Him God beholding from his prospect high,
Wherein past, present, future he beholds,
Thus to his onely Son foreseeing spake.
Onely begotten So thou what rage [ 80 ]
Transports our adversarie, whom no bounds
Prescribd, no barrs of Hell, nor all the s
Heapt on him there, nor yet the main Abyss
Wide interrupt hold; so bent he seems
On desparate reveng, that shall redound [ 85 ]
Upon his own rebellious head. And now
Through all restraint broke loose he wings his way
Not farr off Heavn, in the Prects of light,
Directly towards the new created World,
And Man there plact, with purpose to assay [ 90 ]
If him by force he destroy, or worse,
By some false guile pervert; and shall pervert
For man will hearkn to his glozing lyes,
And easily trahe sole and,
Sole pledge of his obedience: So will fall, [ 95 ]
Hee and his faithless Progenie: whose fault?
Whose but his own? ingrate, he had of mee
All he could have; I made him just and right,
Suffit to have stood, though free to fall.
Such I created all th Ethereal Powers [ 100 ]
And Spirits, both them who stood and them who faild;
Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell.
Not free, roof could they have givn sincere
Of true allegiance, stant Faith or Love,
Where onely what they needs must do, appeard, [ 105 ]
Not what they would? raise could they receive?
leasure I from such obedience paid,
When Will and Reason (Reason also is choice)
Useless and vain, of freedom both despoild,
Made passive both, had servd ie, [ 110 ]
Not mee. They therefore as tht belongd,
So were created, nor justly accuse
Thir maker, or thir making, or thir Fate,
As if predestination over-ruld
Thir will, disposd by absolute Decree [ 115 ]
h foreknowledge; they themselves decreed
Thir ow, not I: if I foreknew,
Foreknowledge had no influen their fault,
Which had no less provd certain unforeknown.