oes not
want to fight any more; Mammon, who is for commencing an industrial
career; Beelzebub, the official statesman,

deep on his front engraven
Deliberation sat and Public care,

who, at Satan's instance, proposes the invasion of earth--are as
distinct as so many statues. Even Belial, 'the man of the world', the
sort of man with whom Milton had least sympathy, is perfectly painted.
An inferior artist would have made the actor who 'counselled ignoble
ease and peaceful sloth', a degraded and ugly creature; but Milton
knew better. He knew that low notions require a better garb than high
notions. Human nature is not a high thing, but at least it has a high
idea of itself; it will not accept mean maxims, unless they are gilded
and made beautiful. A prophet in goatskin may cry, 'Repent, repent',
but it takes 'purple and fine linen' to be able to say, 'Continue in
your sins'. The world vanquishes with its speciousness and its show,
and the orator who is to persuade men to worldliness must have a share
in them. Milton well knew this; after the warlike speech of the fierce
Moloch he introduces a brighter and a more graceful spirit:

He ended frowning, and his look denounced
Desp'rate revenge, and battle dangerous
To less than Gods. On th' other side up rose
Belial, in act more graceful and humane:
A fairer person lost not Heaven; he seem'd
For dignity composed 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 counsels: for his thoughts were low;
To vice industrious, but to nobler deeds
Tim'rous and slothful: yet he pleased the ear,
And with persuasive accent thus began:

He does not begin like a man with a strong case, but like a man with a
weak case; he knows that the pride of human nature is irritated by
mean advice, and though he may probably persuade men to _take_ it, he
must carefully apologise for _giving_ it. Here, as elsewhere, though
the formal address is to devils, the real address is to men: to the
human nature which we know, not to the fictitious demonic nature we do
not know:

I should be much for open war, O Peers!
As not behind in hate, if what was urged
Main reason to persuade immediate war,
Did not dissuade me most, and seem to cast
Ominous conjecture on the whole success:
When he who most