And regal mysteries; that thou may'st know

How best their opposition to withstand."

With that (such power was given him then) he took The Son of God up to a mountain high.

250

It was a mountain at whose verdant feet

A spacious plain, outstretch't in circuit wide,

Lay pleasant; from his side two rivers flow'd,

255

Th' one winding, th' other straight, and left between
Fair champain with less rivers intervein'd,
Then meeting join'd their tribute to the sea:
Fertile of corn the glebe, of oil, and wine;

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

260

Huge cities and high towr'd, that well might seem

The seats of mightiest monarchs; and so large

The prospect was, that here and there was room
For barren desert, fountainless and dry.
To this high mountain top the Tempter brought
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 shorter many a league. Here thou behold'st
Assyria, and her empire's ancient bounds,-
Araxes and the Caspian lake; thence on
As far as Indus east, Euphrates west,
And oft beyond: to south the Persian bay,
And, inaccessible, the Arabian drouth:
Here Nineveh, of length within her wall
Several days' journey, built by Ninus old,
Of that first golden monarchy the seat,
And seat of Salmanassar, whose success
Israel in long captivity still mourns:
There Babylon, the wonder of all tongues,
As antient, but rebuilt by him who twice
Judah and all thy father David's house
Led captive, and Jerusalem laid waste,
Till Cyrus set them free; Persepolis,

His city, there thou seest, and Bactra there;
Ecbatana her structure vast there shows,
And Hecatompylos her hundred gates;
There Susa by Choaspes, amber stream,
The drink of none but kings; of later fame,
Built by Emathian or by Parthian hands,
The great Seleucia, Nisibis; and there
Artaxata, Teredon, Ctesiphon,
Turning with easy eye, thou may'st behold.
All these the Parthian (now some ages past,
By great Arsaces led, who founded first
That empire) under his dominion holds,
From the luxurious kings of Antioch won.

265

270

275

280

285

290

295

And just in time thou com'st to have a view
Of his great power; for now the Parthian king
In Ctesiphon hath gather'd all his host
Against the Scythian, whose incursions wild
Have wasted Sogdiana; to her aid

300

He marches now in haste: see, though from far,

His thousands, in what martial equipage

They issue forth,-steel 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 muster they appear,

In rhombs, and wedges, and half-moons, and wings."

He look't, and saw what numbers numberless

310

The city gates outpour'd, light-arm'd troops

In coats of mail and military pride;

In mail their horses clad, yet fleet and strong,

Prancing their riders bore, the flower and choice

Of many provinces from bound to bound;
From Arachosia, from Candaor east,

315

And Margiana to the Hyrcanian cliffs
Of Caucasus, and dark Iberian dales;

From Atropatia and the neighbouring plains

Of Adiabene, Media, and the south

320

Of Susiana, to Balsara's hav'n.

He saw them in their forms of battle rang'd,

How quick they wheel'd, and, flying, behind them shot

Sharp sleet of arrowy showers against the face

325

Of their pursuers, and overcame by flight;-
The field all iron cast a gleaming brown:
Nor wanted clouds of foot, nor on each horn
Cuirassiers all in steel for standing fight,
Chariots, or elephants endorst with towers
Of archers; nor of labouring 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 utensils of war.
Such forces met not, nor so wide a camp,
When Agrican with all his northern powers
Besieg'd Albracca, as romances tell,—

330

335

The city of Gallaphrone, from whence to win
The fairest of her sex, Angelica,

340

His daughter, sought by many prowest knights,

Both Paynim and the peers of Charlemane.

Such and so numerous was their chivalry:

At sight whereof the Fiend yet more presum'd,
And to our Saviour thus his words renew'd:

345

"That thou mayst know I seek not to engage Thy virtue, and not every way secure,

On no slight grounds, thy safety; hear and mark
To what end I have brought thee hither and shew

All this fair sight:—Thy kingdom, though foretold
By prophet or by angel, unless thou
Endeavour, as thy father David did,
Thou never shalt obtain; prediction still
In all things, and all men, supposes means,-
Without means us'd, what it predicts revokes.
But, say thou wert possess'd of David's throne,
By free consent of all, none opposite,

350

355

Samaritan or Jew; how couldst thou hope

Long to enjoy it, quiet and secure,

360

Between two such enclosing enemies,

Roman and Parthian? Therefore one of these

Thou must make sure thy own;-the Parthian first

By my advice, as nearer, and of late

Found able by invasion to annoy

365

Thy country, and captive lead away her kings,

Antigonus and old Hyrcanus, bound,

Maugre the Roman: it shall be my task

To render thee the Parthian at dispose;

Choose which thou wilt,-by conquest or by league.

