12 Perhaps thou art that Jesus,
of whom Satan just now spoke to
our prince, that by the death of
the cross thou wert about to
receive the power of death.

13 Then the King of Glory
trampling upon death, seized the
prince of hell, deprived him of all
his power, and took our earthly
father Adam with him to his glory.

CHAPTER XVIII.

1 Beelzebub, prince of hell, vehemently upbraids Satan for
persecuting Christ and bringing him to hell.
14 Christ gives Beelzebub dominion over Satan forever,
as a recompence for taking away Adam and his sons.

THEN the prince of hell took
Satan, and with great indignation
said to him, O thou prince of
destruction, author of Beelzebub's
defeat and banishment, the scorn
of God's angels and loathed by all
righteous persons! What inclined
thee to act thus?

2 Thou wouldst crucify the King
of Glory, and by his destruction,
hast made us promises of very
large advantages, but as a fool
wert ignorant of what thou wast
about.

3 For behold now that Jesus of
Nazareth, with the brightness of
his glorious divinity, puts to flight
all the horrid powers of darkness
and death;

4 He has broke down our prisons
from top to bottom, dismissed
all the captives, released all
who were bound, and all who were
wont formerly to groan under the
weight of their torments, have
now insulted us, and we are like
to be defeated by their prayers.

5 Our impious dominions are
subdued, and no part of mankind
is now left in our subjection, but
on the other hand, they all boldly
defy us;

6 Though, before, the dead never
durst behave themselves insolently
towards us, nor being prisoners,
could ever on any occasion be
merry.

7 O Satan, thou prince of all
the wicked, father of the impious
and abandoned, why wouldest thou
attempt this exploit, seeing our
prisoners were hitherto always
without the least hope of
salvation and life?

8 But now there is not one of
them does ever groan, nor is there
the least appearance of a tear in
any of their faces.

9 O prince Satan, thou great
keeper of the infernal regions,
all thy advantages which thou didst
acquire by the forbidden tree, and
the loss of Paradise, thou hast
now lost by the wood of the
cross;

10 And thy happiness all then
expired, when thou didst crucify
Jesus Christ the King of Glory.

11 Thou hast acted against thine
own interest and mine, as thou
wilt presently perceive by those
large