y whom
As by his word the mighty Father made
All things, even thee, and all the spirits of heaven
By him created in their bright degrees,
Crowned them with glory, and to their glory named
Thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues, powers,
Essential Powers; nor by his reign obscured,
But more illustrious made, since he the Head
One of our number thus reduced becomes,
His laws our laws, all honor to him done
Returns our own. Cease then this impious rage,
And tempt not these; but hasten to appease
Th' incensed Father and th' incensed Son,
While pardon may be found, in time besought."

Yet though Abdiel's intentions were undeniably good, his argument is
rather specious. Acting as an instrument in the process of creation
would scarcely give a valid claim to the obedience of the created
being. Power may be shown in the act, no doubt; but mere power gives
no true claim to the obedience of moral beings. It is a kind of
principle of all manner of idolatries and false religions to believe
that it does so. Satan, besides, takes issue on the fact:--

"That we were formed then, say'st thou? and the work
Of secondary hands, by task transferred
From Father to his Son? Strange point and new!
Doctrine which we would know whence learned."

And we must say that the speech in which the new ruler is introduced to
the "Thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues, powers," is hard to
reconcile with Abdiel's exposition. "_This day_" he seems to have come
into existence, and could hardly have assisted at the creation of the
angels, who are not young, and who converse with one another like old
acquaintances.

We have gone into this part of the subject at length, because it is the
source of the great error which pervades "Paradise Lost": Satan is made
_interesting_. This has been the charge of a thousand orthodox and
even heterodox writers against Milton. Shelley, on the other hand, has
gloried in it; and fancied, if we remember rightly, that Milton
intentionally ranged himself on the Satanic side of the universe, just
as Shelley himself would have done, and that he wished to show the
falsity of the ordinary theology. But Milton was born an age too early
for such aims, and was far too sincere to have advocated any doctrine
in a form so indirect. He believed every word he said. He was not
conscious of the effect his teaching would produce in an age like this,
when skepticism is in the air, and w