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; and what thence couldst thou observe?
The world thou hast not seen, much less her glory,
Empires, and monarchs, and 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 loth, with novice modesty
(As he1 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 and 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 mountain2 high.

It was a mountain at whose verdant feet

A spacious plain, outstretch'd in circuit wide,
Lay pleasant; from his side two rivers3 flow'd,

The one winding, the 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;

''He:' Saul.-2A mountain :' Niphates; see 8th book of Paradise Lost.-Two rivers: 'Tigris and Euphrates.

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 desart, 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:1
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,2 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 Bactra3 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 5 or by Parthian hands,
The great Seleucia, Nisibis, and there

1 'Drouth:' i. e., desert.- Salmanassar:' who took captive the ten tribes. -3 Persepolis,''Bactra:' chief cities in Persia.-Choaspes:' or Ulai, the waters of which were sacred to the use of kings.—3 ‹ Emathian :' i. e., Macedonian.-Seleucia,' &c.: cities on Tigris.

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 kings1 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 and 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,2 and wedges, and half-moons, and wings.
He look'd, and saw what numbers numberless
The city gates out-pour'd, light-armed troops,
In coats of mail and military pride;

In mail their horses clad, yet fleet and strong,
Prauncing their riders bore, the flower, and choice
Of many provinces from bound to bound;
From Arachosia,3 from Candaor east,
And Margiana to the Hyrcanian cliffs
Of Caucasus, and dark Iberian dales;
From Atropatia 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, and flying behind him shot

1 'Luxurious kings: the Antiochi.-2 Rhomb: a phalanx with four equal sides.—3 ́Arachosia,' &c. : all provinces in Parthia.-1 ́ Balsara:' Basra.

Sharp fleet 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 indors'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 útensils of war.
Such forces met not, nor so wide a camp,
When Agrican1 with all his northern powers
Besieged Albracca, as romances tell,
The city of Gallaphrone, from whence to win
The fairest of her sex Angelica,

His daughter, sought by many prowest knights,
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 may'st 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 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;

'Agrican,' &c.: fabled heroes of romance; see Boiardo's 'Orlando Innamorato.'

Without means used, 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 could'st 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 lead away her kings,
Antigonus1 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 successour,
Deliverance of thy brethren, those ten tribes,
Whose offspring in his territory yet serve,
In Habor,2 and 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, 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,

26 Antigonus,' &c.: see Josephus. Habor:' see 2 Kings xviii. 11.