Aetherial, who all pleasures elfe defpife,
All treasures and all gain esteem as dross,
And dignities and pow'rs all but the highest?
Thy years are ripe, and over-ripe; the fon
Of Macedonian Philip had ere thefe
Won Afia, and the throne of Cyrus held
At his difpofe; young Scipio had brought down
The Carthaginian pride, young Pompey quell'd 35
The Pontic king, and in triumph had rode.
Yet years, and to ripe years judgment mature,
Quench not the thirst of glory, but augment.
Great Julius, whom now all the world admires,
The more he grew in years, the more inflam'd
With glory, wept that he had liv'd fo long
Inglorious but thou yet art not too late.
To whom our Saviour calmly thus reply'd.
Thon neither doft perfuade me too seek wealth
For empire's fake, nor empire to affect
(For glory's fake, by all thy argument.
For what is glory but the blaze of fame,
The people's praife, if always praife unmixt?
And what the people but a herd confus'd,
A mifcellaneous rabble, who extol
((Things vulgar, and well weigh'd fcarce worth the praise; They praise and they admire they know not what;
And know not whom, but as one leads the other;
And what delight to be by fuch extoll'd,.
To live upon their tongues and be their talk,
Of whom to be defpis'd were no fmall praise?
(His lot who dares be fingularly good.
(Th' intelligent among them and the wife
Are few, and glory fcarce of few is rais'd.
This is true glory and renown, when God
Looking on th' earth, with approbation marks
The juft man, and divulges him through heav'n:
To all his angels, who with true applaufe
Recount his praife; thus he did to Job,
When to extend his fame through heav'n and earth
(As thou to thy reproach may'ft well remember) 66 He afk'd thee, haft thou seen my servant Job? (Famous he was in heav'n, on earth lefs known; Where glory is false glory, attributed
To things not glorious, men not worthy of fame. 70 (They err, who count it glorious to fubdue By conquest far and wide, to over-run
Large countries, and in field great battles win, Great cities by affault. What do these worthies, But robe and fpoil, burn, flaughter, and enflave 75 {{Peaceable nations, neighbouring, or remote, Made captive, yet deferving freedom more Than those their conquerors, who leave behind Nothing but ruin wherefoe'er they rove,
And all the flourishing works of peace destroy ; 80 Then fwell with pride, and must be titled gods, { Great benefactors of mankind, deliverers, (Worshipp'd with temple, priest and sacrifice; One is the fon of Jove, of Mars the other, (Till conqu'ror Death difcover them fcarce men, 85 {/Rolling in brutish vices, and deform'd,
Violent or shameful death, their due reward.
But if there be in glory aught of good,
It may by means far different be attain'd
(Without ambition, war, or violence;
By deeds of peace, by wisdom eminent,
By patience, temperance. I mention ftill
Him whom thy wrongs, with faintly patience born,
Made famous in a land and times obfcure;
Who names not now with honour patient Job? 95
Poor Socrates, (who next more memorable?)
By what he taught and fuffer'd for fo doing,
For truth's fake fuffering death unjust, lives now
Equal in fame to proudeft conquerors.
Yet if for fame and glory aught be done,"
Aught fuffer'd; if young African for fame
His wafted country freed from Punic rage,
The deed becomes unprais'd, the man at least,
And lofes, though but verbal, his reward.
Shall I feek glory then, as vain men feek,
not deferv'd? I feek not mine, but his
Who fent me, and thereby witness whence I am.
To whom the tempter murm'ring thus reply'd.
Think not fo flight of glory, therein least
Refembling thy great father; he feeks glory,
And for his glory all things made, all things
Orders and governs, not content in heav'n
By all his angels glorify'd, requires
Glory from men, from all men, good or bad,
Wife or unwife, no difference, no exemption;
Above all facrifice, or hallow'd gift,
Glory he requires, and glory he receives,
Promifcuous from all nations, Jew, or Greek,
Or barbarous, nor exception hath declar'd;
From us his foes pronounc'd glory he exacts.
