From Gentiles, but by circumcifion vain,
And God with idols in their worship join'd.
Should I of these the liberty regard,
Who free'd, as to their ancient patrimony,
Unhumbl'd, unrepentant, unreform'd,
Headlong wou'd follow; and to their gods perhaps
Of Bethel and of Dan? no, let them ferve
Their enemies, who ferve idols with God.
Yet he at length, time to himself best known,
Remembring Abraham, by fome wond'rous call
May bring them back repentant and fincere,
And at their paffing cleave th' Affyrian flood
While to their native land with joy they haste;
As the Red-Sea and Jordan once he cleft,
When to the promis'd land their fathers pass'd;
To his due time. and providence I leave them.
So fpake Ifrael's true king, and to the fiend
Made answer meet, that made void all his wiles.
So fares it when with truth falfhood contends.
ERPLEX'D and troubled at his bad fuccefs
The tempter stood, nor had what to reply,
Discover'd in his fraud, thrown from his hope
So oft and the perfuafive rhetoric
That fleck'd his tongue, and won fo much on Eve
So little here, nay loft; but Eve was Eve,
This far his over-match, who self-deceiv'd'
And rafh before-hand had no better weigh'd
The strength he was to cope with or his own:
But as a man who had been matchlefs held
In cunning, over-reach'd where least he thought,
To fave his credit, and for very spight
Still will be tempting him who foyls him still,
And never cease, though to his shame the more;
Or as a fwarm of flies in vintage-time,
About the wine prefs where fweet moist is pour'd,
Beat off, returns as oft with humming found;
Or furging waves against a solid rock,
Though all to shivers dash'd, th' affault renew,
Vain batt'ry, and in froth or bubbles end;
So Satan, whom repulfe upon repulfe
Met ever, and to shameful filence brought,
Yet gives not o'er though defp'rate of success,
And his vain importunity pursues.
He brought our Saviour to the western side
Of that high mountain, whence he might behold
Another plain, long, but in breadth not wide,
Wash'd by the fouthern sea, and on the north
To equal length back'd with a ridge of hills,
That fcreen'd the fruits of th' earth and feats of men
From cold Septentrion blasts, thence in the midst
Divided by a river, of whose banks
On each fide an imperial city stood,
With tow'rs and temples proudly elevate
On fev'n small hills, with palaces adorn'd,
Porches and theatres, baths, aqueducts,
Statues and trophies, and triumphal arcs,
Gardens and groves prefented to his eyes,
Above the height of mountains interpos'd.
By what strange parallax or optick skill
Of vision multiply'd through air, or glass
Of telescope, were curious to enquire:
And now the tempter thus his filence broke..
The city which thou feeft no other deem.
Than great and glorious Rome, queen of the earth
So far renown'd, and with the spoils enricht
Of nations: there the capitol thou feest
Above the reft lifting his stately head
On the Tarpeian rock, her citadel
Impregnable; and there mount Palatine
Th'imperial palace, compass huge and high
The structure, skill of nobleft architects,
With gilded battlements, confpicuous far,
Turrets and terrafes, and glit'ring fpires.
Many a fair edifice befides, more like
Houfes of gods (fo well I have difpos'd'
My airy microscope) thou may'st behold
Outside and inside both, pillars and roofs
Carv'd work, the hand of fam'd artificers
In cedar, marble, ivory or gold.
Thence to the gates caft round thine eye, and fee
What conflux iffuing forth, or entring in,
Pretors, proconfuls to their provinces
Hafting or on return, in robes of ftate;
Lictors and rods the enfigns of their pow'r, Legions and cohorts, turmes of horse and wings: Or embaffies from regions far remote
In various habits on the Appian road,
Or on th' Emilian, fome from farthest south,
Syene, and where the shadow both way falls,
Meroe Nilotic ifle, and more to west,
The realm of Bocchus to the black-moor fea; From th' Asian kings and Parthian among these, From India and the golden Cherfonefs,
And utmoft Indian ifle Taprobane,
Dusk faces with white fi'ken turbants wreath'd;
From Gallia Gades, and the British west,
Germans and Scythians, and Sarmatians north
Beyond Danubius to the Tauric pool.
All nations now to Rome obedience pay,
To Rome's great emperor, whose wide domain
In ample territory, wealth and pow'r,
Civility of manners, arts and arms,
And long renown thou justly may'st prefer
Before the Parthian; thefe two thrones except,
The rest are barb'rous, and scarce worth the fight,
Shar'd among petty kings too far remov'd;
Thefe having fhewn thee, I have shewn thee all
The kingdoms of the world, and all their glory.
This emp'ror hath no son, and now is old,
Old and lafcivious, and from Rome retir'd
To Capreae an island small but strong
On the Campanian fhore, with purpose there
His horrid lufts in private to enjoy,
-Committing to a wicked favourite
All publick cares, and yet
Hated of all, and hating; with what ease
Indu'd with regal virtues as thou art,
Appearing and beginning noble deeds,
Might'ft thou expel this monster from his throne
Now made a ftye, and in his place afcending
A victor people free from servile yoke?
And with my help thou may'st; to me the pow'r
Is giv'n, and by that right I give it thee.
Aim therefore at no less than all the world,
Aim at the higheft, without the highest attain'd
Will be for thee no fitting or not long
On David's throne, be prophefy'd what will.
To whom the Son of God unmov'd reply'd.
Nor doth this grandeur and majestick show
Of luxury, though call'd magnificence,
More than of arms before, allure mine eye,
Much less my mind; though thou shouldst add to tell
Their fumptuous gluttonies, and gorgeous feasts
On Citron tables or Atlantic stone,
(For I have also heard, perhaps have read)
Their wines of Setia, Cales, and Falerne,
Chios and Creet, and how they quaff in gold,
Crystal and myrrhine cups imbofs'd with gems/
And studs of pearl, to me shou'dft tell who thirst
And hunger ftill: then embassies thou fhew'st
From nations far and nigh; what honour that,
But tedious wafte of time to fit and hear
So many hollow compliments and lies,
Outlandish flatteries? then proceed'st to talk
Of th' emperor, how easily subdu’d,
How gloriously; I fall, thou fay'st, expel
A brutish monfter: what if I withal
Expel a devil who first made him fuch?
Let his tormenter confcience find him out,
For him I was not fent, nor yet to free
That people victor once, now vile and base,
Defervedly made vassal, who once juft,
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