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// Rather than aggravate my evil ftate, {{(Would stand between me and thy father's ire, (Whose ire I dread more than the fire of hell) (A fhelter, and a kind of fhading cool (Interpofition, as a fummer's cloud. // If I then to the worst that can be hafte, // Why move thy feet fo flow to what is best, Happiest both to thyfelf and all the world, // That thou who worthieft art should'st be their king? //Perhaps thou lingreft, in deep thoughts detain'd 11Of th' enterprize fo hazardous and high; //No wonder; for though in thee be united What of perfection can in man be found, Or human nature can receive, confider, Thy life hath yet been private, most part spent At home, fcarce view'd the Galilean towns, And once a year Jerufalem, few days

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Short fojourn; and what thence could'ft thou obferve? The world thou haft not seen, much less her glory, 236 Empires, and monarchs, and their radiant courts, Best school of best experience, quickest in fight // In all things that to greatest actions lead. The wifeft, unexperienc'd, will be ever /Tim'rous and loth, with novice modefty, (As he who feeking affes found a kingdom) Irrefolute, unhardy, unadvent'rous :

But I will bring thee where thou foon fhalt quit
Thofe rudiments, and fee before thine eyes

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The monarchies of th' earth, their pomp and state, Sufficient introduction to inform

Thee, of thyfelf fo apt, in regal arts,

› And regal mysteries, that thou may'st know How beft their oppofition to withstand. //

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With that (fuch pow'r was giv'n him then) he took The Son of God up to a mountain high. It was a mountain, at whofe verdant feet A fpacious plain, out-ftretch'd in circuit wide, Lay pleafant; from his fide two rivers flow'd,

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Th' one winding, th' other straight, and left between
Fair champain with lefs rivers intervein'd,
Then meeting join'd their tribute to the fea;
Fertil of corn the glebe, of oyl and wine,

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With herds the pastures throng'd, with flocks the hills,
Huge cities and high-tower'd, that well might seem
The feats of mightiest monarchs, and fo large
The profpect was, that here and there was room
For barren defert fountainless and dry.

To this high mountain's top the tempter brought 265
Our Saviour, and new train of words began.

"Well have we speeded, and o'er hill and dale,
// Foreft and field, and flood, temples and tow'rs
// Cut shorter many a league; here thou behold'st
Affyria and her empire's ancient bounds,
Araxes and the Cafpian lake, thence on
As far as Indus eaft, Euphrates west,
1 And oft beyond; to fouth the Perfian bay,
And inacceffible th' Arabian drought:
//Here Nineveh, of length within her wall
Sev'ral days journey, built by Ninus old,
Of that first golden monarchy the feat,
And feat of Salmanaffar, whofe fuccefs
Ifrael in long captivity ftill mourns;
There Babylon the wonder of all tongues,
As ancient, but rebuilt by him who twice
Judah and all thy father David's house
Led captive, and Jerufalem laid waste,
Till Cyrus fet them free; Perfepolis
His City, there thou feest, and Bactra there;
Ecbatana her structure vaft there fhews,
And Hecatompylos her hundred gates;
There Sufa by Choafpes, amber ftream,
The drink of none but kings; of later fame
Built by Emathian or by Parthian hands,
The great Seleucia, Nicibis,. and there
Artaxata, Teredon, Ctefiphon,

Turning with eafy eye thou may'ft behold.

