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For fo much good, so much beneficence.

But why fhould man feek glory? who of his own
Hath nothing, and to whom nothing belongs
But condemnation, ignominy, and fhame ?
Who for fo many benefits receiv'd,
Turn'd recreant to God, ingrate and false,
And fo of all true good himself defpoil'd;
Yet, facrilegious, to himfelf would take
That which to God alone of right belongs:
Yet fo much bounty is in God, fuch grace,
That who advance his glory, not their own,
Them he himself to glory will advance.

So fpake the Son of God and here again Satan had not to answer, but ftood ftruck With guilt of his own fin; for he himself Infatiable of glory had loft all:

Yet of another Plea bethought him foon.

Of glory, as thou wilt, faid he, fo deem,
Worth or not worth their feeking, let it pafs:
But to a Kingdom thou art born, ordain'd
To fit upon thy Father David's Throne,
By Mother's fide thy Father: though thy right
Be now in pow'rful hands, that will not part
Eafily from poffeffion won with arms.
Judea now and all the promis'd land,
Reduc'd a Province under Roman yoke,

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Obeys Tiberius; nor is always rul'd

With temp'rate fway; oft have they violated

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The Temple, oft the Law with foul affronts,
Abominations rather, as did once
Antiochus: and think'st thou to regain
Thy right by fitting ftill, or thus retiring?
So did not Machabæus: he indeed

Retir'd unto the Defart, but with arms;
And o'er a mighty King so oft prevail'd,
That by ftrong hand his Family obtain'd,

Tho' Priefts, the Crown, and David's Throne ufurp'd,

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With Modin and her fuburbs once content.

If Kingdom move thee not, let move thee Zeal
And Duty; Zeal and Duty are not flow,
But on Occafion's forelock watchful wait:
They themselves rather are occafion beft;
Zeal of thy Father's houfe, Duty to free
Thy Country from her Heathen fervitude;
So fhalt thou best fulfil, best verifie

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The Prophets old, who fung thy endless reign,
The happier reign the fooner it begins:

Reign then; what canft thou better do the while?

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To whom our Saviour answer thus return'd.
All things are beft fulfill'd in their due time,
And time there is for all things, Truth hath faid:
If of my reign prophetic Writ hath told,
That it fhall never end, fo when begin
The Father in his purpose hath decreed,
He in whofe hand all times and feafons roll.
What if he hath decreed that I fhall first

Be try'd in humble state, and things adverse,

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By tribulations, injuries, infults,

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Contempts, and fcorns, and fnares, and violence,

Suffering, abftaining, quietly expecting,

Without diftruft or doubt, that he may know

What I can fuffer, how obey? Who best

Can fuffer, beft can do; beft reign, who first
Well hath obey'd; just trial ere I merit
My exaltation without change or end.
But what concerns it thee when I begin
My everlasting Kingdom, why art thou
Solicitous, what moves thy inquifition ?
Know'st thou not that my rifing is thy fall,
And my promotion will be thy deftruction?

To whom the Tempter inly rack'd reply'd :
Let that come when it comes; all hope is loft
Of my reception into grace; what worse ?
For where no hope is left, is left no fear;

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If there be worse, the expectation more
Of worse torments me than the feeling can.
I would be at the worft; worst is my Port,
My harbour and my ultimate repose,
The end I would attain, my final good.
My error was my error, and my crime
My crime: whatever, for it felf condemn'd,
And will alike be punish'd; whether thou
Reign or reign not; though to that gentle brow
Willingly I could flie, and hope thy reign,
From that placid afpect and meek regard,
Rather than aggravate my evil ftate,
Would stand between me and thy Father's ire,
(Whose ire I dread more than the Fire of Hell)
A fhelter, and a kind of shading cool
Interpofition, as a fummer's cloud.

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If I then to the worst that can be hafte,

Why move thy feet fo flow to what is beft,

Happiest both to thyself and all the world,

Perhaps thou lingreft, in deep thoughts detain'd

That thou who worthieft art fhould't be their King ?

Of th' enterprize fo hazardous and high:
No wonder; for though in thee be united
What of perfection can in man be found,
Or human nature can receive, confider,

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Thy life hath yet been private, most part spent
At home, fcarce view'd the Galilean Towns,

And once a-year Jerufalem, few days

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Short fojourn; and what thence could'ft thou observe?

The world thou haft not seen, much less her glory,

Empires, and Monarchs, and their radiant Courts,

Beft fchool of beft experience, quickest in fight
In all things that to greatest Actions lead.
The wifeft, unexperienc'd, will be ever
Tim'rous and loth, with novice modefty,
(As he who feeking Affes found a Kingdom)
Irrefolute, unhardy, unadventrous:

But I will bring thee where thou foon fhalt quit

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Thofe

Those rudiments, and fee before thine eyes

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The Monarchies of th' Earth, their pomp and ftate,
Sufficient introduction to inform

Thee, of thyfelf fo apt, in regal Arts,

And regal Mysteries, that thou may'st know

How beft their oppofition to withstand.

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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 pleasant; from his fide two rivers flow'd,

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Th' one winding, th' other ftraight, and left between

Fair Champain with lefs rivers intervein'd,

Then meeting join'd their Tribute to the Sea;

Fertil of corn the glebe, of oil and wine,

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With herds the pastures throng'd, with flocks the hills;

Huge Cities and high tower'd, that well might feem
The feats of mightieft Monarchs, and fo large

The Profpect was, that here and there was room
For barren defart fountainless and dry.

To this high mountain's top the Tempter brought 265
Our Saviour, and new train of words began.

Well have we speeded, and o'er hill and dale,
Forest and field, and flood, temples and tow'rs
Cut fhorter many a league; here thou behold'st
Affyria and her Empire's ancient bounds,
Araxes and the Cafpian lake, thence on
As far as Indus Eaft, Euphrates Weft,
And oft beyond; to South 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 Salmanaffar, whofe fuccefs
Ifrael in long captivity ftill mourns;

There Babylon the wonder of all tongues,

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As

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 Batra there;
Ecbatana her ftructure vaft there fhews,
And Hecatompyles her hundred gates;
There Sufa by Choafpes, amber ftream,
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,

All these the Parthian, now fome Ages paft,

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Turning with eafie eye thou mayft behold.

By great Arfaces led, who founded first
That Empire, under his dominion holds,

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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

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Against the Scythian, whofe Incurfions wild

Have wafted Sogdiana; to her aid

He marches now in hafte; fee, though from far,

His thousands, in what Martial-equipage

They iffue forth! fteel bows, and shafts their arms, 305 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

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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;

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From Arachofia, from Gandaor East,

And Margiana to the Hircanian cliffs

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