Thou never shalt obtain; prediction still
In all things, and all men, supposes means,
Without means us'd, what it predicts revokes.
But fay thou wert poffefs'd of David's Throne
By free confent of all, none opposite,
Samaritan or Jew; how could'st thou hope
Long to enjoy it quiet and fecure,
360 Between two fuch enclosing enemies
Roman and Parthian? therefore one of these
Thou must make fure thy own, the Parthian first
By my advice, as nearer and of late
Found able by invafion to annoy
Thy country, and captive lead away her Kings
Antigonus, and old Hyrcanus bound,
Maugre the Roman: it shall be my task
To render thee the Parthian at difpofe;
Chufe which thou wilt by conqueft or by league.
By him thou shalt regain, without him not,
That which alone can truly reinftall thee
In David's royal Seat, his true Succeffor,
Deliverance of thy brethren, those ten Tribes
Whose off-fpring in his Territory yet serve
In Habor, and among the Medes difpers't
Ten Sons of Jacob, two of Jofeph lost
Thus long from Ifrael; ferving as of old
Their Fathers in the land of Egypt serv'd,
This offer fets before thee to deliver.
380 Thefe if from fervitude thou shalt restore
To their inheritance, then, nor till then,
Thou on the Throne of David in full glory,
From Egypt to Euphrates and beyond
Shalt raign, and Rome or Cafar not need fear.
To whom our Saviour anfwer'd thus unmov❜d.
Much oftentation vain of fleshly arm, . 1 And fragile arms, much inftrument of war Long in preparing, foon to nothing brought, Before mine Eyes thou haft fet; and in my car 190 Vented much policy, and projects deep Of enemies, of aids, battels and leagues, Plausible to the VVorld, to me worth naught. Means I must use thou fay'st, prediction elfe VVill unpredict and fail me of the Throne: My time I told thee, (and that time for thee VVere better fartheft off) is not yet come; When that comes think not thou to find me flack On my part aught endeavouring, or to need Thy politick maxims, or that cumbersome 400 Luggage of War there fhewn me, argument Of human weakness rather than of strength. My Brethren, as thou call'ft them; thofe ten Tribes I must deliver, if I mean to raign
David's true heir, and his full Scepter fway
To juft extent over all Ifrael's Sons;
But whence to thee this zeal, where was it then
For Ifrael, or for David, or his Throne,
When thou stood'ft up his Tempter to the pride
Of numbring Ifrael, which coft the lives
410Of threescore and ten thousand Ifraelites
By three days Pestilence? fuch was thy zeal
To Ifrael then, the fame that now to me.
As for those captive Tribes, themselves were they
Who wrought their own captivity, fell off
From God to worship Calves, the Deities
Of Egypt, Baal next and Ashtaroth,
And all the Idolatries of Heathen round,
Besides their other worse than heathenish crimes;
Nor in the land of their captivity
420 Humbled themselves or penitent befought
The God of their Fore-fathers; but fo dy'd
Impenitent, and left a race behind
Like to themselves, distinguishable scarcé
From Gentils, but by Circumcifion vain,
And God with Idols in their worship join'd.
Should I of these the liberty regard,
Who freed, as to their ancient Patrimony,
Unhumbl'd, unrepentant, unreform'd,
Headlong would follow; and to their Gods perhaps
43° Of Bethel and of Dan? no, let them ferve
Their enemies, who ferve Idols with God.
Yet he at length, time to himself best known,
Remembring Abraham, by fome wondrous call
May bring them back repentant and sincere,
And at their paffing cleave the Affyrian flood,
While to their native land with joy they hafte,
As the Red Sea and Jordan once he cleft,
VVhen to the promis'd land their Fathers pass'd;
To his due time and providence I leave them.
440 So fpake Ifrael's true King, and to the Fiend Made answer meet, that made void all his wiles. So fares it when with truth falfhood contends.
The End of the Third Book. .
Erplex'd and troubl'd at his bad fuccefs
The Tempter ftood, nor had what to reply,
Discover'd in his fraud, thrown from his hope, So oft, and the perfuafive Rhetoric
That fleek't his tongue, and won so much on Eve,
So little here, nay loft, but Eve was Eve,
This far his over-match, who felf deceiv'd
And rafh, before-hand had no better weigh'd
The strength he was to cope with, or his own:
10 But as a man who had been matchlefs held
In cunning, over-reach't where least he thought,
To fave his credit, and for very spight 3:
Still will be tempting him who foyls him still,
And never cease, though to his shame the more
Or as a swarm of flies in vintage time,
About the wine-prefs where fweet mouft is powr'd,
Beat off, returns as oft with humming found
Or furging waves against a folid rock,{
Though all to shivers dash't, the affault renew, T 20 Vain battry, and in froth or bubbles end jelly d So Satan, whom repulfe upon repulsen Bewei Met ever; and to shameful filence brought, Yet gives not o're though defperate of fuccefs, And his vain importunity: purfuese Rook He brought our Saviour to the Western fide
Of that high mountain, whence he might behold
Another plain, long but in bredth not wide,
Wash'd by the Southern Sea, and on the North
To equal length back'd with a ridge of hills
30 That screen'd the fruits of th'earth and feats of men
From cold Septentrion blasts, thence in the midst
Divided by a river, of whose banks
On each fide an Imperial City stood,
With Towers and Temples proudly elevate
On seven small Hills, with Palaces adorn'd,
Porches and Theatres, Baths, Aqueducts,
Statues and Trophies, and Triumphal Arcs,
Gardens and Groves presented to his eyes,
Above the height of Mountains interpos'd.
4o By what strange Parallax or Optick skill
Of vision multiplied through Air, or Glass
Of Telescope, were curious to enquire:
And now the Tempter thus his filence broke.
The City which thou feeft no other deem
Than great and glorious Rome, Queen of the Earth
So far renown'd, and with the spoils enricht
Of Nations; there the Capitol thou seeft
Above the reft lifting his ftately head
On the Farpeian rock, her Cittadel
50 Impregnable, and there Mount Palatine
The Imperial Palace, compafs huge, and high
The Structure, skill of nobleft Architects,
With gilded battlements, confpicuous far,
Turrets and Terrases, and glittering Spires.
Many a fair Edifice befides, more like
Houfes of Gods (fo well I have difpos'd
My Aery Microscope) thou may'ft behold
Outside and inside both, pillars and roofs
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