Contempt instead, dishonor, obloquy?

Hard recompenfe, unfuitable return

For fo much good, fo much beneficence.

But why should man feek glory, who' of his own Hath nothing, and to whom nothing belongs 135 But condemnation, ignominy', and shame?

Who for fo many benefits receiv'd

Turn'd recreant to God, ingrate and false,
And fo of all true good himself despoil'd,
Yet, facrilegious, to himself would take
That which to God alone of right belongs;
Yet fo much bounty is in God, fuch grace,
That who advance his glory, not their own,
Them he himself to glory will advance.
So fpake the Son of God; and here again

have replac'd the reading of the first edition: most of the later editions have it

And not returning what which spoils the fenfe of the paffage. I had corrected it in my own book before I had feen the firft edition, and Mr. Thyer had done the fame.

151. Worth or not worth the feeking,] In all the editions which I have feen except the firft, it is printed

140

145

Satan

Worth or not worth their feeking, but not knowing to whom their could refer, I imagin'd it should be Worth or not worth thy feeking, but the first edition exhibits this reading

Worth or not worth the feeking,

as Mr. Sympfon propofed to read by conjecture.

158. Reduc'd a province under Roman yoke,] Judæa was reduced

to

Satan had not to answer, but ftood ftruck
With guilt of his own fin, for he himself
Insatiable of glory had lost all,
Yet of another plea bethought him soon.

Of glory, as thou wilt, faid he, fo deem,
Worth or not worth the feeking, let it pass:
But to a kingdom thou art born, ordain'd
To fit upon thy father David's throne;
By mother's fide thy father; though thy right
Be now in pow'rful hands, that will not part
Eafily from poffeffion won with arms:

150

155

Judæa now and all the promis'd land,

Reduc'd a province under Roman yoke,

Obeys Tiberius; nor is always rul'd

With temp'rate fway; oft have they violated

to the form of a Roman province,
in the reign of Auguftus, by Qui-
rinius or Cyrenius then governor
of Syria; and Coponius a Roman
of the equeftrian order was ap-
pointed to govern it under the title
of Procurator of Judæa; our Sa-
viour being then (as Dean Pri-
deaux fays) in the 12th year of his
age, but according to the vulgar
four
æra, which begins years later
than the true time, it was A. D. 8.
Nor is always rul'd with temp'rate
fway: and indeed the Roman go-

160 The

The temple, oft the law with foul affronts,

Abominations rather, as did once
Antiochus: and think'ft thou to regain
Thy right by fitting still or thus retiring?
So did not Maccabeus: he indeed

Retir'd unto the defert, but with arms;
And o'er a mighty king so oft prevail'd,

165

[ufurp'd,

That by strong hand his family obtain'd,
Though priests, the crown, and David's throne

With Modin and her fuburbs once content.

170

If kingdom move thee not, let move thee zeal
And duty; zeal and duty are not slow;
But on occafion's forelock watchful wait.
They themselves rather are occafion best,
Zeal of thy Father's house, duty to free
Thy country from her Heathen fervitude;

ter, except the high-prieft alone once in a year, on the great day of expiation. And this profanation of the temple might well remind the author of a former one by Antiochus Epiphanes. See 2 Maccab. V.

165. So did not Maccabeus:] The Tempter had compared the profanation of the temple by the Romans to that by Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria; and now

175

So

1

So fhalt thou beft fulfil, best verify
The prophets old, who fung thy endless reign;
The happier reign the fooner it begins;
Reign then; what canst thou better do the while?

179

To whom our Saviour answer thus return'd.
All things are best fulfill'd in their due time,
And time there is for all things, Truth hath faid:
If of my reign prophetic Writ hath told,
That it shall never end, fo when begin

185

The Father in his purpose hath decreed,

He in whofe hand all times and feasons roll.

What if he hath decreed that I shall first

Be try'd in humble state, and things adverse,
By tribulations, injuries, infults,

Contempts, and fcorns, and fnares, and violence,
Suffering, abftaining, quietly expecting,

vanced to the high priesthood, and in his brother Simon to the principality, and fo they continued for feveral descents fovran pontiffs and fovran princes of the Jewish nation till the time of Herod the great: tho' their father Mattathias (the fon of John, the fon of Simon, the fon of Afmonæus, from whom the family had the name of Afmoneans) was no more than a priest of the courfe of Joarib, and dwelt

190

Without

Without diftruft or doubt, that he may know
What I can fuffer, how obey? who best
Can fuffer, beft can do; beft reign, who first
Well hath obey'd; juft trial ere I merit
My exaltation without change or end.
But what concerns it thee when I begin
My everlasting kingdom, why art thou
Solicitous, what moves thy inquifition?
Know'st thou not that my rifing is thy fall,
And my promotion will be thy destruction?

To whom the Tempter inly rack'd reply'd.
Let that come when it comes; all hope is loft
Of my reception into grace; what worse?
For where no hope is left, is left no fear :
If there be worfe, the expectation more
Of worse torments me than the feeling can.

195

200

205

I would

the times or the feafons, which the De Legg. VI. as Urfinus and DaFather hath put in his own power. vies have noted.

195. beft reign, who firft Well bath obey'd; ] Here probably

the author remember'd Cicero. De

Legib. III. 2. Qui bene imperat, paruerit aliquando neceffe eft; et qui modefte paret, videtur, qui aliquando imperet, dignus effe. The fame fentiment occurs in Ariftotle, Polit. III. 4. VII, 14. and in Plato,

206. For where no hope is left, is

this and the five following verses left no fear: &c.] Milton in fine foliloquy of Satan's in the beplainly alludes to thefe lines in that ginning of the 4th book of Para

dife Loft. ver. 108.

So farewel hope, and with hope farewel fear,

Farewel