370

By him thou shalt regain, without him not,

That which alone can truly re-install thee
In David's royal seat, his true successor,-
Deliverance of thy brethren, those ten tribes,
Whose offspring in his territory yet serve,
In Habor, and among the Medes dispers't.
Ten sons of Jacob, (two of Joseph,) lost
Thus long from Israel, serving, as of old
Their fathers in the land of Egypt serv'd,
This offer sets before thee to deliver.
These if from servitude 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 Cæsar not need fear."

To whom our Saviour answer'd thus, unmov'd :
"Much ostentation vain of fleshly arm,
And fragile arms, much instrument of war,-
Long in preparing, soon to nothing brought,-
Before mine eyes thou hast set; and in my ear
Vented much policy, and projects deep,
Of enemies, of aids, battles and leagues,-
Plausible to the world, to me worth naught.
Means I must use, thou say'st; prediction else
Will unpredict, and fail me of the throne.

375

380

385

390

395

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 slack
On my part aught endeavouring, or to need
Thy politic maxims, or that cumbersome
Luggage of war there shown me, argument
Of human weakness rather than of strength.

My brethren, as thou call'st them, those ten tribes,
I must deliver, if I mean to reign

David's true heir, and his full sceptre sway

To just extent over all Israel's sons!"
But whence to thee this zeal?

Where was it then

For Israel, or for David, or his throne,
When thou stood'st up his tempter to the pride
Of numbring Israel, which cost the lives
Of threescore and ten thousand Israelites
By three days' pestilence? Such was thy zeal

400

405

410

To Israel then; the same that now to me!

Unhumbl'd, unrepentant, unreform'd,

Headlong would follow; and to their Gods, perhaps,

430

Of Bethel and of Dan?-No; let them serve

Their enemies, who serve idols with God.

Yet he at length,-time to himself best known,-
Remembring Abraham, by some wondrous call
May bring them back, repentant and sincere;
And at their passing cleave the Assyrian 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 spake Israel's true King, and to the Fiend
Made answer meet, that made void all his wiles.—
So fares it, when with truth falsehood contends.

435

440

PARADISE REGAINED.

BOOK IV.

THE ARGUMENT.-Satan, persisting in the temptation of our Lord, shows him Imperial Rome in its greatest splendour, as a power which he probably would prefer before that of the Parthians; and tells him that he might with ease expel Tiberius, restore the Romans to their liberty, and make himself master not only of the Roman Empire, but, by so doing, of the whole world, and inclusively of the throne of David. Our Lord, in reply, expresses his contempt of grandeur and worldly power; notices the luxury, vanity, and profligacy of the Romans, declaring how little they merited to be restored to that liberty which they had lost by their misconduct; and briefly refers to the greatness of his own future kingdom. Satan, now desperate, to enhance the value of his proffered gifts, professes that the only terms on which he will bestow them are our Saviour's falling down and worshipping him. Our Lord expresses a firm but temperate indignation at such a proposition, and rebukes the Tempter by the title of "Satan for ever damn'd." Satan, abashed, attempts to justify himself: he then assumes a new ground of temptation; and, proposing to Jesus the intellectual gratifications of wisdom and knowledge, points out to him the celebrated seat of ancient learning, Athens, and her schools; accompanying the view with a highly finished panegyric on the Grecian musicians, poets, orators, and philosophers. Jesus replies, by showing the vanity of their boasted philosophy; and prefers to the music, poetry, eloquence, and didactic policy of the Greeks, those of the inspired Hebrew writers. Satan, irritated at the failure of all his attempts, upbraids the indiscretion of our Saviour in rejecting his offers; and having, in ridicule of his expected kingdom, foretold our Lord's future sufferings, carries him back into the wilderness, and leaves him there. Night comes on: Satan raises a violent tempest, and attempts further, but in vain, to alarm Jesus with frightful dreams and threatening spectres. A calm and beautiful morning succeeds to the horrors of the night. Satan again presents himself, and, noticing the storm of the preceding night as pointed chiefly at our Lord, once more insults him with an account of the sufferings which he was certainly to undergo. This only draws from our Lord a brief rebuke. Satan, now at the height of his desperation, confesses that he had frequently watched Jesus from his birth, in order to discover if he was the true Messiah; and, collecting from what passed at the river Jordan that he most probably was so, he had from that time more assiduously followed him, in hopes of gaining some advantage over him, which would prove him to be not the Divine Person destined to be his "fatal enemy." In this he acknowledges that he has hitherto completely failed; but still determines to make one more trial of him. Accordingly, he conveys him to the Temple at Jerusalem; and, placing him on a pointed eminence, requires him to prove his divinity either by standing there, or casting himself down with safety. Our Lord reproves the Tempter, and at the same time manifests his own divinity by standing on the dangerous point. Satan, amazed and terrified, instantly falls; and repairs to his infernal compeers to relate his bad success. Angels meanwhile convey our Lord to a beautiful valley, minister to him a repast of celestial food, and celebrate his victory in a triumphant hymn.

PERPLEX'D and troubl'd at his bad success
The Tempter stood, nor had what to reply;