Error by his own arms is best evinc'd.
Look once more ere we leave this fpecular Mount
Weftward, much nearer by South-weft, behold
Where on th' Ægean fhore a City stands
Built nobly, pure the air, and light the foil,
Athens the eye of Greece, Mother of Arts
And Eloquence, native to famous wits,
Or hofpitable; in her fweet recefs,
City or Suburb, ftudious walks and fhades:
See there the Olive Grove of Academe,
Plato's retirement, where the Attic Bird
Trills her thick-warbled notes the fummer long:
There flow'ry hill Hymettus, with the found
Of Bees induftrious murmur, oft invites
To ftudious mufing; there Iliffus rolls
His whifp'ring ftream. Within the walls then view
The Schools of ancient Sages; his, who bred 253
Great Alexander to fubdue the World,
Lyceum there, and painted Stoa next:
There thou shalt hear and learn the secret pow'r
Of harmony in tones and numbers hit
By voice or hand, and various-meafur'd verfe,
Eolian Charms and Dorian Lyric Odes ;
And his who gave them breath, but higher fung,
Blind Melefigenes, thence Homer call'd,
Whofe Poem Phoebus challeng'd for his own.
Thence what the lofty grave Tragedians taught
In Chorus or Iambic, teachers beft
Of moral prudence, with delight receiv'd,
In brief fententious precepts, while they treat
Of fate and chance, and change in human life; 265
High actions, and high paffions best describing.
Thence to the famous Orators repair,
Those ancient, whose resistless eloquence
Wielded at will that fierce Democratie,
Shook the Arfenal, and fulmin'd over Greece
To Macedon, and Artaxerxes' Throne.
To fage Philofophy next lend thine ear,
From Heav'n defcended to the low-rooft house
Of Socrates; fee there his Tenement,
Whom well infpir'd the Oracle pronounc'd
Wifeft of men; from whofe mouth iffu'd forth
Mellifluous ftreams, that water'd all the Schools
Of Academics old and new; with those
Sirnam'd Peripatetics, and the Sect
Epicurean, and the Stoic fevere.
These here revolve, or, as thou lik'st, at home,
Till time mature thee to a Kingdom's weight;
These rules will render thee a King compleat
Within thyfelf, much more with Empire join'd.
To whom our Saviour fagely thus reply'd
Think not, but that I know these things, or think
I know them not; not therefore am I short
Of knowing what I ought: he who receives
Light from above, from the fountain of light,
No other Doctrine needs, though granted true;' 290
But these are falfe, or little elfe but dreams,
Conjectures, fancies, built on nothing firm.
The first and wifeft of them all profefs'd
To know this only, that he nothing knew ;
The next to fabling fell, and fmooth conceits; 295
A third fort doubted all things, though plain fenfe
Others in virtue plac'd felicity,
But virtue joyn'd with riches and long life;
In corporal pleasure he, and careless ease:
The Stoic last in Philofophic pride,
By him call'd virtue, and his virtuous man,
Wife, perfect in himself, and all poffeffing
Equal to God, oft fhames not to prefer,
As fearing God nor man, contemning all
Wealth, pleasure, pain or torment, death and life;
Which when he lifts, he leaves, or boasts he can: For all his tedious talk is but vain boast,
Or fubtle fhifts conviction to evade.
Alas what can they teach, and not mislead;
Ignorant of themselves, of God much more,
And how the world began, and how man fell
Degraded by himself, on grace depending ?
Much of the Soul they talk, but all awry;
And in themselves feek virtue, and to themselves
All glory arrogate, to God give none;
Rather accufe him under ufual names,
Fortune and Fate, as one regardless quite
Of mortal things. Who therefore feeks in these
True wisdom, finds her not; or by delufion
Far worse, her false resemblance only meets
An empty cloud. However many books,
Wife men have faid, are wearifom; who reads
Inceffantly, and to his reading brings not
A fpirit and judgment equal or fuperior,
And what he brings, what needs he elsewhere feek) Uncertain and unfettled ftill remains,
Deep vers'd in books and shallow in himself,
Crude or intoxicate, collecting toys,
And trifles for choice matters, worth a spunge;
As Children gath'ring pebbles on the shore.
Or if I would delight my private hours
With Mufic or with Poem, where fo foon
As in our native Language can I find
That folace? All our Law and Story ftrew'd
With Hymns, our Pfalms with artful terms infcrib'd, Our Hebrew Songs and Harps, in Babylon,
That pleas'd fo well our Victors ear, declare
That rather Greece from us these arts deriv'd;
Ill imitated, while they loudeft fing
The vices of their Deities, and their own
In Fable, Hymn, or Song, fo perfonating
Their Gods ridiculous, and themselves past shame.
Remove their swelling Epithets, thick laid
As varnish on a Harlot's cheek; the reft,
Thin fown with aught of profit or delight,
Will far be found unworthy to compare
With Sion's fongs, to all true tastes excelling,
Where God is prais'd aright, and God-like men,
The Holiest of Holies, and his Saints :
Such are from God inspir'd, not such from thee; 350
Unless where moral virtue is exprefs'd
By light of Nature, not in all quite loft.
Their Orators thou then extoll'st, as those
The top of Eloquence; Statists indeed,
And lovers of their Country, as may feem;
But herein to our prophets far beneath,
As men divinely taught, and better teaching
The folid rules of civil Government,
In their Majeftic' unaffected style,
Than all the Orátory of Greece and Rome.
In them is plaineft taught, and easiest learnt
What makes a Nation happy, and keeps it fo;
What ruins Kingdoms, and lays Cities flat:
These only with our Law best form a King.
So fpake the Son of God; but Satan now
Quite at a lofs (for all his darts were spent)
Thus to our Saviour with stern brow reply'd:
Since neither wealth, nor honour, arms nor arts,
Kingdom nor Empire pleases thee, nor aught
By me propos'd in life contemplative,
Or active, tended on by glory, or fame,
What doft thou in this World? the Wilderness
For thee is fitteft place; I found thee there,
And thither will return thee: yet remember
What I foretel thee, foon thou shalt have caufe
To wish thou never hadft rejected thus
Nicely or cautiously my offer'd aid,
Which would have fet thee in fhort time with eafe
On David's Throne, or Throne of all the world;
Now at full age, fulness of time, thy feafon 380
When Prophecies of thee are beft fulfill'd.
Now contrary, if I read aught in Heav'n,
Or Heav'n write aught of Fate, by what the Stars
Voluminous, or fingle Characters,
In their conjunction met, give me to fpell,
Sorrows and labours, oppofition, hate,
Attends thee, fcorns, reproaches, injuries,
Violence and stripes, and laftly cruel death :
A Kingdom they portend thee, but what Kingdom,
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