Lines 490–550

Lo! she will the living
slowly oppress,
that she through conflict of crimes
feud engender not!

Salomon quoth.
There could be no consort
in God's realm,
of the holy angel
and the proud together:
the one obeyed his lord,
through secret power
the other began to make
* * *
an ensign and wide breastplate;
he said that with his comrades
he would plunder all heaven's kingdom,
and there on one side sit,
would turn with the tenth part,
until he learnt his own
end through death;
then was the noble band
ruined through the devil's counsel;
then he let him fall down,
he felled him then under
the quarters of the earth,
he commanded him there to be bound fast;
these are they that fight upon us;
and therefore hath every man
increase of weeping.
When the blessed lord
of angels found,
that they no longer with him
lore would take,
he flung him there from glory,
and drove them afar,
and commanded them
children of the dwellers in heaven,
that they should also
for all their life
dwell in flame,
weeping endure,
lamentation under the heavens:
and for them he made hell,
a dwelling deadly cold,
with winter covered:
water he sent in
and snake-dwellings,
many a foul beast
with horns of iron;
bloody eagles
and pale adders;
thirst and hunger
and fierce conflict,
mighty terror,
joylessness;
and all these sufferings
are eternal for them,
without relief,
as long as they live.

Saturnus quoth.
Is then on this earth
any man
of human race,
of those who have * *
can take a pledge of death
before the day come,
when of his calendar
the word is run out,
and him once for all
they summon away?

Salomon quoth.
* * * * * * *
* * * sendeth forth
the lord he * * *
* * * * * *
he shall behold
how his mind * * *
* * * grow
in God's peace,
mourn the lord's majesty,
while it yet is day.
For about him go
two spirits;
one more glad than gold,
one darker than the abyss;
one cometh over the torment
of steely hell,
the other teacheth him
to hold love,
the mercy of God,
and the advice of friends;
the other accuseth him
and teacheth him astray,
showeth him and revealeth
of wretched men
the evil memory,
and thus exciteth his pride;
leadeth him and seduceth
and attracteth throughout the land,
until his eye is
full of evil thoughts,
through poor men's sins
made to err;
so then fighteth the fiend
in four kinds,
until he turneth
to the worser side
by devil's deeds,
a whole day long,
and worketh the will of him
who seduceth him to evil.
Then weeping departeth
to go upon his way
the angel to his home,
and all that sayeth:
I could not from his heart
drive out the hard
and steely stone,
it sticketh in the midst of him