Whose offspring on the throne of Judah sat 440
So many ages, and shall yet regain

That seat, and reign in Israel without end.
Among the Heathen (for throughout the world

To me is not unknown what hath been done

Worthy of memorial), canst thou not remember 445
Quintius, Fabricius, Curius, Regulus?

For I esteem those names of men so poor
Who could do mighty things, and could contemn
Riches, though offer'd from the hand of kings.
And what in me seems wanting, but that I
May also in this poverty as soon

Accomplish what they did, perhaps and more?
Extol not riches then, the toil of fools,

The wise man's cumbrance if not snare, more apt

To slacken virtue, and abate her edge,

450

455

Than prompt her to do aught may merit praise.
What if with like aversion I reject

Riches and realms? yet not for that a crown,

Golden in show, is but a wreath of thorus,

Brings dangers, troubles, cares, and sleepless nights,

To him who wears the regal diadem,

461

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,

465

474

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,

475

446. Quintius; Cincinnatus, who was ploughing when called to be the Dictator of Rome.-Fabricius, another Ronian, who, though offered abundant wealth by king Pyrrhus, returned to his home, and lived and died in poverty.-Curins Dentatus, and Regulus, Romans also. The former rejected the riches offered both by his Countrymen and foreigners, the latter braved the most frightful torments from the Carthaginians, rather than persuade his country to make peace with them

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 bath been thought
Greater and nobler done, and to lay down

480

Far more magnanimous than to assume.

Riches are needless then, both for themselves,
And for thy reason why they should be sought, 485
To gain a sceptre, oftest better miss'd.

481. The great examples which monarchs have given of abdi cating their thrones were after the time of our Saviour, but it is nost probable Milton had Diocletian and Charles V. in his mind. There is a great deal of noble sentiment in the above reply of our Lord; but the noblest morality of philosophy fails of inspiring those particular feelings of awe and trembling expectation with which the scene of Christ's mysterious contest fills the mind. Milton's imagination was, if I may use the expression, the imagination of sense, of vision, and material forms; his conception of purely spiritual things was imperfect, and hence his frequent recourse to the set phrases and moral aphorisms of the classic philosophers, when it is the exposition of the spirit itself, not of particular sentiment, which the mind requires. Throughout the poem the defect of his genius in this respect is constantly evident; our Saviour speaks through Milton's memory; no thought occurs which shews the God-man, as the one sole being who through eternity has united divinity and humanity, and the answers he makes might be put into the mouth of any virtuous and gifted mortal. The design of Paradise Regained, notwithstanding all commentators may say, was sufficiently large and perfect for a most noble poem, but the author wanted, to make Such a pian successful, a mind more fond of searching into the 6eat springs of thought a power.

326

THE ARGUMENT.

Satan, in a speech of much flattering commendation, endeavours to awaken in Jesus a passion for glory, by particularizing various instances of conquests achieved, and great actions performed, by persons at an early period of life. Our Lord replies, by shewing the vanity of worldly fame, and the improper nieans by which it is generally attained; and contrasts with it the true glory of religious patience and virtuous wisdom, as exemplified in the character of Job. Satan justifies the love of glory from the example of God himself, who requires it from all his creatures. Jesus detects the fallacy of this argument, by shewing that, as goodness is the true ground on which glory is due to the great Creator of all things, sinful man can have no right whatever to it. Satan then urges our Lord respecting his claim to the throne of David; he tells him that the kingdom of Judea, being at that time a province of Rome, cannot be got possession of without much personal exertion on his part, and presses him to lose no time in beginning to reign. Jesus refers him to the time allotted for this, as for all other things; and, after intimating somewhat respecting his own previous sufferings, asks Satan why he should be solicitous for the exaltation of one, whose rising was destined to be his fall. Satan replies, that his own desperate state, by excluding all hope, leaves little room for fear; and that, as his own punishment was equally doomed, he is not interested in preventing the reign of one, for whose apparent benevolence he might rather hope for some interference in his favour. Satan still pursues his former incitements; and, supposing that the seeming reluctance of Jesus to be thus advanced might arise from his being unacquainted with the world and its glories, conveys him to the summit of a high mountain, and from thence shews him most of the kingdom of Asia, particularly pointing out to his notice some extraordinary military preparations of the Parthians to resist the incursions of the Scythians. He then informs our Lord, that he shewed him this purposely that he might see how necessary military exertions are to retain the possession of kingdoms, as well as to subdue them at first, and advises him to consider how impossible it was to maintain Judea against two such powerful neighbours as the Romans and Parthians, and how necessary it would be to form an alliance with one or other of them. At the same time he recommends, and engages to secure to him, that of the Parthians; and tells him, that by this means his power will be defended from any thing that Rome or Cæsar might attempt against it, and that he will be able to extend his glory wide, and especially to accomplish what was particularly necessary to make the throne of Judea really the throne of David, the deliverance and restoration of the ten tribes, still in a state of captivity. Jesus, having briefly noticed the vanity of military efforts, and the weakness of the arm of flesh, says, that when the time comes for his ascending his allotted throne, he shall not be slack: he remarks on Satan's extraordinary zeal for the deliverance of the Israelites, to whom he had always shewn himself an enemy, and declares their servitude to be the consequence of their idolatry; but adds, that at a future time it may perhaps please God to recall them, and restore them to their liberty and native land.

