Nations grow corrupt, love bondage more than liberty; bondage with ease than strenuous liberty.
-Milton
Without Words
His name is not spoken of. It is not a law, but Heaven has no laws and no need for them. The Lord speaks, we obey— it is our sole delight— and what our fellows wish we wish as well. When all think with one mind, have but one purpose in their being, who must articulate what encompasses existence? And yet, free will allows us all to be unique.
That may be something of a conundrum, and once I wondered, did he think of this? The adversary lies, but it is hard for one who speaks no falsehoods to accept that others do. I try to find truth where there is none, and in my search invent new fields of hidden meaning.
Yet it's hard to dispel such an illusion. I do not speak to him, and so I cannot ask. Speaking his name to others fills my head with worry, as if by speaking only I already sin. Yet do I question God? I question only my own thoughts, and yet those thoughts, as all else, comes from God, and so I question him. Free will intrudes again and ruins this argument.
Raphael would say something bold and true here. I haven't the gift of words as he, but I dare say I'd be judged best at arms. It helped me much during that final war, knowing that the adversary used words to pervert our enterprises, my natural ineptitude allowed a swift end to the conversation, and a victory.
Or rather a tie, and witnessed victory from Our Lord The Son.
I have unworthy thoughts, I think. I have the thought that I'd have liked to finish what great clash I started. I have the thought that I'd have liked to ask, "where art thou bound, Satan? How would thou defeat omnipotence, adversary of Heaven?" and hear some false reply.
I have the thought I'd like to ask my brother, born nearest to my birth, where did he ever find such pride that made him think himself blest above others? Surely, we shared as near to one existence as could be, our powers and our attitudes matched perfectly.
Did he in our creation keep my pride, and I his conscience and his sense of good? If so, perhaps I should have followed down, and gave him back that which at birth I took.
It is a thought that is not spoken of in Heaven, because we have no laws and no need for such. The Lord speaks, we obey, and what our fellows wish we wish as well. In silence we touch the essence of our countless siblings, and share a sweet rapport.
I wonder if we share the same with God, as with each other. In less worthy thoughts, I wonder if we share the same with those below, our brothers in creation if not in circumstance. Does falling from so high destroy thoughts that for millennia flowed together?
Do they, those down below whose names we do not speak, share thoughts, play music and sing hymns to please their king? Do they have laws, or need none, or think to themselves, "What of those left behind, what do they think on now that we are severed?"
The Lord speaks, we obey, and what our fellows wish we wish as well. In silence we touch the essence of our countless siblings, a third of who have gone.
Or is it silence that keeps our thoughts as one, the same until voiced and thus known to be different? In less worthy thoughts I ask, how do I know what others think, when we will speak of no dissent by name?
It was once bliss to say, "Thus is my brother, who is the same as me, whose thoughts tend to my own first, and second to himself. Thus is my brother, and as my brother is myself."
Now I say nothing, lest my brother disagree, and once again cleave inner worlds apart.
END
Note: in terms of naming, Satan is not actually a name, but only the word "adversary". As far as I remember Milton never actually names Satan.