To gain dominion, or to keep it gain'd.
Witnefs those antient empires of the earth,
In heighth of all their flowing wealth diffolv'd;
But men indued with thefe have oft attain'd
In lowest poverty to higheft deeds;
Gideon, and Jephtha, and the fhepherd lad,
Whofe offspring on the throne of Juda: fat
So many ages, and shall yet regain
That feat, and reign in Ifrael 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 445
Quintius, Fabricius, Curius, Regulus ?
For I efteem thofe names of men fo poor
Who could do mighty things, and could contemn
Riches though offer'd from the hand of kings.
And what in me feems wanting, but that I
May also in this poverty as foon
Accomplish what they did, perhaps and more?
Extol not riches then, the toil of fools,
The wife man's cumbrance if not fnare, more apt
To flacken virtue, and abate her edge,
Than prompt her to do ought may merit praise.
What if with like averfion I reject
Riches and realms; yet not for that a crown,
Golden in fhow, is but a wreath of thorns,
Brings dangers, troubles, cares, and fleepless nights
To him who wears the regal diadem,
When on his shoulders each man's burden lies;
For therein ftands the office of a king,
His honor, virtue, merit and chief praise,
That for the public all this weight he bears.
Yet he who reigns within himself, and rules
Paffions, defires, and fears, is more a king;
Which every wife and virtuous man attains :
And who attains not, ill afpires to rule
Cities of men, or head-ftrọng multitudes,
Subject himself to anarchy within,
Or lawlefs paffions in him which he ferves.
But to guide nations in the way of truth
By faving doctrin, and from error lead
To know, and knowing worship God aright
Is yet more kingly; this attracts the foul,
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 fincere delight.
Befides to give a kingdom hath been thought
Greater and nobler done, and to lay down
Far more magnanimous, than to affume.
Riches are needlefs then, both for themselves,
And for thy reafon why they fhould be fought, 485
To gain a feepter, ofteft better mifs'd.
The End of the Second Book.
O fpake the Son of God, and Satan stood
A while as mute confounded what to fay,
What to reply, confuted and convinc'd
Of his weak arguing, and fallacious drift;
At length collecting all his ferpent wiles,
With foothing words renew'd, him thus accoft.
I fee thou know'ft what is of use to know,
What beft to fay canft fay, to do canft do;
Thy actions to thy words accord, thy words
To thy large heart give utterance due, thy heart
Contains of good, wife, juft, the perfect shape.
Should kings and nations from thy mouth confult,
Thy counfel would be as the oracle
Urim and Thummim, thofe oraculous gems
On Aaron's breaft; or tongue of feers old
Infallible: Or wert thou fought to deeds
That might require th' array of war, thy fkill
Of conduct would be fuch, that all the world
Could not fuftain thy prowess, or fubfift
In battel, though against thy few in arms.
Thefe God-like virtues wherefore doft thou hide,
Affecting private life, or more obfcure
In favage wilderness? wherefore deprive
All earth her wonder at thy acts, thyself
The fame and glory, glory the reward
That fole excites to high attempts, the flame
Of most erected spi'rits, moft temper'd pure
Ethereal, who all pleasures else despise,
All treasures and all gain efteem as drofs,
And dignities and pow'rs all but the highest ?
Thy years are ripe, and over-ripe; the fon
of Macedonian Philip had ere these
Won Afia, and the throne of Cyrus held
At his difpofe; young Scipio had brought down
The Carthaginian pride; young Pompey quell'd 35
The Pontic king, and in triumph had rode.
Yet years, and to ripe years judgment mature,
Quench not the thirft of glory, but augment.
Great Julius, whom now all the world admires,
The more he grew in years, the more inflam'd
With glory, wept that he had liv'd fo long
Inglorious but thou yet art not too late.
To whom our Saviour calmly thus reply'd.
Thou neither doft perfuade me to feek wealth
For empire's fake, nor empire to affect
For glory's fake by all thy argument.
For what is glory but the blaze of fame,
The peoples praise, if always praise unmix'd?
And what the people but a herd confus'd,
A mifcellaneous rabble, who extol
Things vulgar, and well weigh'd,fcarce worth the praise?
They praife, and they admire they know not what,
41. wept that he liv'd fo long inglorious:] Alluding to a tory related of Julius Cæfar, that one day reading the ftory of Alexander, he fat awhile very thoughtful, and at last burst into tears, and his friends wond'ring at the reafon of it, do you not think, faid he, I have just cause to weep, when I confider that Alexander at my age had conquered fo many nations, and I have all this sime done nothing that is memorable.
And know not whom, but as one leads the other;
And what delight to be by fuch extoll'd,
To live upon their tongues and be their talk,
Of whom to be disprais'd were no small praise è
His lot who dares be fingularly good.
Th' intelligent among them and the wife
Are few, and glory scarce of few is rais'd.
This is true glory and renown, when God
Looking on th' earth, with approbation marks
The juft man, and divulges him through Heav'n
To all his Angels, who with true applause
Recount his praises: thus he did to Job,
When to extend his fame through Heav'n and Earth,
As thou to thy reproach may'st well remember,
He afk'd thee, Haft thou feen my fervant Job?
Famous he was in Heav'n, on Earth lefs known;
Where glory is falfe glory, attributed
To things not glorious, men not worthy' of fame. 70
They err who count it glorious to fubdue
By conqueft far and wide, to over-run
Large countries, and in field great battels win,
Great cities by affault: what do these worthies,
But rob and spoil, burn, flaughter, and inflave
Peaceable nations, neighb'ring, or remote,
Made captive, yet deferving freedom more
Than thofe their conquerors, who leave behind
Nothing but ruin wherefoe'er they rove,
And all the flourishing works of peace destroy,
Then fwell with pride, and must be titled Gods,
Great Benefactors of mankind, Deliverers,
Worshipt with temple, prieft and facrifice;
One is the fon of Jove, of Mars the other;
Till conqu❜ror Death discover them scarce men,
Rolling in brutish vices, and deform'd,
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