Where pain of uinguishable fire
Must exercise us without hope of end
The Vassals of his anger, when the Sce [ 90 ]
Inexorably, and the t hour
Calls us to Penance? More destroyd then thus
We should be quite abolisht and expire.
What fear we then? what doubt we to inse
His utmost ire? which to the highth enragd, [ 95 ]
Will either quite e us, and reduce
To nothing this essential, happier farr
Then miserable to have eternal being:
Or if our substance be indeed Divine,
And ot cease to be, we are at worst [ 100 ]
On this side nothing; and by proof we feel
Our power suffit to disturb his Heavn,
And with perpetual io Allarme,
Though inaccessible, his fatal Throne:
Which if not Victory is yet Revenge. [ 105 ]
He ended frowning, and his look denouncd
Desperate revenge, and Battel dangerous
To less then Gods. On th other side up rose
Belial, in act mraceful and humane;
A fairer person lost not Heavn; he seemd [ 110 ]
Fnity posd and high exploit:
But all was false and hollow; though his Tongue
Dropt Manna, and could make the worse appear
The better reason, to perplex and dash
Maturest sels: for his thoughts were low; [ 115 ]
To vidustrious, but to Nobler deeds
Timorous and slothful: yet he pleasd the ear,
And with perswasive at thus began.
I should be much for open Warr, O Peers,
As not behind in hate; if what was urgd [ 120 ]
Main reason to persuade immediate Warr,
Did not disswade me most, ao cast
Ominous jecture on the whole success:
When he who most excels in fact of Arms,
In what he sels and in what excels [ 125 ]
Mistrustful, grounds his ce on despair
And utter dissolution, as the scope
Of all his aim, after some dire revenge.
First, what Revehe Towrs of Heavn are filld
With Armed watch, that render all access [ 130 ]
Impregnable; oft on the b Deep
Encamp thir Legions, or with obscure wing
Scout farr and wide into the Realm of night,