The world thou haft not feen, much lefs her glory,
Empires, and monarchs, and their radiant courts,
Beft fchool of beft experience, quickest infight
In all things that to greatest actions lead.
The wifelt, unexperienc'd, will be ever
Timorous and loath, with novice modesty,
(As he who seeking affes found a kingdom)
Irrefolute, unhardy, unadventrous:
But I will bring thee where thou foon fhalt quit
Thofe rudiments, and fee before thine eyes
The monarchies of th' earth, their pomp and state, Sufficient introduction to inform
Thee, of thyfelf fo apt, in regal arts,
And regal mysteries, that thou may ft know
How belt their oppofition to withstand.
With that (fuch pow'r was giv'n him then) he took The Son of God up to a mountain high.
It was a mountain at whofe verdant feet
A fpacious plain out-ftretch'd in circuit wide
Lay pleafant; from his fide two rivers flow'd, 255
Th' one winding, th' other ftrait, and left between
Fair champain with lefs rivers intervein'd,
Then meeting join'd their tribute to the fea :
Fertil of corn the glebe, of oil and wine;
With herds the paftures throng'd,with flocks the hills;
Huge cities and high towr'd, that well might seem
The feats of mightiest monarchs, and so large
The profpect was, that here and there was room
For barren defert fountainless and dry
To this high mountain top the Tempter brought 265 Our Saviour, and new train of words began.
Well have we speeded, and o'er hill and dale, Foreft and field and flood, temples and towers, Cut fhorter many a league; here thou behold'st Affyria and her empire's ancient bounds,
Araxes and the Caspian lake, thence on
As far as Indus eaft, Euphrates west,
And oft beyond; to fouth the Perfian 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 feat,
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 structure vaft there shows,
And Hecatompylos her hundred gates;
There Sufa 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'ft 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
Of his great pow'r; for now the Parthian king
In Ctefiphon hath gather'd all his hoft
Against the Scythian, whose incurfions wild
Have wafted Sogdiana; to her aid
He marches now in hafte; fee, though from far, His thousands, in what martial equipage
They iffueforth, fteel bows, and fhafts their arms 305
Of equal dread in flight, or in pursuit ;
All horfemen, in which fight they moft excel;
See how in warlike mufter they appear,
In rhombs and wedges, and half-moons, and wings..
He look'd, and faw what numbers numberlefs 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,
Prauncing their riders bore, the flow'r and choice
Of many provinces from bound to bound;
From Arachofia, from Candaor east,
And Margiana to the Hyrcanian cliffs
Of Caucafus, and dark Iberian dales,
From Atropatia and the neighb'ring plains
Of Adiabene, Media, and the fouth
Of Sufiana, to Balfara's haven.
He saw them in their forms of battel rang'd,
How quick they wheel'd, and fly'ing behind them fhot
Sharp fleet of arrowy show'rs against the face
Of their purfuers, 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 standing 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 prowest 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 seek 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 shalt obtain; prediction still
In all things, and all men, fupposes means,
Without means us'd, what it predicts revokes.
But fay thou wert poffefs'd of David's throne
By free confent of all, none oppofit,
Samaritan or Jew; how could ft thou hope
Long to enjoy it quiet and fecure,
Between two fuch inclosing 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 invafion to annoy
Thy country', and captive lead away her kings
Antigonus, and old Hyrcanus bound,
Maugre the Roman: it fhall be my task
To render thee the Parthian at difpofe;
Choose which thou wilt by conqueft or by league.
By him thou fhalt regain, without him not,
That which alone can truly reinstall 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 Jofeph 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.
Thefe if from fervitude thou fhalt restore
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 anfwer'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 must use thou fay'ft, prediction elfe
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 ftrength.
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
To just extent over all Ifracl'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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