So spake the Son of God, and Satan stood A while as mute confounded what to say,

What to reply, confuted and convinced
Of his weak arguing, and fallacious drift;
At length collecting all his serpent wiles,
With soothing words renew'd, him thus accosts:
I see thou know'st what is of use to know,
What best to say can say, to do canst do;
Thy actions to thy words accord, thy words

To thy large heart give utterance due, thy heart 10 Contains of good, wise, just, the perfect shape.

Should kings and nations from thy mouth consult, Thy counsel would be as the oracle

5

Urim and Thummim, those oraculous gems
On Aaron's breast; or tongue of seers old
Infallible; or wert thou sought to deeds
That might require th' array of war, thy skill
Of conduct would be such, that all the world
Could not sustain thy prowess, or subsist
In battle, though against thy few in arms.
These godlike virtues wherefore dost thou hide,
Affecting private life or more obscure

In savage wilderness? wherefore deprive
All earth her wonder at thy acts, thyself
The fame and glory, glory the reward
That sole excites to high attempts, the flame
Of most erected spirits, most temper'd pure
Ethereal, who all pleasures else despise,
All treasures and all gain esteem as dross,
And dignities and powers all but the highest?
Thy years are ripe, and over-ripe; the son
Of Macedonian Philip had ere these

Won Asia, and the throne of Cyrus held

At his dispose; young Scipio had brought down

25

30

The Carthaginian pride; young Pompey quell'd 35
The Pontic king, and in triumph had rode.
Yet years, and to ripe years judgment mature,
Quench not the thirst of glory, but augment.
Great Julius, whom now all the world admires,

11. Shape, idea, in its most perfect sense.

13. What the Urim and Thummim were is not known. It is supposed, as the words signify light and perfection, that the prophetic virtue inherent in the sacred breast-plate, or in the gems which composed it, is to be understood by them.

31. See Luke iii. 23.

36. The Pontic king, Mithridates, against whom Pompey was sent, but he was then it is believed turned of forty.

The more he grew in years, the more inflamed
With glory, wept that he had lived so long
Inglorious but thou yet art not too late.

40

To whom our Saviour calmly thus reply'd:
Thou neither dost persuade me to seek wealth
For empire's sake, nor empire to affect
For glory's sake, by all thy argument.

45

For what is glory but the blaze of fame,

The people's praise, if always praise unmix'd?
And what the people but a herd confused,

A miscellaneous rabble, who extol

50

Things vulgar, and, well weigh'd, scarce worth the

praise ?

They praise and they admire they know not what,

And know not whom, but as one leads the other;

And what delight to be by such extoll'd,

To live upon their tongues and be their talk,

55

Of whom to be dispraised were no small praise?
His lot who dares be singularly good.

Th' intelligent among them and the wise

Are few, and glory scarce of few is raised.

This is true glory and renown, when God

60

Looking on th' earth, with approbation marks

The just man, and divulges him through Heav'n
To all his angels, who with true applause
Recount his praises: thus he did to Job,

When to extend his fame through Heav'n and Earth,
As thou to thy reproach may'st well remember,
He ask'd thee, Hast thou seen my servant Job?
Famous he was in Heav'n, on Earth less known;
Where glory is false glory attributed

66

To things not glorious, men not worthy of fame.
They err who count it glorious to subdue
By conquest far and wide, to over-run
Large countries, and in fields great battles win,
Great cities by assault: what do these worthies,
But rob and spoil, burn, slaughter, and inslave
Peaceable nations, neighb'ring, or remote,
Made captive, yet deserving freedom more
Than those their conquerors, who leave behind

70

75

41. Julius Cæsar, it is said, wept on reading the life of Alexander, that he had done so little at his age.-Alexander died when he was about 34 years old.

67. Job 1. 8.