To him who wears the regal diadem, When on his shoulders each man's burden lies; For therein stands the office of a king, His honour, virtue, merit, and chief praise, That for the public all this weight he bears. Yet he, who reigns within himself, and rules Passions, desires, and fears, is more a king; Which every wise and virtuous man attains; And who attains not, ill aspires to rule Cities of men, or headstrong multitudes, Subject himself to anarchy within,
Or lawless passions in him, which he serves. But to guide nations in the way of truth By saving doctrine, and from error lead To know, and knowing, worship God aright Is yet more kingly? this attracts the soul, Governs the inner man, the nobler part; That other o'er the body only reigns, And oft by force, which, to a generous mind, So reigning, can be no sincere delight. Besides, to give a kingdom hath been thougnt Greater and nobler done, and to lay down Far more magnanimous, than to assume. Riches are needless then, both for themselves, And for thy reason why they should be sought, To gain a sceptre, oftest better miss'd."
That thou, who worthiest art, should'st be their king? Perhaps thou linger'st, in deep thoughts detain'd Of the enterprise so hazardous and high; No wonder; for, though in thee be united What of perfection can in man be found, Or human nature can receive, consider, Thy life hath yet been private, most part spent At home, scarce view'd the Galilean towns, And, once a-year, Jerusalem; few days' Short sojourn; & what thence could'st thou observe? The world thou hast not seen, much less her glory, Empires, & monarchs, & their radiant courts Best school of best experience, quickest insight In all things that to greatest actions lead. The wisest, unexperienc'd, will be ever Timorous and loath, with novice modesty, As he who, seeking asses, found a kingdom, Irresolute, unhardy, unadventurous :
But I will bring thee where thou soon shalt quit
Those rudiments, and see before thine eyes
The monarchies of the earth, their pomp & state; Sufficient introduction to inform
Thee, of thyself so apt, in regal arts
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. It was a mountain at whose verdant feet A spacious plain, outstretch'd in circuit wide, Lay pleasant; from his side two rivers flow'd, Th' one winding, th' other straight, and left between Fair champain with less rivers interven'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; Huge cities and high-tower'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 towers, 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 ancient, 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 Bactria 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. 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 He marches now in haste; see, though from far, His thousands, in what martial equipage They issue forth, steel bows & shafts their arms, 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'd, and saw what numbers numberless
The city gates outpour'd, light-armed 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, And Margiana to the Hyrcanian cliffs Of Caucasus, and dark Iberian dales;
From Atropatio and the neighbouring plains
Of Adiabene, Media, and the south Of Susiana, to Balsara's haven.
He saw them in their forms of battle rang'd, How quick they wheel'd, & flying behind them shot Sharp sleet of arrowy showers against the face 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 endors'd 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 Beseig'd Albracca, as romances tell, The city of Gallaphrone, from whence to win The fairest of her sex Angelica,
His daughter, sought by many prowest nights, Both Paynim, and the peers of Charlemain. 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.
"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, & shown 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, Samaritan or Jew; how couldst thou hope Long to enjoy it, quiet and secure, 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
Thy country and captive leod 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 : 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, & among the Medes dispers'd: 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, & 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; & in my ear Vented much policy, and projects deep Of enemies, of aids, battles and leagues, Plausible to the world, to me worth nought. Means I must use, thou say'st, prediction else 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 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 numbering Israel, which cost the lives Of threescore and ten thousand Israelites By three days' pestilence? Such was thy zeal To Israel then; the same that now to me!
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