To sit upon thy father David’s throne,
By mother’s side thy father, though thy right
Be now in powerful hands that will not part
Easily from possession won with arms.
Judaea now, and all the promised land
Reduced a province under Roman yoke,
Obeys Tiberius,6948 nor is always ruled
With temperate sway. Oft have they violated
The Temple, oft the Law, with foul affronts,
Abominations rather, as did once
Antiochus.6949 And think’st thou to regain
Thy right by sitting still, or thus retiring?
So did not Machabeus.6950 He indeed
Retired unto the desert, but with arms,
And o’er a mighty king so oft prevailed
That by strong hand his family obtained,
Though priests, the crown, and David’s throne usurped,
With Modin and her suburbs once content.
“If kingdom move thee not, let move thee zeal
And duty. Zeal and duty are not slow,
But on occasion’s 6951 forelock watchful wait.
They themselves, rather, are occasion best,
Zeal of thy Father’s house, duty to free
Thy country from her heathen servitude.
So shalt thou best fulfill, best verify,
The prophets old, who sung thy endless reign—
The happier reign the sooner it begins.
Reign then. What canst thou better do the while?”
To whom our Savior answer thus returned:
“All things are best fulfilled in their due time,
And time there is for all things, truth hath said.
If of my reign prophetic writ hath told
That it shall never end, so when begin
The Father in His purpose hath decreed,
He in whose hand all times and seasons roll.
What if He hath decreed that I shall first
Be tried in humble state, and things adverse,
By tribulations, injuries, insults,
Contempts, and scorns, and snares, and violence,
Suffering, abstaining, quietly expecting
Without distrust or doubt, that He may know
What I can suffer, how obey? Who best
Can suffer, best can do, best reign who first
Well hath obeyed—just 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 inquisition?
Know’st thou not that my rising is thy fall,
And my promotion will be thy destruction?”
To whom the Tempter, inly racked,6952 replied:
“Let that come when it comes. All hope is lost
Of my reception into grace. What worse?
For where no hope is left, is left no fear.
If there be worse, the expectation more
Of worse torments me than the feeling can.
I would be at the worst. Worst is my port,
My harbor, and my ultimate repose,
The end I would attain, my final good.
My error was my error, and my crime
My crime, whatever for itself condemned,
And will alike be punished whether thou
Reign or reign not—though to that gentle brow
Willingly I could fly, and hope thy reign,
From that placid6953 aspect and meek regard,
Rather than aggravate my evil state
Would stand between me and thy Father’s ire
(Whose ire I dread more than the fire of Hell),
A shelter and a kind of shading cool
Interposition,6954 as a summer’s cloud.
“If I, then, to the worst that can be haste,
Why move thy feet so slow to what is best?
Happiest, both to thyself and all the world
That thou, who worthiest art, should’st be their king!
Perhaps thou linger’st in deep thoughts detained
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 viewed the Galilean towns,
And once a year Jerusalem, few days’
Short sojourn—and what thence could’st 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 in sight
In all things that to greatest actions lead.
The wisest, unexperienced, will be ever
Timorous, and loath, with novice modesty
(As he who, seeking asses, found a kingdom),6955
Irresolute, unhardy, unadvent’rous.
But I will bring thee where thou soon shalt quit6956
Those rudiments,6957 and see before thine eyes
The monarchies of th’ 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 giv’n him then), he took
The Son of God up to a mountain high.
It was a mountain at whose verdant feet
A spacious plain, outstretched in circuit wide,
Lay pleasant. From his6958 side two rivers6959 flowed,
The one winding, th’ other straight, and left between
Fair champaign,6960 with less6961 rivers interveined,
Then meeting joined their tribute to the sea.
Fertile of corn6962 the glebe,6963 of oil, and wine;
With herds the pasture thronged, with flocks the hills;
Huge cities and high-tower’d, that well might seem
The seats of mightiest monarchs; and so large
The prospect 6964 was that here and there was room
For barren desert, fountainless6965 and dry.
To this high mountain-top the Tempter brought
Our Savior, and new train of words began:
“Well have we speeded,6966 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,
Araxes6967 and the Caspian lake. Thence on
As far as Indus east, Euphrates west,
And oft beyond. To south the Persian Bay,
And, inaccessible,6968 th’ Arabian drought.6969
Here Nineveh,6970 of length within her walls
Several days’ journey, built by Ninus 6971 old,
Of that first golden monarchy the seat,
And seat of Salmanassar,6972 whose success6973
Israel in long captivity still mourns.
There Babylon,6974 the wonder of all tongues,
As6975 ancient, but rebuilt by him6976 who twice
Judah and all thy father David’s house
Led captive, and Jerusalem laid waste,
Till Cyrus6977 set them free. Persepolis,6978
His city, there thou see’st, and Bactra6979 there.
Ecbatana6980 her structure vast there shows,
And Hecatompylos6981 her hundred gates.
There Susa6982 by Choaspes,6983 amber stream,
The drink of none but kings. Of later fame,
Built by Emathian6984 or by Parthian6985 hands,
The great Seleucia,6986 Nisibis,6987 and there
Artaxata,6988 Teredon,6989 Ctesiphon,6990
Turning with easy eye, thou may’st behold.
“All these the Parthian (now some ages past
>
By great Arsaces6991 led, who founded first
That empire) under his dominion holds,
From the luxurious6992 kings of Antioch6993 won.
And just in time thou com’st to have a view
Of his great power, for now the Parthian king
In Ctesiphon hath gathered all his host
Against the Scythian,6994 whose incursions wild
Have wasted Sogdiana.6995 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 6996 in flight or in pursuit—
All horsemen, in which fight they most excel.
