Civility of manners, arts and arms,
And long renown, thou justly may'st prefer Before the Parthian; these two thrones except,
The rest are barb'rous, and scarce worth the fight, Shar'd among petty kings too far remov'd; These having shown thee, I have shown thee all The kingdoms of the world, and all their glory. This emp'ror hath no son, and now is old,
Old and lafcivious, and from Rome retir'd To Caprex an iland small but strong
On the Campanian fhore, with purpose there His horrid lufts in private to enjoy, Committing to a wicked favorite
All public cares, and yet of him fufpicious, Hated of all, and hating; with what ease, Indued with regal virtues as thou art, Appearing, and beginning noble deeds,
Might'ft thou expel this monster from his throne 100 Now made a stye, and in his place afcending
A victor people free from servile yoke ?
And with my help thou may'ft; to me the power Is giv'n, and by that right I give it thee. Aim therefore at no less than all the world, Aim at the high'eft, without the high'eft attain'd Will be for thee no fitting, or not long, On David's throne, be prophecy'd what will. To whom the Son of God unmov'd reply'd. Nor doth this grandeur and majestic show Of luxury, though call'd magnificence, More than of arms before, allure mine eye,
Much less my mind; though thou should'st add to tell Their fumptuous gluttonies, and gorgeous feafts On citron tables or Atlantic stone,
(For I have also heard, perhaps have read) Their wines of Setia, Cales, and Falerne,
Chios, and Crete, and how they quaff in gold, Crystal and myrrhine cups imbofs'd with gems
And studs of pearl, to me should'st tell who thirst 120 And hunger ftill: then embaffies thou show'ft
From nations far and nigh; what honour that, But tedious waste of time to fit and hear So many hollow compliments and lies, Outlandish flatteries? then proceed'st to talk Of th' emperor, how eafily fubdued, How gloriously; I fhall, thou fay'st, expel A brutish monster: what if I withal Expel a Devil who first made him fuch?
Let his tormenter confcience find him out;
For him I was not fent, nor yet to free
That people victor once, now vile and base, Deservedly made vaffal, who once just,
Frugal, and mild, and temp'rate, conquer'd well, But govern ill the nations under yoke, Peeling their provinces, exhausted all By luft and rapin; first ambitious grown Of triumph, that infulting vanity;
Then cruel, by their sports to blood inur'd Of fighting beasts, and men to beasts expos'd, Luxurious by their wealth, and greedier still, And from the daily scene effeminate.
What wife and valiant man would feek to free These thus degenerate, by themselves inslav'd, Or could of inward slaves make outward free? Know therefore when my season comes to fit On David's throne, it shall be like a tree Spreading and overshadowing all the earth, Or as a stone that shall to pieces dash
All monarchies befides throughout the world, And of my kingdom there shall be no end :
Means there fhall be to this, but what the means,
Is not for thee to know, nor me to tell. To whom the Tempter impudent reply'd.
I fee all offers made by me how flight
Thou valuest, because offer'd, and reject'st : Nothing will please the difficult and nice, Or nothing more than ftill to contradict : On th' other fide know also thou, that I On what I offer fet as high efteem,
Nor what I part with mean to give for nought; All these which in a moment thou behold'st, The kingdoms of the world to thee I give ; For giv'n to me, I give to whom I please, No trifle; yet with this reserve, not else, On this condition, if thou wilt fall down, And worship me as thy superior lord, Eafily done, and hold them all of me; For what can lefs fo great a gift deserve ?
Whom thus our Saviour answer'd with disdain. 170
I never lik'd thy talk, thy offers lefs,
Now both abhor, fince thou haft dar'd to utter
Th' abominable terms, impious condition ; But I indure the time, till which expir'd, Thou haft permission on me. It is written
The first of all commandments, Thou shalt worship The Lord thy God, and only him shalt serve; And dar'ft thou to the Son of God propound To worship thee accurs'd, now more accurs'd For this attempt bolder than that on Eve, And more blasphemous ? which expect to rue. The kingdoms of the world to thee were given, Permitted rather, and by thee ufurp'd ;
Other donation none thou canft produce :
If giv'n, by whom but by the king of kings,
God over all fupreme? if giv'n to thee,
By thee how fairly is the giver now
Repaid? But gratitude in thee is loft
Long fince. Wert thou so void of fear or shame, As offer them to me the Son of God,
To me my own, on fuch abhorred pact,
That I fall down and worship thee as God? Get thee behind me; plain thou now appear'st
That evil one, Satan for ever damn'd.
To whom the Fiend with fear abash'd reply'd. 195
Be not fo fore offended, Son of God,
Though fons of God both Angels are and Men, If I to try whether in higher fort
Than these thou bear'ft that title, have propos'd What both from Men and Angels I receive, Tetrarchs of fire, air, flood, and on the earth Nations befides from all the quarter'd winds,
God of this world invok'd and world beneath ; Who then thou art, whofe coming is foretold To me fo fatal, me it most concerns. The trial hath indamag'd thee no way,
Rather more honor left and more esteem; Me nought advantag'd, miffing what I aim'd. Therefore let país, as they are transitory, The kingdoms of this world; I shall no more Advise thee; gain them as thou canft, or not. And thou thyself feem'ft otherwise inclin'd Than to a worldly crown, addicted more To contemplation and profound difpute, As by that early action may be judg'd,
When flipping from thy mother's eye thou went'st Alone into the temple; there waft found
Among the graveft Rabbies difputant
On points and questions fitting Mofes' chair, Teaching, not taught; the childhood shows the man, As morning fhows the day. Be famous then By wisdom ; as thy empire must extend, So let extend thy mind o'er all the world In knowledge, all things in it comprehend: All knowledge is not couch'd in Mofes' law, The Pentateuch, or what the Prophets wrote; The Gentiles alfo know, and write, and teach To admiration, led by nature's light; And with the Gentiles much thou must converse, Ruling them by perfuafion as thou mean'st; Without their learning how wilt thou with them, Or they with thee hold converfation meet?
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