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// All these the Parthian, now fome ages paft,
// By great Arfaces led, who founded first
// That empire, under his dominion holds,
From the luxurious kings of Antioch won.
And just in time thou com'ft to have a view
Of his great pow'r; for now the Parthian king
14In Ctefiphon hath gather'd all his hoft

Against the Scythian, whofe incurfions wild
Have wafted Sogdiana; to her aid

// He marches now in hafte; fee, though from far,
1/ His thoufands, in what martial-equipage

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They iffue forth! fteel bows, and fhafts their arms,
Of equal dread in flight, or in purfuit;

All horsemen, in which fight they most excel:
See how in warlike mufter they appear,

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In rhombs and wadges, and half-moons and wings!
He lookt and faw what numbers numberless
The city gates out-pour'd, light-armed troops
In coats of mail and military pride;

In mail their horfes clad, yet fleet and strong,
Prauncing their riders bore, the flow'r and choice
Of many provinces from bound to bound;
From Arachofia, from Gandaor east,

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And Margiana to the Hircanian cliffs

Of Caucafus, and dark Iberian dales,

From Atropatia and the neighb'ring plains
Of Adiabene, Media, and the fouth
Of Sufiana, to Balfara's haven.

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He faw them in their forms of battle rang'd,

How quick they wheel'd, and flying behind them fhot

Sharp fleet of arrowy fhow'r against the face

Of their purfuers, and overcame by flight.
The field, all iron, caft a gleaming brown,
Nor wanted clouds of foot, nor on each horn,
Cuiraffers all in fteel for ftanding fight;
Chariots or elephants endorft with tow'rs
Of archers, nor of lab'ring pioneers,
A multitude with fpades and axes arm'd

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D

To lay hills plain, fell woods, or valleys fill,
Or where plain was, raise hill, or overlay
With bridges rivers proud, as with a yoke;
Mules after thefe, camels and dromedaries,
And waggons fraught with utenfils of war.
Such forces met not, nor fo wide a camp,
When Agrican with all his northern pow'rs
Befieg'd Albracca, as romances tell,

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The city of Gallaphrone, from whence to win 340
The fairest of her fex Angelica,

His daughter, fought by many proudest knights,
Both Paynim, and the peers of Charlemaine.
Such and fo numerous was their chivalry;
At fight whereof the fiend yet more presum'd,
And to our Saviour thus his words renew'd.

That thou may'ft know I feek not to engage
Thy virtue, and not ev'ry way fecure

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On no flight grounds thy fafety; hear and mark 349
To what end I have brought thee hither, and fhewn
All this fair fight: thy kingdom though foretold,
By prophet or by angel, unless thou
Endeavour as thy father David did,

Thou never fhalt obtain; prediction still
In all things, and all men, fuppofes 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 oppofite,
Samaritan or Jew; how could't thou hope
Long to enjoy it quiet and secure,

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Between two fuch inclofing enemies,

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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;

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1/ Choose which thou wilt by conqueft or by league. 370 // By him thou shalt regain, without him not, // That which alone can truly reinstal thee // In David's royal feat, his true fucceffor, // Deliv'rance of thy brethren, those ten tribes Whofe off-fpring in his territory yet ferve // In Habor, and among the Medes difpers'd. Ten fons of Jacob, two of Joseph, lost Thus long from Ifrael; ferving, as of old Their fathers in the land of Egypt ferv'd, !/This offer fets before thee to deliver. 1/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

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1/ Shalt reign, and Rome or Caefar not need fear.385 // To whom our Saviour anfwer'd thus unmov'd. /Much oftentation vain of fleshly arm,

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And fragile arms, much inftrument of war //Long in preparing, foon to nothing brought, // Before mine eyes thou❜ft fet; and in my ear Vented much policy, and projects deep Of enemies, of aids, battles and leagues, Plaufible to the world, to me worth naught. // Means I must use thou fay'ft, prediction else // Will unpredict and fail me of the throne: //My time I told thee (and that time for thee Were better fartheft off) is not yet come; When that comes, think not thou to find me flack 17 On my part aught endeav'ring, or to need Thy politic maxims, or that cumbersome Luggage of war there fhewn me, argument Of human weakness rather than of ftrength. My brethren as thou call'ft them, thofe ten tribes I muft deliver, if I mean to reign David's true heir, and his full fceptre fway

To juft extent over all Ifrael's fons.

But whence to thee this zeal, where was it then

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