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Unanswered lest thou boast—to let thee know, At first I thought that liberty and heaven To heavenly souls had been all one; but now I see that most through sloth had rather serve, Minist'ring spirits, trained up in feast and song: Such hast thou armed, the minstrelsy of heaven,

PARADISE LOST.

Servility with freedom to contend, As both their deeds compared this day shall prove.

To whom in brief thus Abdiel stern replied: Apostate! still thou err'st, nor end wilt find Of erring, from the path of truth remote. Unjustly thou deprav'st it with the name Of servitude, to serve whom God ordains, Or nature. God and nature bid the same, When he who rules is worthiest, and excels Them whom he governs. This is servitude, To serve the unwise, or him who hath rebelled Against his worthier, as thine now serve thee, Thyself not free, but to thyself inthralled; Yet lewdly dar'st our minist'ring upbraid. Reign thou in Hell, thy kingdom; let me serve In Heaven God ever-blest, and His divine Behests obey, worthiest to be obeyed. Yet chains in hell, not realms, expect: meanwhile, From me returned, as erst thou saidst, from flight, This greeting on thy impious crest receive.

So saying, a noble stroke he lifted high, Which hung not, but so swift with tempest fell On the proud crest of Satan, that no sight, Nor motion of swift thought, less could his shield, Such ruin intercept. Ten paces huge He back recoiled; the tenth on bended knee His massy spear upstaid—as if on earth Winds under ground, or waters forcing way, Sidelong had pushed a mountain from his seat, Half sunk with all his pines. Amazement seized

His daring foe, at this prevention more Incensed, and thus securely him defied:1

Proud art thou met? Thy hope was to have reached The height of thy aspiring unopposed, The throne of God unguarded, and his side Abandoned, at the terror of thy power Or potent tongue. Fool! not to think how vain Against the Omnipotent to rise in arms; Who out of smallest things, could, without end, Have raised incessant armies to defeat Thy folly; or with solitary hand Reaching beyond all limit, at one blow, Unaided, could have finished thee, and whelmed Thy legions under darkness. But thou seest All are not of thy train; there be, who faith Prefer, and piety to God, though then To thee not visible, when I alone Seemed in thy world erroneous to dissent From all; my sect thou seest.2 Now learn too late How few sometimes may know, when thousands err.

Whom the grand foe, with scornful eye askance, Thus answered: Ill for thee, but in wished hour Of my revenge, first sought for, thou returnest From flight seditious Angel! to receive Thy merited reward, the first assay Of this right hand provoked, since first that tongue, Inspired with contradiction, durst oppose A third part of the gods, in synod met Their deities to assert; who, while they feel Vigour divine within them, can allow Omnipotence to none. But well thou com'st Before thy fellows, ambitious to win From me some plume, that thy success may show Destruction to the rest. This pause between-

^&lt;sup>2</sup> Securely him defied.—Without fear.

³ My sect thou seest.—Those who are at one with me.