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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

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His city there thou feeft, and Bactra there;

285

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,

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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,

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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

H

Of

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;

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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.

daling

off

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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:

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Nor

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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,

.

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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

H 2

In

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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,

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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

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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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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,

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Thou

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

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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

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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

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Of

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