Lost in a desert here, and hunger bit :
Which way or from what hope dost thou aspire
To greatness ? whence authority deriv'st ?
What followers, wlrat retinue, canst thou gain,
Or at thy beels the dizzy multitude,
Longer than thou canst feed them on thy cost ?
Money brings honour, friends, conquest, and realns.
What rais'd Antipater, the Edomite
And his son Herod plac'd on Judah's throne,
(Thy throne) but gold, that got him puissant friends?
Therefore, if at great things thou wouldst arrive
Get riches first, get wealth, and treasure heap,
Not difficult, if thou hearken to me:
Riches are mine, Fortune is in my hand;
They whom I favour thrive in wealth amain,
While Virtue, Valour, Wisdom, sit in want.

To whom thus Jesus patiently replied:
“ Yet wealth without these three is impotent
To gain doininion, or to keep it gain'd,
Witness those ancient empires of the earth
In height of all their flowing wealth dissolv'd:
But men endu'd with these have oft attain'd
In lowest poverty to highest deeds;
Gideon and Jephitha, and the shepherd lad,
Whose offspring on the throne of Judah sat
So many ages, and shalt yet regain
That seat, and reign in Israel without end.
Among the Heathen, (for throughout the world
To me is not unknown, what hath been done
Worthy of memorial) canst thou not remember
Quintius, Fabricius, Cureas, Regulus ?
For I esteem those names of men so poor
Who could do mighty things, and could contemn
Riches though offer'd froin the hand of kings.
And what in me seems wanting but that I
May also in this poverty as soon
Accomplish what they did, perhaps and more?
Extol not riches then, the toil of fools,
The wise man's cumbrance, if not spare, more apt
To slacken virtue, and abate her edge,
Than prompt her to do ought inay merit praise.

What if with like aversion I reject Riches and realms? yet not for that a crown, Golden in sbow, is but a wreath of thorns, Brings dangers, troubles, cares, and sleepless nights To him wlio wears the regal diadem, When on his shoulders each man's burden lies ; For therein stands the office of a king, His honour, virtue, merit, and chief praise, That for the public all this weight he bears. Yet he who reigns within himself, and rules Passions, desires, and fears, is more a king ; Which every wise and virtuous man attains: And who attains not, ill aspires to rule Cities of men, or headstrong multitudes, Subject himself to anarchy within, Or lawless passions in him which he serves. But to guide nations in the way of truth By saving doctrine, and from error lead To know, and knowing, worship God aright, Is yet more kiogly: this attracts the soul, Governs the inner man, the nobler part ; That other o'er the body only reigns, And oft by force, which to a generous mind, So reigning, can be no sincere delight. Besides, to give a kingdom hath been thought Greater and nobler done, and to lay down Far more magnanimous than to assume. Riches are needless then, boil for themselves, And for thy reason why they should be sought, To gain a sceptre, oftesi betier miss'd.”

1

Lost in a desért here, and hunger bit :
Which way or from what hope dost thou aspire
To greatness? whence authority deriv’st ?
What followers, wlrat retinue, canst thou gain,
Or at thy beels the dizzy multitude,
Longer than thou canst feed them on thy cost ?
Money brings honour, friends, conquest, and realns.
What rais'd Antipater, the Edomite
And his son Herod plac'd on Judab's throne,
(Thy throne) but gold, tbuat got bim puissant friends?
Therefore, if at great ibings thou woulást arrive
Get riches first, get wealth, and treasure heap,
Not difficult, if ibou hearken to me:
Riches are mine, Fortune is in my hand;
They whom I favour thrive in wealth amain,
While Virtue, Valour, Wisdom, sit in want.

To whom thus Jesus patiently replied :
" Yet wealth without these three is impotent
To gain doininion, or to keep it gain'd,
Witness those ancient empires of the earth
In height of all their flowing wealth dissolv'd :
But men endu'd with these have oft attain'd
In lowest poverty to bighest deeds;
Gideon and Jephtha, and the shepherd lad,
Whose offspring on the throne of Judah sat
So many ages, and shalk yet regain
That seat, and reign in Israel without end.
Among the Heathen, (for throughout the world
To me is not unknown, what hath been done
Worthy of memorial) canst thou not remember
Quintius, Fabricius, Cureas, Regulus?
For I esteem those names of men so poor
Who could do mighty things, and could contemn
Riches though offer'd froin the hand of kings.
And what in me seems wanting but that I
May also in this poverty as soon
Accomplish what they did, perhaps and more ?
Extol not riches then, the toil of fools,
The wise man's cumbrance, if not spare, more apt
To slacken virtue, and abate her edge,
Than prompt her to do ought inay merit praise.

