Paradise Lost- Belial's Speech in Act I

Paradise Lost- Speech of Belial Here is the speech, rewritten in modern prose (lines 108- 225): On the other side of the hall, Belial stood up. He was a graceful and fair person and was high in dignity. He was an incredible rhetorician by and could sway the minds of people through his speech. "I agree with you, Moloch, and I hate the beings of heaven, also. If we do go to battle, we must realize …

…if they apologize to God and stay on good behavior, then they may be forgiven and their punishment may be slackened. This goes against what Satan wants to do and that is not good. That was the one problem with the speech. Belial was a smart, incredibly rhetorical man who knew what would be best for Hell and wanted to try to make sure everything went the best way possible. If only Hell had listened.