Araxes and the Cafpian lake, thence on As far as Indus eaft, Euphrates west, And oft beyond; to fouth the Persian bay, And inacceffible th' Arabian drouth: Here Nineveh, of length within her wall Several days journey, built by Ninus old, Of that firft golden monarchy the seat, 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; Persepolis
His city there thou feeft, and Bactra there;
Ecbatana her ftructure vaft there shows, And Hecatompylos her hundred gates;
There Susa by Choafpes, amber stream,
The drink of none but kings; of later fame
Built by Emathian, or by Parthian hands,
The great Seleucia, Nifibis, and there Artaxata, Teredon, Ctesiphon,
Turning with eafy eye thou may'st behold. 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 on
Of his great pow'r; for now the Parthian king A In Ctesiphon hath gather'd all his hoft coral 300 Against the Scythian, whose incurfions wild bra Have wafted Sogdiana; to her aidubbboni baÄ He marches now in hafte; see, though from far, His thousands, in what martial equipage layov They iffueforth, steel bows, and fhafts their arms 305 Of equal dread in flight, or in purfuit; st ha All horsemen, in which fight they most excel; See how in warlike mufter they appear, st In rhombs and wedges, and half-moons, and wings. He look'd, and faw what numbers numberless 310 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, H Prauncing their riders bore, the flow'r and choice Of many provinces from bound to bound; From Arachofia, from Candaor east, du,ɔnod T And Margiana to the Hyrcanian cliffs Zarbon T Of Caucafus, and dark Iberian dales, From Atropatia and the neighb'ring plains Of Adiabene, Media, and the south
Of Sufiana, to Balfara's haven.
He saw them in their forms of battel rang'd, 12. How quick they wheel'd, and fly'ing behind them fhot Sharp fleet of arrowy show'rs against the face Of their pursuers, and overcame by flight; The field all iron caft a gleaming brown:
Nor wanted clouds of foot, nor on each horn Cuiraffiers all in fteel for ftanding fight, Chariots or elephants indors'd with towers Of archers, nor of lab'ring pioneers A multitude with spades and axes arm'd To lay hills plain, fell woods, or valleys fill, Or where plain was raife 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 powers Befieg'd Albracca, as romances tell,
The City' of Gallaphrone, from thence to win 340 The fairest of her sex Angelica
His daughter, fought by many proweft knights, Both Paynim, and the peers of Charlemain. Such and fo numerous was their chivalry; At fight whereof the Fiend yet more prefum'd, 345 And to our Saviour thus his words renew'd.
That thou may'st know I feek not to engage Thy virtue, and not every way fecure On no flight grounds thy fafety; hear, and mark To what end I have brought thee hither and shown All this fair fight: thy kingdom though foretold 351 By Prophet or by Angel, unless thou
Endevor, as thy father David did,
Thou never fhalt obtain; prediction still
In all things, and all men, fuppofes means, 355 Without means us'd, what it predicts revokes. But fay thou wert poffefs'd of David's throne By free consent of all, none oppofit, Samaritan or Jew; how could'st thou hope Long to enjoy it quiet and fecure,
Between two fuch inclofing enemies
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 invasion 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;
Choofe which thou wilt by conqueft orby league. 370 By him thou fhalt regain, without him not, That which alone can truly reinftall thee In David's royal feat, his true fucceffor, Deliverance of thy brethren, those ten tribes Whofe ofspring in his territory yet serve, In Habor, and among the Medes difpers'd; Ten fons of Jacob, two of Joseph loft Thus long from Ifrael, ferving as of old Their fathers in the land of Egypt ferv'd, This offer fets before thee to deliver. These if from fervitude thou fhalt reftore To their inheritance, then, nor till then,
Thou on the throne of David in full glory, From Egypt to Euphrates and beyond
Shalt reign, and Rome or Cæfar not need fear. 385 To whom our Saviour answer'd thus unmov'd. Much oftentation vain of fleshly arm,
And fragil arms, much inftrument of war Long in preparing, foon to nothing brought, Before mine eyes thou' haft fet; and in my ear 390 Vented much policy, and projects deep
Of enemies, of aids, battels and leagues, Plaufible to the world, to me worth nought. Means I muft ufe thou fay'st, 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 On my part ought endevoring, or to need Thy politic maxims, or that cumbersome Luggage of war there shown me, argument Of human weaknefs rather than of strength. 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 scepter fway 405 To juft extent over all Ifrael's fons;
But whence to thee this zeal, where was it then. For Ifrael, or for David, or his throne, When thou ftood'ft up his tempter to the pride Of numb'ring Ifrael, which coft the lives
« السابقةمتابعة » |