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 torments and infinite
punishments which thou art
about to suffer.
12 O Satan, prince of all evil,
author of death, and source of all
pride, thou shouldest first have
inquired into the evil crimes of
Jesus of Nazareth, and then thou
wouldest have found that he was
guilty of no fault worthy of death.
13 Why didst thou venture,
without either reason or justice,
to crucify him, and hast brought
down to our regions a person
innocent and righteous, and thereby
hast lost all the sinners, impious
and unrighteous persons in the
whole world?
14 While the prince of hell was
thus speaking to Satan, the King
of Glory said to Beelzebub the
prince of hell, Satan the prince
shall he subject to thy dominions
for ever, in the room of Adam and
his righteous sons, who are mine,