2
SO spake the Son of God; and Satan stood
3
A while as mute, confounded what to say,
4
What to reply, confuted and convinced
5
Of his weak arguing and fallacious drift;
6
At length, collecting all his serpent wiles,
7
With soothing words renewed, him thus accosts:—
8
"I see thou know'st what is of use to know,
9
What best to say canst say, to do canst do;
10
Thy actions to thy words accord; thy words
11
To thy large heart give utterance due; thy heart
12
Contains of good, wise, just, the perfet shape.
13
Should kings and nations from thy mouth consult,
14
Thy counsel would be as the oracle
15
Urim and Thummim, those oraculous gems
16
On Aaron's breast, or tongue of Seers old
17
Infallible; or, wert thou sought to deeds
18
That might require the array of war, thy skill
19
Of conduct would be such that all the world
20
Could not sustain thy prowess, or subsist
21
In battle, though against thy few in arms.
22
These godlike virtues wherefore dost thou hide?
23
Affecting private life, or more obscure
24
In savage wilderness, wherefore deprive
25
All Earth her wonder at thy acts, thyself
26
The fame and glory—glory, the reward
27
That sole excites to high attempts the flame
28
Of most erected spirits, most tempered pure
29
AEthereal, who all pleasures else despise,
30
All treasures and all gain esteem as dross,
31
And dignities and powers, all but the highest?
32
Thy years are ripe, and over-ripe. The son
33
Of Macedonian Philip had ere these
34
Won Asia, and the throne of Cyrus held
35
At his dispose; young Scipio had brought down
36
The Carthaginian pride; young Pompey quelled
37
The Pontic king, and in triumph had rode.
38
Yet years, and to ripe years judgment mature,
39
Quench not the thirst of glory, but augment.
40
Great Julius, whom now all the world admires,
41
The more he grew in years, the more inflamed
42
With glory, wept that he had lived so long
43
Ingloroious. But thou yet art not too late."
44
To whom our Saviour calmly thus replied:—
45
"Thou neither dost persuade me to seek wealth
46
For empire's sake, nor empire to affect
47
For glory's sake, by all thy argument.
48
For what is glory but the blaze of fame,
49
The people's praise, if always praise unmixed?
50
And what the people but a herd confused,
51
A miscellaneous rabble, who extol
52
Things vulgar, and, well weighed, scarce worth the praise?
53
They praise and they admire they know not what,
54
And know not whom, but as one leads the other;
55
And what delight to be by such extolled,
56
To live upon their tongues, and be their talk?
57
Of whom to be dispraised were no small praise—
58
His lot who dares be singularly good.
59
The intelligent among them and the wise
60
Are few, and glory scarce of few is raised.
61
This is true glory and renown—when God,
62
Looking on the Earth, with approbation marks
63
The just man, and divulges him through Heaven
64
To all his Angels, who with true applause
65
Recount his praises. Thus he did to Job,
66
When, to extend his fame through Heaven and Earth,
67
As thou to thy reproach may'st well remember,
68
He asked thee, 'Hast thou seen my servant Job?'
69
Famous he was in Heaven; on Earth less known,
70
Where glory is false glory, attributed
71
To things not glorious, men not worthy of fame.
72
They err who count it glorious to subdue
73
By conquest far and wide, to overrun
74
Large countries, and in field great battles win,
75
Great cities by assault. What do these worthies
76
But rob and spoil, burn, slaughter, and enslave
77
Peaceable nations, neighbouring or remote,
78
Made captive, yet deserving freedom more
79
Than those their conquerors, who leave behind
80
Nothing but ruin wheresoe'er they rove,
81
And all the flourishing works of peace destroy;
82
Then swell with pride, and must be titled Gods,
83
Great benefactors of mankind, Deliverers,
84
Worshipped with temple, priest, and sacrifice?
85
One is the son of Jove, of Mars the other;
86
Till conqueror Death discover them scarce men,
87
Rowling in brutish vices, and deformed,
88
Violent or shameful death their due reward.
