d force hath made supreme above his equals farewell happy fields where joy for ever dwells hail horrors hail infernal world and thou hell receive thy new possessor one who brings a mind not to be changed by place or time the mind is its own place and in itself can make a heaven of hell a hell of heaven what matter where if i be still the same and what i should be all but less than he whom thunder hath made greater here at least we shall be free the almighty hath not built here for his envy will not drive us hence here we may reign secure and in my choice to reign is worth ambition though in hell better to reign in hell than serve in heaven but wherefore let we then our faithful friends the associates and of our loss lie thus astonished on the pool and call them not to share with us their part in this unhappy mansion or once more with rallied arms to try what may be yet regained in heaven or what more lost in hell so satan and him thus answered leader of those armies bright which but the none could have foil d if once they hear that voice their pledge of hope in fears and dangers heard so oft in worse extremes and on the perilous edge of battle when it raged in all their signal they will soon new courage and revive though now they lie and prostrate on yon lake of fire as we astounded and amazed no wonder fall n such a height he scarce had ceased when the superior was moving toward the shore his ponderous shield john ethereal temper large and round behind him cast the broad hung on his shoulders like the moon whose through glass the artist views at evening from the top of or in to new lands rivers or mountains in her globe his spear to equal which the pine on hills to be the mast of some great were but a he walk d with to support uneasy steps over the burning not like those steps on heaven s and the smote on him sore besides with fire he so endured till on the beach of that sea he stood and call d his angel forms who lay thick as leaves that the in where the shades high over arch ij or scatter d afloat when with fierce winds arm d hath vex d the red sea coast whose waves and his chivalry while with hatred they pursued the of who beheld from the safe shore their floating and broken chariot wheels so thick abject and lost lay these covering the flood under amazement of their hideous change he so loud that all the hollow deep of hell princes warriors the flower of heaven once yours now lost if such astonishment as this can seize eternal spirits or have ye chosen this place after the toil of battle to repose your wearied virtue for the ease you find to slumber here as in the of heaven i or in this abject posture have ye sworn to the conqueror who now vol ii z the english poets and rolling in the flood with scattered and till anon his swift from heaven gates discern the advantage and descending tread us down thus drooping or with linked us to the bottom of this � awake arise or be for ever they heard and were d and up they sprung upon the wing as when men wont to watch on duty sleeping found by whom they dread rouse and themselves ere well awake nor did they not perceive the evil plight in which they were or the fierce pains not feel yet to their general s voice they soon obeyed innumerable as when the potent rod of s son in egypt s evil day d round the coast a cloud of on the eastern wind that o er the realm of hung like night and d all the land of so were those bad angels seen hovering on wing under the cope of hell upper and surrounding fires till at a signal given the uplifted spear of their great waving to direct their course in even balance down they light on the firm and fill all the plain a multitude like which the north pour d never from her fi to pass or the when her barbarous sons came like a on the south and spread beneath to the sands forthwith from every and each band the heads and leaders thither haste where stood their great commander shapes and forms human and powers that in heaven sat on though of their names in heavenly records now be no memorial blotted out and john milton by their rebellion from the books of life nor had they yet among the sons of eve got them new names till wandering o er the earth through god s high for the trial of man by and lies the greatest part of mankind they to god their creator and the invisible glory of him that made them to oft to the image of a brute d with gay of pomp and gold and devils to for then were they known to men by various names and various through the heathen world say muse their names then known who first who last roused from the slumber on that fiery couch at their great emperor s call as next in worth came singly where he stood on the bare strand while the crowd stood yet aloof the chief were those who from the pit of hell to seek their prey on earth fix their seats long after next the seat of god their by his altar gods adored among the nations round and abide thundering out of sion between the yea often placed within his itself their and with cursed things his holy rites and solemn and with 