What if with like aversion I reject
Riches and realms? yet not for that a crown,
Golden in sbow, is but a wreath of thorns,
Brings dangers, troubles, cares, and sleepless nights
To him who wears the regal diadem,
When on his shoulders eacha man's burden lies ;
For therein stands the office of a king,
His honour, virtue, merit, and chief praise,
That for the public all this weiglat he bears.
Yet he who reigns within himself, and rules
Passions, desires, and fears, is more a king :
Which every wise and virtuous man attains:
And who attains not, ill aspires to rule
Cities of men, or headstrong multitudes,
Subject himself to anarchy within,
Or lawless passions in bin which he serves.
But to guide nations in the way of truth
By saving doctrine, and from error lead
To know, and knowing, worship God aright,
Is yet more kingly: this attracts the soul,

Governs the inner man, the nobler part i
vité That other o'er the body only reigns,
Liow And oft by force, which to a generous mind,

So reigning, can be no sincere delight.
they Besides, to give a kingdom hath been thought

Greater and nobler done, and to lay down
Far more magnanimous than to assume.
Riches are needless then, both for themselves,
And for thy reason why they should be sought,
To gain a sceptre, oftesi betier miss'd.”

4

cings 1

more

Oraise

PARADISE REGAINED.

BOOK III.

3

THE ARGUMENT.

Satan, in a speech of much flattering commendation, endea. vours to awoken in Jesus a passion for glory, by particularizing various instances of conquests achieved, and great actions per. formed by persons at an early period of life. Our Lord replies, by showing the vanity of worldly fame, and the improper means by which it is generally attained; and contrasts with it the true glory of religious patience and virtuous wisdom, as exemplitied in the character of Job. Satan justifies the love of glory from the example of God himself, who requires it from all his creatures. Jesus delects the fallacy of this argament, by showing that, as goodness is the true ground on which glory is due to the great Creator of all things, sinful man can have no right whatever to it. Satan then urges our Lord respecting his claim to the throne of David; he tells him that the kingdom of Judea, being at that time a province of Rome, cannot be got possession of without much personal exertion on his part, and presses him to lose 10 time in beginning to reign. Jesus refers him to the time allotted for this, as for all other things; and, after inti. mating somewhat respecting his own previons susterings, asks Satan why be should be solicitous for the exaltation of one, whose rising was destined to be his fall. Satan replies, that his own desperate state, by excluding all hope, leaves little room for fear, and that as his owpunishment was equally doomed, he is not interested in preventing the reign of one, for whose apparent benevolence he might rather trope for some interference in his favour. Satan still pursues bis former incitements, and supposing that the seeming reluctance of Jesus to be thus ad. vanced miglit arise from his being unacquainted with the world and its gluries, conveys him to the summit of a high mountain, and from thence shows hin most of the kingdoms of Asia, particularly pointing out to his notice some exiraordinary military preparations of the Parthiaus to resist the incursions of the Scythians. He then informs our Lord, that he showed him this purposely that he might see how vecessary military exertious are to retain the possession of kingdoms, as well as to subdue them at tirst, and advises him to consider how impossible it was to maintain Judea against two such powerful neighbours as the Romans and Parthians, and how necessary it would be to turn an alliance with one or other of them. At the salne tinse he reconimends, and cugages to secure to him, that of the Par. thians; and tells him, that by this means his power will be de. fended from any thing that Roine or Cæsar might attempt against it, and that he will be able to extend his glory wide, and este cially to accomplish what was particularly i.ecessary to make the throne of Juoea really the throne of David, the deliverance and restoration of the ten tribes, still in a state of captivity. Jesus kakilig brictly notice the 'vavity of military efforts, and we