89
But, if there be in glory aught of good;
90
It may be means far different be attained,
91
Without ambition, war, or violence—
92
By deeds of peace, by wisdom eminent,
93
By patience, temperance. I mention still
94
Him whom thy wrongs, with saintly patience borne,
95
Made famous in a land and times obscure;
96
Who names not now with honour patient Job?
97
Poor Socrates, (who next more memorable?)
98
By what he taught and suffered for so doing,
99
For truth's sake suffering death unjust, lives now
100
Equal in fame to proudest conquerors.
101
Yet, if for fame and glory aught be done,
102
Aught suffered—if young African for fame
103
His wasted country freed from Punic rage—
104
The deed becomes unpraised, the man at least,
105
And loses, though but verbal, his reward.
106
Shall I seek glory, then, as vain men seek,
107
Oft not deserved? I seek not mine, but His
108
Who sent me, and thereby witness whence I am."
109
To whom the Tempter, murmuring, thus replied:—
110
"Think not so slight of glory, therein least
111
Resembling thy great Father. He seeks glory,
112
And for his glory all things made, all things
113
Orders and governs; nor content in Heaven,
114
By all his Angels glorified, requires
115
Glory from men, from all men, good or bad,
116
Wise or unwise, no difference, no exemption.
117
Above all sacrifice, or hallowed gift,
118
Glory he requires, and glory he receives,
119
Promiscuous from all nations, Jew, or Greek,
120
Or Barbarous, nor exception hath declared;
121
From us, his foes pronounced, glory he exacts."
122
To whom our Saviour fervently replied:
123
"And reason; since his Word all things produced,
124
Though chiefly not for glory as prime end,
125
But to shew forth his goodness, and impart
126
His good communicable to every soul
127
Freely; of whom what could He less expect
128
Than glory and benediction—that is, thanks—
129
The slightest, easiest, readiest recompense
130
From them who could return him nothing else,
131
And, not returning that, would likeliest render
132
Contempt instead, dishonour, obloquy?
133
Hard recompense, unsuitable return
134
For so much good, so much beneficience!
135
But why should man seek glory, who of his own
136
Hath nothing, and to whom nothing belongs
137
But condemnation, ignominy, and shame—
138
Who, for so many benefits received,
139
Turned recreant to God, ingrate and false,
140
And so of all true good himself despoiled;
141
Yet, sacrilegious, to himself would take
142
That which to God alone of right belongs?
143
Yet so much bounty is in God, such grace,
144
That who advances his glory, not their own,
145
Them he himself to glory will advance."
146
So spake the Son of God; and here again
147
Satan had not to answer, but stood struck
148
With guilt of his own sin—for he himself,
149
Insatiable of glory, had lost all;
150
Yet of another plea bethought him soon:—
151
"Of glory, as thou wilt," said he, "so deem;
152
Worth or not worth the seeking, let it pass.
153
But to a Kingdom thou art born—ordained
154
To sit upon thy father David's throne,
155
By mother's side thy father, though thy right
156
Be now in powerful hands, that will not part
157
Easily from possession won with arms.
158
Judaea now and all the Promised Land,
159
Reduced a province under Roman yoke,
160
Obeys Tiberius, nor is always ruled
161
With temperate sway: oft have they violated
162
The Temple, oft the Law, with foul affronts,
163
Abominations rather, as did once
164
Antiochus. And think'st thou to regain
165
Thy right by sitting still, or thus retiring?
166
So did not Machabeus. He indeed
167
Retired unto the Desert, but with arms;
168
And o'er a mighty king so oft prevailed
169
That by strong hand his family obtained,
170
Though priests, the crown, and David's throne usurped,
171
With Modin and her suburbs once content.
172
If kingdom move thee not, let move thee zeal
173
And duty—zeal and duty are not slow,
174
But on Occasion's forelock watchful wait:
175
They themselves rather are occasion best—
176
Zeal of thy Father's house, duty to free
177
Thy country from her heathen servitude.
178
So shalt thou best fulfil, best verify,
179
The Prophets old, who sung thy endless reign—
180
The happier reign the sooner it begins.
