And Satan fawned: 
“My lord is pleased to mock at my poor wit;
Yet in my pious fashion I must talk: 
For say that God was wroth with man, and came
And slew him, that should make an empty world,
But not a bettor nation.”

This replied,
“Truth, dragon, yet He is not bound to mean
A better nation; may be, He designs,
If none will turn again, a punishment
Upon an evil one.” 
And Satan cried,
“Alas! my heart being full of love for men,
I cannot choose but think of God as like
To me; and yet my piety concludes,
Since He will have your fear, that love alone
Sufficeth not, and I admire, and say,
’Give me, O friends, your love, and give to God
Your fear.’” But they cried out in wrath and rage,
“We are not strong that any we will fear,
Nor specially a foe that means us ill.”

BOOK VII.

And while he spoke there was a noise without;
The curtains of the door were flung aside,
And some with heavy feet bare in, and set
A litter on the floor. 
                       The Master lay
Upon it, but his eyes were dimmed and set;
And Japhet, in despairing weariness,
Leaned it beside.  He marked the mighty ones,
Silent for pride of heart, and in his place
The jewelled dragon; and the dragon laughed,
And subtly peered at him, till Japhet shook
With rage and fear.  The snaky wonder cried,
Hissing, “Thou brown-haired youth, come up to me;
I fain would have thee for my shrine afar,
To serve among an host as beautiful
As thou:  draw near.”  It hissed, and Japhet felt
Horrible drawings, and cried out in fear,
“Father!  O help, the serpent draweth me!”
And struggled and grew faint, as in the toils
A netted bird.  But still his father lay
Unconscious, and the mighty did not speak,
But half in fear and half for wonderment
Beheld.  And yet again the dragon laughed,
And leered at him and hissed; and Japhet strove
Vainly to take away his spell-set eyes,
And moved to go to him, till piercingly
Crying out, “God! forbid it, God in heaven!”
The dragon lowered his head, and shut his eyes
As feigning sleep; and, suddenly released,
He fell back staggering; and at noise of it,
And clash of Japhet’s weapons on the floor,
And Japhet’s voice crying out, “I loathe thee, snake! 
I hate thee!  O, I hate thee!” came again,
The senses of the shipwright; and he, moved,
And looking, as one ’mazed, distressfully
Upon the mighty, said, “One called on God: 
Where is my God?  If God have need of me,
Let Him come down and touch my lips with strength,
Or dying I shall die.”