to receive him. A moment later trumpets sound in heaven, and the
angelic legions sally forth to battle for God and for his Messiah,
hymning the Eternal Father. The evil angels, whose glory has not yet
been dimmed, meet this host in squadrons, at the head of which rides
Lucifer (or Satan as he is generally called after he becomes an
apostate), in his sun-bright chariot. On beholding him, Abdiel marvels
because he still retains a God-like semblance, and warns him he will
soon pay the penalty of his folly. In return Satan terms Abdiel a
common deserter, and overwhelms him with scorn, to which this angel
pays little heed, realizing that by serving a divine master he is
freer than independent Satan.

After exchanging Homeric taunts, these two begin fighting, and
Abdiel's first dart causes the archenemy to recoil and almost sink to
the ground. But, when the divine host clamor that Satan is overcome,
he promptly recovers his footing, and, retreating into the ranks of
his army, directs their resistance to the foe. The battle now rages
with such fury that the heavens resound. Many deeds of eternal fame
are wrought, for Satan proves almost equal to Michael, who with his
two-handed sword strikes down whole squadrons at one blow. But wounds
inflicted on angels, even when fallen, are no sooner made than healed,
so those who sink down disabled are soon back in the thick of the
night as strong as ever. The moment comes, however, when Michael's
sword inflicts so deep a wound in Satan's side that, for the first
time, he experiences pain. Seeing him fall, his adherents bear him
away from the field of battle, where he is immediately healed, "for
spirits, that live throughout vital in every part,... cannot but by
annihilation die." Thus temporarily deprived of his greatest
opponent, Michael attacks Moloch, while Uriel, Raphael and Abdiel
vanquish other potent angels who have dared to rebel against God.