181
Rein then; what canst thou better do the while?"
182
To whom our Saviour answer thus returned:—
183
"All things are best fulfilled in their due time;
184
And time there is for all things, Truth hath said.
185
If of my reign Prophetic Writ hath told
186
That it shall never end, so, when begin
187
The Father in his purpose hath decreed—
188
He in whose hand all times and seasons rowl.
189
What if he hath decreed that I shall first
190
Be tried in humble state, and things adverse,
191
By tribulations, injuries, insults,
192
Contempts, and scorns, and snares, and violence,
193
Suffering, abstaining, quietly expecting
194
Without distrust or doubt, that He may know
195
What I can suffer, how obey? Who best
196
Can suffer best can do, best reign who first
197
Well hath obeyed—just trial ere I merit
198
My exaltation without change or end.
199
But what concerns it thee when I begin
200
My everlasting Kingdom? Why art thou
201
Solicitous? What moves thy inquisition?
202
Know'st thou not that my rising is thy fall,
203
And my promotion will be thy destruction?"
204
To whom the Tempter, inly racked, replied:—
205
"Let that come when it comes. All hope is lost
206
Of my reception into grace; what worse?
207
For where no hope is left is left no fear.
208
If there be worse, the expectation more
209
Of worse torments me than the feeling can.
210
I would be at the worst; worst is my port,
211
My harbour, and my ultimate repose,
212
The end I would attain, my final good.
213
My error was my error, and my crime
214
My crime; whatever, for itself condemned,
215
And will alike be punished, whether thou
216
Reign or reign not—though to that gentle brow
217
Willingly I could fly, and hope thy reign,
218
From that placid aspect and meek regard,
219
Rather than aggravate my evil state,
220
Would stand between me and thy Father's ire
221
(Whose ire I dread more than the fire of Hell)
222
A shelter and a kind of shading cool
223
Interposition, as a summer's cloud.
224
If I, then, to the worst that can be haste,
225
Why move thy feet so slow to what is best?
226
Happiest, both to thyself and all the world,
227
That thou, who worthiest art, shouldst be their King!
228
Perhaps thou linger'st in deep thoughts detained
229
Of the enterprise so hazardous and high!
230
No wonder; for, though in thee be united
231
What of perfection can in Man be found,
232
Or human nature can receive, consider
233
Thy life hath yet been private, most part spent
234
At home, scarce viewed the Galilean towns,
235
And once a year Jerusalem, few days'
236
Short sojourn; and what thence couldst thou observe?
237
The world thou hast not seen, much less her glory,
238
Empires, and monarchs, and their radiant courts—
239
Best school of best experience, quickest in sight
240
In all things that to greatest actions lead.
241
The wisest, unexperienced, will be ever
242
Timorous, and loth, with novice modesty
243
(As he who, seeking asses, found a kingdom)
244
Irresolute, unhardy, unadventrous.
245
But I will bring thee where thou soon shalt quit
246
Those rudiments, and see before thine eyes
247
The monarchies of the Earth, their pomp and state—
248
Sufficient introduction to inform
249
Thee, of thyself so apt, in regal arts,
250
And regal mysteries; that thou may'st know
251
How best their opposition to withstand."
252
With that (such power was given him then), he took
253
The Son of God up to a mountain high.
254
It was a mountain at whose verdant feet
255
A spacious plain outstretched in circuit wide
256
Lay pleasant; from his side two rivers flowed,
257
The one winding, the other straight, and left between
258
Fair champaign, with less rivers interveined,
259
Then meeting joined their tribute to the sea.
260
Fertil of corn the glebe, of oil, and wine;
261
With herds the pasture thronged, with flocks the hills;
262
Huge cities and high-towered, that well might seem
263
The seats of mightiest monarchs; and so large
264
The prospect was that here and there was room
265
For barren desert, fountainless and dry.
