the infinite host. Nor less for that
875
The flaming Seraph fearless, though alone,
876
Encompassed round with foes, thus answered bold:
877
“‘O alienate
3690
from God, O Spirit accursed,
878
Forsaken of all good! I see thy fall
879
880
In this perfidious fraud, contagion spread
881
Both of thy crime and punishment. Henceforth
882
No more be troubled how to quit the yoke
883
Of God’s Messiah. Those indulgent
3693
laws
884
Will not be now vouchsafed;
3694
other decrees
885
Against thee are gone forth without recall.