Book 2 Summary

Satan sits exalted on his high throne. He is not ready to give up regaining Heaven as a lost cause. In Hell, they have the advantage of unity, because the most powerful leaders also suffer the most. Therefore, they are not envied. He opens the debate between open and covert war.

Moloch advises open war. They have an army of millions, so why continue to accept imprisonment? They are already damned, so even complete destruction cannot be worse than what they already suffer. Their power is enough to gain them victory, or at least revenge.

Belial says that he would support open war, if the argument in favor of it wasn't based on despair. He uses reason to argue for laziness and doing nothing. They may all be forgiven eventually. If not, and the Almighty is contented with their punishment, it might make...