266
To this high mountain-top the Tempter brought
267
Our Saviour, and new train of words began:—
268
"Well have we speeded, and o'er hill and dale,
269
Forest, and field, and flood, temples and towers,
270
Cut shorter many a league. Here thou behold'st
271
Assyria, and her empire's ancient bounds,
272
Araxes and the Caspian lake; thence on
273
As far as Indus east, Euphrates west,
274
And oft beyond; to south the Persian bay,
275
And, inaccessible, the Arabian drouth:
276
Here, Nineveh, of length within her wall
277
Several days' journey, built by Ninus old,
278
Of that first golden monarchy the seat,
279
And seat of Salmanassar, whose success
280
Israel in long captivity still mourns;
281
There Babylon, the wonder of all tongues,
282
As ancient, but rebuilt by him who twice
283
Judah and all thy father David's house
284
Led captive, and Jerusalem laid waste,
285
Till Cyrus set them free; Persepolis,
286
His city, there thou seest, and Bactra there;
287
Ecbatana her structure vast there shews,
288
And Hecatompylos her hunderd gates;
289
There Susa by Choaspes, amber stream,
290
The drink of none but kings; of later fame,
291
Built by Emathian or by Parthian hands,
292
The great Seleucia, Nisibis, and there
293
Artaxata, Teredon, Ctesiphon,
294
Turning with easy eye, thou may'st behold.
295
All these the Parthian (now some ages past
296
By great Arsaces led, who founded first
297
That empire) under his dominion holds,
298
From the luxurious kings of Antioch won.
299
And just in time thou com'st to have a view
300
Of his great power; for now the Parthian king
301
In Ctesiphon hath gathered all his host
302
Against the Scythian, whose incursions wild
303
Have wasted Sogdiana; to her aid
304
He marches now in haste. See, though from far,
305
His thousands, in what martial equipage
306
They issue forth, steel bows and shafts their arms,
307
Of equal dread in flight or in pursuit—
308
All horsemen, in which fight they most excel;
309
See how in warlike muster they appear,
310
In rhombs, and wedges, and half-moons, and wings."
311
He looked, and saw what numbers numberless
312
The city gates outpoured, light-armed troops
313
In coats of mail and military pride.
314
In mail their horses clad, yet fleet and strong,
315
Prauncing their riders bore, the flower and choice
316
Of many provinces from bound to bound—
317
From Arachosia, from Candaor east,
318
And Margiana, to the Hyrcanian cliffs
319
Of Caucasus, and dark Iberian dales;
320
From Atropatia, and the neighbouring plains
321
Of Adiabene, Media, and the south
322
Of Susiana, to Balsara's haven.
323
He saw them in their forms of battle ranged,
324
How quick they wheeled, and flying behind them shot
325
Sharp sleet of arrowy showers against the face
326
Of their pursuers, and overcame by flight;
327
The field all iron cast a gleaming brown.
328
Nor wanted clouds of foot, nor, on each horn,
329
Cuirassiers all in steel for standing fight,
330
Chariots, or elephants indorsed with towers
331
Of archers; nor of labouring pioners
332
A multitude, with spades and axes armed,
333
To lay hills plain, fell woods, or valleys fill,
334
Or where plain was raise hill, or overlay
335
With bridges rivers proud, as with a yoke:
336
Mules after these, camels and dromedaries,
337
And waggons fraught with utensils of war.
338
Such forces met not, nor so wide a camp,
339
When Agrican, with all his northern powers,
340
Besieged Albracea, as romances tell,
341
The city of Gallaphrone, from thence to win
342
The fairest of her sex, Angelica,
343
His daughter, sought by many prowest knights,
344
Both Paynim and the peers of Charlemane.
345
Such and so numerous was their chivalry;
346
At sight whereof the Fiend yet more presumed,
347
And to our Saviour thus his words renewed:—
348
"That thou may'st know I seek not to engage
349
Thy virtue, and not every way secure
350
On no slight grounds thy safety, hear and mark
351
To what end I have brought thee hither, and shew
352
All this fair sight. Thy kingdom, though foretold
353
By Prophet or by Angel, unless thou
354
Endeavour, as thy father David did,
355
Thou never shalt obtain: prediction still
356
In all things, and all men, supposes means;
357
Without means used, what it predicts revokes.
