1

Worshipt with temple, priest and facrifice;
One is the son of Jove, of Mars the other;

Till conqu❜ror Death discover them fcarce men, 85
Rolling in brutish vices, and deform'd,

Violent or fhameful death their due reward.
But if there be no glory ought of good,
It may by means far different be attain'd
Without ambition, war, or violence;
By deeds of peace, by wisdom eminent,
By patience, temperance: I mention still

90

Him whom thy wrongs with faintly patience borne
Made famous in a land and times obfcure;
Who names not now with honor patient Job?

Equal in fame to proudest conquerors.] And therefore the very ingenious author of the vifion of

Poor

a place there with Alexander, and Cæfar, and the most celebrated heroes of antiquity. See the Tatler No. 81 by Mr. Addison. And the no lefs ingenious author of the Temple of Fame has made him the principal figure among the better fort of heroes.

Much-fuff'ring heroes next their honors clame,

Thofe of lefs noify, and lefs guilty fame,

Fair Virtue's filent train: fupreme of thefe

Here ever shines the godlike So

crates.

the Table of Fame has given him And if Mr, Addison had completed

Poor Socrates (who next more memorable?)

By what he taught and fuffer'd for fo doing,
For truth's fake suffering death unjust, lives now
Equal in fame to proudest conquerors.

Yet if for fame and glory ought be done,
Ought fuffer'd; if young African for fame
His wafted country freed from Punic rage,
The deed becomes unprais'd, the man at least,
And lofes, though but verbal, his reward.
Shall I feek glory then, as vain men feek,

100

105

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

Think not fo flight of glory; therein least
Resembling thy great Father: he feeks glory, 110
And for his glory all things made, all things
Orders and governs; nor content in Heaven
By all his Angels glorify'd, requires

Glory from men, from all men good or bad,
Wife or unwife, no difference, no exemption;
Above all facrifice, or hallow'd gift
Glory' he requires, and glory he receives
Promifcuous from all nations, Jew or Greek,
Or barbarous, nor exception hath declar'd ;

109. Think not fo flight of glory; &c.] There is nothing throughout the whole poem more expreffive of the true character of the Tempter than this reply. There is in it all the real falfhood of the father of lies, and the glozing fubtlety of an infidious deceiver. The argument is falfe and unfound, and yet it is veil'd over with a certain plaufible air of truth. The poet has alfo by introducing this furnish'd himself with an opportunity of explaining that great queftion in divinity, why God created the world, and what is meant by that glory which he expects from his creatures. This may be no improper place to obferve to the reader the author's great art in weaving into the body of fo fhort a work fo many grand

115

From

points of the Chriftian theology and morality. Thyer.

118. Promifcuous from all nations,] The poet puts here into the mouth of the Devil the abfurd notions of the apologifts for Paganifm. See Themiftius Orat. XII. de Relig. Valent. Imp. ταυτα νόμιζε γενεσθαι &c. p. 160. Warburton.

121. To whom our Saviour fer

vently reply'd.] As this poem confifts chiefly of a dialogue between the Tempter and our Saviour, the poet muft have labor'd under fome difficulty in compofing a fufficient variety of introductory lines to the several speeches, and it required great art and judgment to vary and adapt them fo properly as he hath done to the fubject in hand. We took notice of a beauty

of

From us his foes pronounc'd glory' he exacts. 120

To whom our Saviour fervently reply'd.

125

And reafon; fince his word all things produc'd,
Though chiefly not for glory as prime end,
But to show forth his goodness, and impart
His good communicable to every foul
Freely; of whom what could he less expect
Than glory' and benediction, that is thanks,
The flighteft, easiest, readiest recompenfe
From them who could return him nothing else,
And not returning that would likelieft render 130

of this kind in a note upon II. 432 and here we have another inftance not unworthy of our obfervation. When the Tempter had propofed to our Saviour the baits and allurements of glory, he was nothing mov'd, but reply'd with great calmness and compofure of mind, ver. 43.

To whom our Saviour calmly thus reply'd:

but now the Tempter reflects upon the glory of God, our Saviour is warm'd upon the occafion, and anfwers with fome eagerness and

fervor.

To whom our Saviour fervently reply'd.

And this is perfect'y just and a

Contempt

greeable to the true character of our Saviour, who was all meekness and forbearance in every thing that related to himself, but where God's honor was concern'd was warm and zealous; as when he drove the buyers and fellers out of the temple, infomuch that the difciples apply'd to him the faying of the Pfalmift, The zeal of thine houfe bath eaten me up. John II. 17.

128. The flightest, eafieft, readieft

recompenfe] The fame fentiment in the Paradise Loft. IV. 46. What could be less than to afford him praise,

1

The eafieft recompenfe, and pay
him thanks,
How due!

130. And not returning that] We

1 2

have

Contempt instead, difhonor, obloquy ?

Hard recompenfe, unfuitable return

For fo much good, fo much beneficence.

135

But why should man seek glory, who' of his own
Hath nothing, and to whom nothing belongs
But condemnation, ignominy', and shame?
Who for fo many benefits receiv'd

Turn'd recreant to God, ingrate and false,
And fo of all true good himself defpoil'd,
Yet, facrilegious, to himself would take
That which to God alone of right belongs;
Yet fo much bounty is in God, fuch grace,
That who advance his glory, not their own,
Them he himself to glory will advance.
So fpake the Son of God; and here again

140

145 Satan

Worth or not worth their seeking, but not knowing to whom their could refer, I imagin'd it should be

but the firft edition exhibits this Worth or not worth thy feeking, reading

Worth or not worth the feeking, as Mr. Sympfon propofed to read by conjecture.

158. Reduc'd a province under Roman yoke,] Judea was reduc'd

to