The Adamus exul of Grotius; or The Prototype of Paradise Lost — page 41: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

24 ADAMUS EXUL. Satan. O spare thyself this thunder! Mighty chiefs Adam. Satan. Adam. Like thee should waste no strength on feeble foes, They who wage war on weak, and on base things, Themselves are baser. Mark the forest king— The lion—dost thou ever see him spoil Poor sheep, or rend the innocent bleating lamb ? No, he disdains such conquest, but he loves To engage the rival lion of his hate In his swollen rage, or grapple to the death With the throat-throttling tiger, or grim bear, Sparing the weak and trampling on the strong. Thou thinkst that I can harm thee—lay aside This idle terror, this ridiculous fright Of one so lost, so fallen—one so base, So little worthy of your hate, and make This most political compact without fear. Thou sayst right well, thou art not worth my hate, Much less, foul demon, art thou worth my love. Nay, nay, not quite so abject; let no vain Or false conceit delude thee. We have store Of wit and counsel, power and agency Thou little reckst of; but perchance mayst need Hereafter on occasion. God, forsooth, Hath robbed us of good luck, and the fair smiles Of fortune: but he hath not yét despoiled The antique glory of our souls, the full Keen armoury of thought made thunder-proof, Nor yet the invincible will to dare or do. Ay, and we still have kingdoms, princedoms, powers, Gorgeously bright, right glowing, tho’ too low To suit our aspirations. God, meanwhile, Sits thundering thro’ his empty halls of heaven— There let him reign. To thee a better sway, O’er this fair earth, he yields—the purple air, The immeasurable and hollow-sounding main, And all that it inhabit. Unto us Belongs the nether empire, which the gods Do courteously call Hell and Tartarus— Such is the subterranean territory We exiled heroes hold. Here the august Titanic brood of murmuring demons wield The sceptre over Chaos, and the shades Of the jarred elements,—now let us rule Together, a3 our kingdoms stand so nigh. Whate’er the Thunderer gave to me and mine Of lordship or authority, he gave But on condition of pure stainless faith And fealty to Him. This we maintain (C@ inn @ DOO <S (c@