358
But say thou wert possessed of David's throne
359
By free consent of all, none opposite,
360
Samaritan or Jew; how couldst thou hope
361
Long to enjoy it quiet and secure
362
Between two such enclosing enemies,
363
Roman and Parthian? Therefore one of these
364
Thou must make sure thy own: the Parthian first,
365
By my advice, as nearer, and of late
366
Found able by invasion to annoy
367
Thy country, and captive lead away her kings,
368
Antigonus and old Hyrcanus, bound,
369
Maugre the Roman. It shall be my task
370
To render thee the Parthian at dispose,
371
Choose which thou wilt, by conquest or by league.
372
By him thou shalt regain, without him not,
373
That which alone can truly reinstall thee
374
In David's royal seat, his true successor—
375
Deliverance of thy brethren, those Ten Tribes
376
Whose offspring in his territory yet serve
377
In Habor, and among the Medes dispersed:
378
The sons of Jacob, two of Joseph, lost
379
Thus long from Israel, serving, as of old
380
Their fathers in the land of Egypt served,
381
This offer sets before thee to deliver.
382
These if from servitude thou shalt restore
383
To their inheritance, then, nor till then,
384
Thou on the throne of David in full glory,
385
From Egypt to Euphrates and beyond,
386
Shalt reign, and Rome or Caesar not need fear."
387
To whom our Saviour answered thus, unmoved:—
388
"Much ostentation vain of fleshly arm
389
And fragile arms, much instrument of war,
390
Long in preparing, soon to nothing brought,
391
Before mine eyes thou hast set, and in my ear
392
Vented much policy, and projects deep
393
Of enemies, of aids, battles, and leagues,
394
Plausible to the world, to me worth naught.
395
Means I must use, thou say'st; prediction else
396
Will unpredict, and fail me of the throne!
397
My time, I told thee (and that time for thee
398
Were better farthest off), is not yet come.
399
When that comes, think not thou to find me slack
400
On my part aught endeavouring, or to need
401
Thy politic maxims, or that cumbersome
402
Luggage of war there shewn me—argument
403
Of human weakness rather than of strength.
404
My brethren, as thou call'st them, those Ten Tribes,
405
I must deliver, if I mean to reign
406
David's true heir, and his full sceptre sway
407
To just extent over all Israel's sons!
408
But whence to thee this zeal? Where was it then
409
For Israel, or for David, or his throne,
410
When thou stood'st up his tempter to the pride
411
Of numbering Israel—which cost the lives
412
of threescore and ten thousand Israelites
413
By three days' pestilence? Such was thy zeal
414
To Israel then, the same that now to me.
415
As for those captive tribes, themselves were they
416
Who wrought their own captivity, fell off
417
From God to worship calves, the deities
418
Of Egypt, Baal next and Ashtaroth,
419
And all the idolatries of heathen round,
420
Besides their other worse than heathenish crimes;
421
Nor in the land of their captivity
422
Humbled themselves, or penitent besought
423
The God of their forefathers, but so died
424
Impenitent, and left a race behind
425
Like to themselves, distinguishable scarce
426
From Gentiles, but by circumcision vain,
427
And God with idols in their worship joined.
428
Should I of these the liberty regard,
429
Who, freed, as to their ancient patrimony,
430
Unhumbled, unrepentant, unreformed,
431
Headlong would follow, and to their gods perhaps
432
Of Bethel and of Dan? No; let them serve
433
Their enemies who serve idols with God.
434
Yet He at length, time to himself best known,
435
Remembering Abraham, by some wondrous call
436
May bring them back, repentant and sincere,
437
And at their passing cleave the Assyrian flood,
438
While to their native land with joy they haste,
439
As the Red Sea and Jordan once he cleft,
440
When to the Promised Land their fathers passed.
441
To his due time and providence I leave them."
442
So spake Israel's true King, and to the Fiend
443
Made answer meet, that made void all his wiles.
444
So fares it when with truth falsehood contends.
|
