1

Worshipt with temple, priest and sacrifice;
One is the son of Jove, of Mars the other ;
Till conqu’ror Death discover them scarce men, 85
Rolling in brutish vices, and deform’d,
Violent or shameful 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;

90
By deeds of peace, by wisdom eminent,
By patience, temperance: I mention still
Him whom thy wrongs with faintly patience borne
Made famous in a land and times obscure ;
Who names not now with honor patient Job ?

Poor

96. Poor Socrates (who next more a place there with Alexander, and

memorable ? ) &c.] Milton here Cæsar, and the most celebrated does not scruple with Erasmus to heroes of antiquity. See the Tatplace Socrates in the foremost rank ler No. 81 by Mr. Addison. And of Saints; an opinion more ami- the no less ingenious author of the able at least, and agreeable to that Temple of Fame has made him fpirit of love which breathes in the principal figure among the the Gospel, than the severe or better fort of heroes. thodoxy of those rigid textuaries, who are unwilling to allow falva

Much-suff'ring heroes next their

honors clame, țion to the moral virtues of the

Those of less noisy, and less Heathen. Thyer.

guilty fame,

Fair Virtue's filent train: su98. Equal in fame to proudeft conque

Here ever shines the godlike Sorors.] And therefore the very

crates. ingenious author of the vision of the Table of Fame has given him And if Mr, Addison had completed

lives now

preme of these

Poor Socrates (who next more memorable ?)
By what he taught and suffer'd for so 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, 100
Ought suffer'd; if young African for fame
His wasted country freed from Punic rage,
The deed becomes unprais'd, the man at least,
And loses, though but verbal, his reward.
Shall I seek glory then, as vain men seek, 105
Oft not deserv'd ? I seek not mine, but his
Who sent me', and thereby witness whence I am.
To whom the Tempter murm’ring thus reply'd.

Think

101.

his design of writing a tragedy of had committed in Italy daring the Socrates, his success in all proba- second Punic war. bility would have been greater, as the subject would have been better 106.

I seek not mine, but than that of Cato.

his

Who fent me', and thereby witness if young African for whence I am.] I honour my

Fa. fame

ther, I seek not mine own glory, says His wasted country freed from Pu our Saviour in St. John's Gospel

nic rage,] This shows plainly VIII. 49, 50: and this he urgeth that he had spoken before of the as a proof of his divine miflion, elder Scipio Africanus; for he VII. 18. He that speaketh of himonly can be said with propriety self, seeketh his own glory : but he to have freed his wasted country that seeketb bis glory that fent him, from Punic rage, by transferring the same is true, and no unrighteousthe war into Spain and Africa ness is in him. after the Favages which Hannibal VOL. 1.

1

109. Tbine

Think not fo flight of glory; therein least
Resembling thy great Father : he seeks glory, 116
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,
Wise or unwise, no difference, no exemption; 115
Above all facrifice, or hallow'd gift
Glory' he requires, and glory he receives
Promiscuous from all nations, Jew or Greek,
Or barbarous, nor exception hath declar'd;

From

109. Think not so flight of glory; points of the Christian theology &c.] There is nothing throughout and morality.

Thyer. the whole poem more expressive of 118. Promiscuous from all nations, the true character of the Tempter The poet puts here into the mouth, than this reply. There is in it all of the Devil the absurd notions of the real falfhood of the father of the apologifts for Paganism. See hes, and the glozing fubtlety of an Themiftius Orat. xii. de Relig. insidious deceiver. The argument Valent. Imp. Tavta vomise yeveo das is false and unfound, and yet it is &c. p. 160. Warburton. veil'd over with a certain plausible 121. To whom our Saviour ferair of truth. The poet has also by vently reply'd.] As this poem introducing this furnith'd himself confifts chiefly of a dialogue bewith an opportunity of explaining tween the Tempter and our Sathat great question in divinity, viour, the poet must have labor'd why God created the world, and under some difficulty in composing what is meant by that glory which a sufficient variety of introductory he expects from his creatures. This lines to the several speeches, and may be no improper place to ob- it required great art and judgment serve to the reader the author's to vary and adapt them so properly great art in weaving into the body as he hath done to the subject in of fo Mort a work so many grand 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.
And reason; since 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 soul

125
Freely; of whom what could he less expect
Than glory' and benediction, that is thanks,
The Nightest, easiest, readiest recompense
From them who could return him nothing else,
And not returning that would likeliest render

130 Contempt

of this kind in a note upon II. greeable to the true haracter of our 432: and here we have another Saviour, who was all meekness and instance not unworthy of our ob- forbearance in every thing that reservation. When the Tempter had lated to himself, but where God's proposed to our Saviour the baits honor was concern'd was warm and and allurements of glory, he was zealous; as when he drove the nothing mov’d, but reply'd with buyers and sellers out of the temple, great calmness and composure of infomuch that the disciples apply'd mind, ver. 43•

to him the saying of the Psalmiit,

The zeal of thine boufe hath eaten me To whom our Saviour calmly thus reply'd :

up. John Il. 17

128. The slightest, easiest, readiest but now the Tempter reflects upon recompense] The same senti. the glory of God, our Saviour is ment in the Paradise Loit. IV. 46. warm’d upon the occasion, and

What could be less than to afford answers with some eagerness and

him praise, fervor.

The easiest recompense, and pay To whom our Saviour fervently him thanks, reply'd.

How due ! And this is perfe&t'y just and a 130. And not returning that] We

have

Contempt instead, dishonor, obloquy ?
Hard recompense, unsuitable return
For so much good, so much beneficence.
But why should man seek glory, who' of his own
Hath nothing, and to whom nothing belongs 135
But condemnation, ignominy', and shame?
Who for so many benefits receiv'd
Turn'd recreant to God, ingrate and false,
And so of all true good himself despoil'd,
Yet, facrilegious, to himself would take

140
That which to God alone of right belongs ;
Yet so much bounty is in God, such grace,
That who advance his glory, not their own,
Them he himself to glory will advance.
So spake the Son of God; and here again 145

Satan

have replac'd the reading of the first Worth or not worth their feeking, edition : most of the later editions but not knowing to whom their have it

could refer, I imagin'd it should And not returning what

be which spoils the sense of the pas- but the firft edition exhibits this

Worth or not worth thy seeking, sage. I had corrected it in my own book before I had seen the reading first edition, and Mr. Thyer had Worth or not worth the seeking, done the same.

as Mr. Sympson proposed to read 151. Worth or not worth the

seeking,] In all the editions by conjectare. which I have seen except the first, 158. Reduc'd a province under Roit is printed

man yake,] Judea was reduc'd

to