Star upon star, moon, sun,
And let his Godhead toil

To re-adorn and re-illume his Heaven!

Since in the end derision

Shall prove his works, and all his efforts vain:
For Lucifer alone was that full light

Which scattered radiance o'er the plains of heaven.
But these his present fires, are shade and smoke,
Base counterfeits of my more potent beams.

I reck not what he means to make his heaven,
Nor care I what his creature man may be.
Too obstinate and firm

Is my undaunted thought,

In proving that I am implacable

'Gainst Heaven, 'gainst Man, the Angels, and their God.

SCENE III.-SAtan, Beelzebub, and LUCIFER.

Satan. To light, to light to raise the embattled brows,

A symbol of the firm and generous heart

That ardent dwells in the unconquered breast.
Must we then suffer such excessive wrong?
And shall we not with.hands, thus talon-armed,
Tear out the stars from their celestial seat;
And as our sign of conquest,

Down in our dark abyss

Shall we not force the sun, and moon to blaze,

Since we are those, who in dread feats of arms

Warring amongst the stars,

Made the bright face of Heaven turn pale with fear?
To arms! to arms! redoubted Beelzebub !

Ere yet 'tis heard around,

To our great wrong and memorable shame,

That by the race of man (mean child of clay)

The stars expect a new sublimity.

Beelzebub. I burn with such fierce flame, Such stormy venom deluges my soul,

That with intestine rage

My groans like thunder sound, my looks are lightning,

And my extorted tears are fiery showers!

'Tis needful therefore from my brow to shake

The hissing serpents that o'erstrade my visage,
To gaze upon these mighty works of Heaven,
And the new demi-gods.

Silent be he, who thinks

(Now that this man is formed,)

To imitate his voice and thus exclaim,

Distressful Satan, ye unhappy spirits,

How wretched is your lot, from being first,
Fallen and degenerate, lost as ye are ;

Heaven was your station once, your seat the stars,
And your great Maker God!

and me that fo

ent fires are f me more meme to t erature ma

im and generons h

fer such excessive up

That 'midst its humid sands and vales profound the unconquere Rolls over buried gold and precious pearl, with hands, thus ral

And "midst its silent and its scaly tribes,

And crimson coral raising to the sky

Arechis Comes Taremiamant resume the ince in the est derision

all prove his works, and off is offe Fiicifer alone was that fell o

ich scattered radiance o'er the plates of cave these his present fires are shade in m counterfeits of my more paint brains not what he means to note if any et what his creature min may fur stinate and firm

Now abject wretches, having lost for ever,
Eternal morn and each celestial light,
Heaven calls you now the denizens of woe
Instead of moving in the solar road,
You press the plains of everlasting night;
And for your golden tresses,

And looks angelical,

Your locks are snaky, and your glance malign,
Your burning lips a murky vapour breathe,
And every tongue now teems with blasphemy,
And all blaspheming raise

A cloud sulphureous of foam and fire,
Armed with the eagle's talon, feet of goat,
And dragon's wing, your residence in fire,
Profoundest Tartarus unblest and dark,
The theatre of anguish,

That shuts itself against the beams of day!
Since the dread angel, born to brook no law,
To desolate the sky

And raise the powers of Hell,

Ought to breathe sanguine fire, and on his brow

Display the ensign of sublimest horror.

Satan. Though armed with talons keen, and eagle beak,

Snaky our tresses, and our aspect fierce,

Cloven our feet, our frames with horror plumed,

And though our deep abode

Be fixed in shadowy scenes of darkest night,

Let us be angels still in dignity;

As far surpassing others as the Lord

Of highest power, his low and humble slaves.
If far from heaven our pennons we expand,
Let us remember still

That we alone are lords, and they are slaves;
And that resigning meaner seats in heaven,
We in their stead have raised a royal throne
Immense and massy, where the mighty chief
Of all our legions higher lifts his brow,

Than the proud mountain that upholds your heaven;
And there with heaven still waging endless war,
Threatening the stars, our adversaries ever,
Bears a dread sceptre kindling into flame,

That while he wheels it round, darts forth a blaze

More dazzling than the sun's meridian ray.

Lucifer. 'Tis time to show my power, my brave compeers, Magnanimous and mighty

Angels endowed with martial potency,

I know the grief that gives you living death,

Is to see man exalted

To stations so sublime,

That all created things to him submit;

Since ye already doubt,

That to those lofty seats of flaming glory,

(Our treasure once and pride, but now renounced,) This pair shall one day rise

With all the numerous train

Of their posterity.

Satan. Great Lord of the infernal deep abyss, To thee I bow, and speak

The anguish of my soul,

That for this man, grows hourly more severe,

Fearing the Incarnation of the Word.

Lucifer. Can it be true, that from so little dust

A deity shall rise!

That flesh, that deity, that lofty power,
That chains us to the deep?

To this vile clod of earth,

He who himself yet claims to be adored?
Shall angels then do homage thus to men?
And can then flesh impure

Give to angelic nature higher powers?
Can it be true, and to devise the mode
Escape our intellect, ours who so dear
Have bought the boast of wisdom?
I yet am He, I am,

Who would not suffer that above in heaven,
Your lofty nature should submit to outrage,
When that insensate wish

Possessed the tyrant of the starry throne,
That you should prostrate fall,

Before the Incarnate Word:

I am that Spirit, I, who for your sake
Collecting dauntless courage to the north
Led you far distant from the senseless will,
Of him who boasts to have created heaven.

And ye are those, your ardour speaks you well,
And your bold hearts that o'er the host of heaven
Gave me assurance of proud victory.

Arise! let glory's flame

Blaze in your breast, nor be it ever heard,

That him whom ye disdain

To worship in the sky,

Ye stoop to worship in the depth of hell!

Such were your oaths to me,

By your inestimable worth in arms,

Your worth, alas, so great

That heaven itself deserved not to enjoy it.

Oh, 'twere an outrage and a shame too great,

Were we not ready to revenge it all;

I see already flaming in your looks,

The matchless valour of your ardent hearts;
Already see your pinions spread in air,
To overwhelm the world and highest heaven,
That, all creation sunk in the abyss,
This mortal may be found