blinded us. Weighed down with steel, our
feathery wings could not sustain us, but hope gave us wings that bore us
up. The beautiful Seraph, pointing with glittering hand, mounting ever
higher and higher, showed us the way. All day long we slowly clomb the
lofty heights which at evening were robed in azure, rose, and violet.
The starry host appearing in the sky seemed as the reflection of our own
arms. Infinite silence reigned above us. We went on, intoxicated with
hope; all at once from the darkened sky lightning darted forth, the
thunder muttered, and from the cloudy mountain-top fell fire from
Heaven. Our helmets, our breast-plates were running with flames, and our
bucklers broke under bolts sped by invisible hands. Lucifer, in the
storm of fire, retained his haughty mien. In vain the lightning smote
him; mightier than ever he stood erect, and still defied the foe. At
length, the thunder, making the mountain totter, flung us down
pell-mell, huge fragments of sapphire and ruby crashing down with us as
we fell, and we rolled inert, swooning, for a period whose duration
none could measure.

* * * * *

"I awoke in a darkness filled with lamentations. And when my eyes had
grown accustomed to the dense shadows I saw round me my companions in
arms, scattered in thousands on the sulphurous ground, lit by fitful
gleams of livid light. My eyes perceived but fields of lava, smoking
craters, and poisonous swamps.

"Mountains of ice and shadowy seas shut in the horizon. A brazen sky
hung heavy on our brows. And the horror of the place was such that we
wept as we sat, crouched elbow on knee, our cheeks resting on our
clenched hands.

"But soon, raising my eyes, I beheld the Seraph standing before me like
a tower. Over his pristine splendour sorrow had cast its mantle of
sombre majesty.

"'Comrades,' said he, 'we must be happy and rejoice, for behold we are
delivered from celestial servitude. Here we are free, and it were better
to be free in Hell than serve in Heaven. We are not conquered, since the
will to conquer is still ours. We have caused the Throne of the jealous
God to totter; by our hands it shall fall. Arise, therefore, and be of
good heart.'

"Thereupon, at his command, we piled mountain upon mountain and on the
topmost peak we reared engines which flung molten rocks against the
divine habitations. The celestial host was taken unaware and from the
abodes of glory there issued groan