Affyria and her empire's ancient bounds,
Araxes and the Caspian lake, thence on
As far as Indus east, Euphrates west,
And oft beyond; to fouth the Perfian bay,
And inacceffible th' Arabian drought:
Here Nineveh, of length within her wall
Sev'ral days journey, built by Ninus old,
Of that first golden monarchy the feat,
And feat of Salmanassar, whofe fuccefs
Ifrael in long captivity still 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 Jerusalem laid waste,
Till Cyrus fet them free; Persepolis
His city, there thou seest, and Bactra there;
Ecbatana her structure vast there fhews,
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, Nicibis, and there
Artaxata, Teredon, Ctesiphon,
Turning with easy eye thou may'st behold.
All these the Parthian, now fome ages past,
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 Ctesiphon hath gather'd all his hoft
Against the Scythian, whose incursions wild
Have wafted Sogdiana; to her aid
He marches now in haste; see, though from far,
His thousands, in what martial-equipage
They iffue forth! steel bows, and shafts their arms,
Of equal dread in flight, or in pursuit;
All horsemen, in which fight they most excel:
See how in warlike mufter they appear,
In rhombs and wedges, and half-moons and wings!
He lookt and faw what numbers numberless
The city gates out-pour'd, light-armed troops
In coats of mail and military pride;
In mail their horses clad, yet fleet and strong,
Prauncing their riders bore, the flow'r and choice
Of many provinces from bound to bound;
From Arachofia, from Gandaor east,
And Margiana to the Hircanian cliffs
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.
He faw them in their forms of battle rang'd,
How quick they wheel'd, and flying behind them shot
Sharp fleet of arrowy show'r against the face
Of their purfuers, and overcame by flight.
The field, all iron, cast a gleaming brown,
Nor wanted clouds of foot, nor on each horn,
Cuiraffiers all in steel for standing fight;
Chariots or elephants endorst with tow'rs
Of archers, not 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, raise hill, or overlay
With bridges rivers proud, as with a yoke;
Mules after these, camels and dromedaries,
And waggons fraught with utenfils of war.
Such forces met not, nor so wide a camp,
When Agrican with all his northern pow'rs
Befieg'd Albracca, as romances tell,
The city of Gallaphrone, from whence to win
The fairest of her sex Angelica,
His daughter, fought by many proudest knights,
Both Paynim, and the peers of Charlemaine.
Such and fo numerous was their chivalry;
At fight whereof the fiend yet more presum'd, (
And to our Saviour thus his words renew'd.
That thou may't know I feek not to engage
Thy virtue, and not ev'ry way fecure
On no flight grounds thy fafety; hear, and mark
To what end I have brought thee hither, and shewn
All this fair fight: thy kingdom though foretold,
By prophet or by angel, unless thou
Endeavour as thy father David did,
Thou never fhalt obtain; prediction still
In all things, and all men, supposes means;
Without means us'd, what it predicts revokes.
But fay thou wert poflefs'd of David's throne
By free confent of all, none opposite,
Samaritan or Jew; how could'st thou hope
Long to enjoy it quiet and fecure,
Between two such inclosing enemies,
Roman, and Parthian? therefore one of thefe
Thou must make sure thy own, the Parthian first,
By my advice, as nearer and of late
Found able by invasion to annoy
Thy country, and captive lead away her king.
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 conquest or by league,
By him thou shalt regain, without him not,
That which alone can truly reinstal thee
In David's royal feat, his true fucceffor,
Deliv'rance of thy brethren, those ten tribes
Whofe offspring in his territory yet serve
In Habor, and among the Medes difpers'd.
Ten fons of Jacob, two of Jofeph, lost
Thus long from Ifrael; serving, as of old
Their fathers in the land of Egypt ferv'd,
This offer fets before thee to deliver.
These if from fervitude thou shalt 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 Caefar not need fear.
To whom our Saviour anfwer'd thus unmov'd.
Much oftentation vain of fleshly arm,
And fragile arms, much inftrument of war
Long in preparing, foon to nothing brought,
Before mine eyes thou haft fet; and in my ear
Vented much policy, and projects deep
Of enemies, of aids, battles and leagues,
Plaufible to the world, to me worth naught.
Means I must use thou fay'st, prediction elfe
Will unpredict and fail me of the throne:
My time I told thee (and that time for thee
Were better farthest off) is not yet come;
When that comes, think not thou to find me flack
On my part aught endeav'ring, or to need
Thy politick maxims, or that cumbersome
Luggage of war there shewn me, argument
Of human weakness rather than of strength.
My brethren as thou call'st them, thofe ten tribes
I must deliver, if I mean to reign
David's true heir, and his full fceptre fway -
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 stood'ft up his tempter to the pride
Of numb'ring Ifrael, which coft the lives
Of threefcore and ten thousand Ifraelites
By three days peftilence? fuch was thy zeal
To Ifrael then, the fame that now to me.
As for those captive tribes, themselves were they
Who wrought their own captivity, fell off
From God to worship calves, the deities
Of Egypt, Baal next and Ashtaroth;
And all th' idolatries of heathen round,
Befides their other worse than heath'nish crimes;
Nor in the land of their captivity,
Humbled themselves, or penitent befought
The God of their forefathers; but fo dy'd
Impenitent, and left a race behind
Like to themselves, distinguishable fearce
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