So fpake the Son of God, and Satan flood
A while as mute, confounded what to say, What to reply, confuted and convinc'd Of his weak arguing, and fallacious drift; At length collecting all his Serpent wiles, With foothing words renew'd, him thus accofts.
I fee thou know'ft what is of use to know,
What beft to say canft fay, to do canft do;
Thy actions to thy words accord, thy words
To thy large heart give utterance due, thy heart 10
Contains of good, wife, juft, the perfect shape.
Should Kings and Nations from thy mouth confult,
Thy Counsel would be as the Oracle
Vrim and Thummim, those oraculous gems
On Aaron's breaft; or tongue of Seers old
Infallible; or weit thou fought to deeds
That might require th' array of war, thy skill
Of/condu& would be such, that all the world
Could not fuftain thy Prowels, or fubfift
In battel, though against thy few in arms.
Thefe God-like Virtues wherefore doft thou hide
Affecting private life, or more obfcure:
In favage Wilderness, wherefore deprive
All Earth her wonder at thy Acts, thy felf
The fame and glory, glory the reward
That fole excites to high attempts, the flame
Of most erected Spirits, moft temper'd pure
Etherial, who all pleasures elfe defpife,
All treasures and all gain efteem as drofs,
And dignities and pow'rs all but the higheft?
Thy years are ripe, and over-ripe, the fon
Of Macedonian Philip had ere thefes
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 enflam'd 40
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.
Thou neither doft perfwade me to feek 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 peoples praife, if always praise unmixt?
And what the people but a herd confus'd,
A mifcellaneous rabble, who extol
Things vulgar,andwell weigh'd,fcarce worth the praife,
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 despis'd were no small 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 Gode k66.
Looking on th' Earth, with approbation marks
The just man, and divulges him through Heav'n
To all his Angels, who with true applaufe
Recount his praifes; 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 ask'd thee, haft thou seen my fervant Job?
Famous he was in Heav'n, on Earth lefs known;
Where glory is falfe glory, attributed
To things not glorious, men not worthy of fame. 70 They err who count it glorious to fubdue
By Conqueft far and wide, to over-run
Large Countries, and in field great Battels win,
Great Cities by affault: what do thefe Worthies,
But rob and spoil, burn, flaughter, and enflave 79,
Peaceable Nations, neighbouring, or remote,
Made Captive, yet deferving freedom more
Than these their Conquerors, who leave behind
Nothing but ruin wherefoe'er they rove,
And all the flourishing works of peace deftroy,
Then fwell with pride, and must be titled Gods,.
Great Benefactors of mankind, Deliverers,
Worship'd with Temple, Prieft and Sacrifice;.
One is the Son of Jove, of Mars the other,
Il Conqu❜ror Death difcover them fcarce men, Rolling in brutish vices, and deform'd, Violent or fhameful 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 wildom eminent, By patience, temperance; I mention ftill Him whom thy wrongs with Saintly patience born Made famous in a Land and times obfcure; Who names not now with honour patient Job? Poor Socrates (who next more memorable ? ). By what he taught and fuffer'd for so doing, truth's G
fake fuffering death unjuft, 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
Ric rage,
The deed becomes unprais'd, the man at least,
And loses, though but verbal, his reward.
Shall I feek glory then, as vain Men seek
Oft '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 leaf Resembling thy great Father: he feeks glory, 110 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; 115
Above all Sacrifice, or liallow'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. 120
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 flightest, eafieft, readiest recompence
From them who could return him nothing elfe,
And not returning what would likelieft render 130
Contempt inftead, dishonour obloquy?
Hard recompence, unfutable 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 135
But condemnation, ignominy, and shame?
Who for fe many benefits receiv'd
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