To whom our Saviour fervently reply'd.
And reafon;. fince his word all things produc'd,
Though chiefly not for glory as prime end,
But to fhew forth his goodness, and impart
His good communicable t' ev'ry foul
Freely; of whom what could he lefs expect
Than glory and benediction, that is, thanks,
The flighteft, eafieft, readieft recompence
From them who could return him nothing else,
And not returning what would likelieft render
Contempt instead, difhonour, obloquy?
Hard recompence, unfuitable return
For fo much good, fo much beneficence.
But why should man feek glory? who of his own
Hath nothing, and to whom nothing belongs
But condemnation, ignominy, and shame?
Who for fo many benefits receiv'd,
Turn'd recreant to God, ingrate and false,
And fo of all true good himself defpoil'd;
Yet, facrilegious, to himself would take
That, which to God alone of right belongs:
Yet fo much bounty is in God, fuch grace,
((That who advance his glory, not their own,
(Them he himself to glory will advance.``
So fpake the Son of God: and here again
Satan had not to answer, but stood ftruck
With guilt of his own fin; for he himself
Infatiable of glory had loft all:
Yet of another plea bethought him foon.
Of glory, as thou wilt, faid he, fo deem,
Worth or not worth their feeking, let it pass:
But to a kingdom thou art born, ordain'd
(To fit upon thy father David's throne,
By mother's fide thy father; though thy right
Be now in pow'rful hands, that will not part
Eafily from poffeffion won with arms.
Judaea now and all the promis'd land,
// Reduc'd a province under Roman yoke,
Obeys Tiberius; nor is always rul'd
With temp'rate fway; oft have they violated
The temple, oft the law with foul affronts,
Abominations rather, as did once
(Antiochus: and think'ft thou to regain
Thy right by fitting ftill, or thus retiring?
So did not Machabaeus: he indeed
& Retir'd unto the defart, but with arms;
And o'er a mighty king fo oft prevail'd,
That by ftrong hand his family obtain'd,
Tho' priests, the crown, and David's throne ufurp'd,
With Modin and her fuburbs once content.
If kingdom move thee not, let move thee zeal
And duty; zeal and duty are not flow,
But on occafion's forelock watchful wait:
They themselves rather are occafion best;
Zeal of thy father's house, duty to free
Thy country from her heathen fervitude;
So fhalt thou beft fulfil, beft verify
The prophets old, who fung thy endless reign,
The happier reign the fooner it begins:
Reign then; what canft thou better do the while? 180
To whom our Saviour answer thus return'd.”)
All things are best fulfill'd in their due time,
And time there is for all things, truth hath faid:
If of my reign prophetic writ hath told,
That it fhall never end, fo when begin
The father in his purpose hath decreed,
He in whofe hand all times and seasons roll:
What if he hath decreed that I shall first
Be try'd in humble ftate, and things adverfe,
By tribulations, injuries, infults,
[Contempts, and fcorns, and fnares, and violence,
//Suffering, abftaining, quietly expecting,
Without diftruft or doubt, that he may know
What I can fuffer, how obey? who best
Can fuffer, beft can do; beft reign, who first
Well hath obey'd; juft trial ere I merit
My exaltation without change or end.
But what concerns it thee when I begin
My everlasting kingdom, why art thou
Solicitous, what moves thy inquifition?
Know'st thou not that my rifing is thy fall,
And my promotion will be thy deftruction?!
To whom the tempter inly rack'd reply'd:
Let that come when it comes; all hope is loft
Of my reception into grace; what worse?
For where no hope is left, is left no fear;
If there be worse, the expectation more
Of worse torments me than the feeling can.
I would be at the worft; worst is my port,
My harbour and my ultimate repofe,
The end I would attain, my final good.
My error was my error, and my crime
My crime: whatever, for itfelf condemn'd,
And will alike be punish'd; whether thou
Reign or reign not; though to that gentle brow 215
Willingly I could fly, and hope thy reign,
From that placid afpect and meek regard,
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