See how in warlike muster they appear,
In rhombs,6997 and wedges,6998 and half-moons6999 and wings.”
He7000 looked, and saw what numbers numberless
The city gates outpoured, light-armèd troops
In coats of mail and military pride.7001
In mail their horses clad, yet fleet7002 and strong,
Prancing their riders bore, the flower and choice
Of many provinces from bound7003 to bound,
From Arachosia,7004 from Candaor7005 east,
And Margiana,7006 to the Hyrcanian7007 cliffs
Of Caucasus, and dark Iberian7008 dales—
From Atropatia,7009 and the neighboring plains
Of Adiabeen,7010 Media,7011 and the south
Of Susiana7012 to Balsara’s7013 hav’n.7014
He saw them in their forms of battle ranged,
How quick they wheeled, and 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 wanted7015 clouds of foot,7016 nor on each horn7017
Cuirassiers7018 all in steel for standing fight,
Chariots, or elephants endorsed7019 with towers
Of archers, nor of laboring pioneers7020
A multitude, with spades and axes armed,
To lay hills plain,7021 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,7022
And wagons fraught7023 with utensils of war.
Such forces met not, nor so wide a camp,
When Agrican7024 with all his northern powers
Besieged Albracca,7025 as romances tell,
The city of Gallaphrone, from thence to win
The fairest of her sex, Angelica,
His daughter, sought by many prowest 7026 knights,
Both paynim7027 and the peers7028 of Charlemagne.
Such and so numerous was their chivalry,
At sight whereof the fiend yet more presumed,7029
And to our Savior thus his words renewed:
“That thou may’st know I seek not to engage7030
Thy virtue, and not every way secure7031
On no slight 7032 grounds thy safety, hear and mark7033
To what end I have brought thee hither, and show
All this fair sight. Thy kingdom, though foretold
By prophet or by Angel, unless thou
Endeavor, as thy father7034 David did,
Thou never shalt obtain. Prediction still
In all things, and all men, supposes means;
Without means used, what it predicts revokes.
But say thou wert possessed of David’s throne
By free consent of all, none opposite,
Samaritan7035 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 annoy7036
Thy country, and captive lead away her kings,
Antigonus,7037 and old Hyracanus—bound,
Maugre7038 the Roman. It shall be my task
To render thee the Parthian at dispose,
Choose which thou wilt, by conquest or by league.7039
By him thou shalt regain, without him not,
That which alone can truly reinstall 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,7040 and among the Medes7041 dispersed:
Ten sons of Jacob, two of Joseph,7042 lost
Thus long from Israel, serving as of old
Their fathers in the land of Egypt served,
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 Caesar not need fear.”
To whom our Savior answered thus, unmoved:
“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,7043 and projects deep
Of enemies, of aids, battles, and leagues,
Plausible7044 to the world, to me worth naught.
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 slack7045
On my part aught endeavoring, or to need
Thy politic7046 maxims, or that cumbersome
Luggage of war there shown me, argument7047
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 scepter sway7048
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 up7049 his tempter 7050 to the pride
Of numbering7051 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.
“As for those captive tribes, themselves were they
Who wrought their own captivity, fell off
From God to worship calves, the deities
Of Egypt, Baal next and Ashtaroth,
And all th’ idolatries of heathen round,
Besides their other worse than heathenish crimes.
Nor in the land of their captivity
Humbled themselves, or penitent besought
The God of their forefathers, but so died
Impenitent, and left a race behind
Like to themselves, distinguishable scarce
From gentiles but 7052 by circumcision vain,7053
And God with idols in their worship joined.
Should I of these the liberty regard7054
Who, freed, as to their ancient patrimony
Unhumbled, unrepentant, unreformed,
Headlong7055 would follow,7056 and to their gods perhaps
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,
Remembering Abraham, by some wondrous call
May bring them back, repentant and sincere,
And at their passing cleave th’ Assy
rian flood,
While to their native land with joy they haste,
As the Red Sea and Jordan once He cleft
When to the promised land their fathers passed.
To His due time and providence I leave them.”
So spoke Israel’s true king, and to the fiend
Made answer meet,7057 that made void all his wiles.
So fares it when with truth falsehood contends.
BOOK IV
Perplexed and troubled at his bad success
The Tempter stood, nor had what to reply,
Discovered in his fraud, thrown from his hope
So oft, and the persuasive rhetoric
That sleeked 7058 his tongue, and won so much on Eve,
So little 7059 here—nay lost! But Eve was Eve.
This far his over-match, who self-deceived
And rash, beforehand had no better weighed
The strength he was to cope with, or his own.
But as a man who had been matchless held
In cunning, over-reached where least he thought,
To salve7060 his credit, and for very spite,
Still will be tempting him who foils 7061 him still,
And never cease, though to his shame the more—
Or as a swarm of flies in vintage-time,
About the wine-press where sweet must 7062 is poured,
Beat off, returns as oft with humming sound—
Or surging waves against a solid rock,
Though all to shivers 7063 dashed, th’ assault renew
(Vain battery! 7064 ) and in froth or bubbles end—
So Satan, whom repulse upon repulse
Met ever, and to shameful silence brought,
Yet gives not o’er, though desperate 7065 of success,
And his vain importunity pursues.
He brought our Savior to the western side
Of that high mountain, whence he might behold
Another plain,7066 long, but in breadth not wide,
Washed by the southern sea, and on the north
To equal length backed with a ridge of hills
That screened the fruits of th’ earth and seats of men
From cold Septentrion7067 blasts, thence in the midst
Divided by a river, off whose banks
On each side an imperial city7068 stood,
With towers and temples proudly elevate
On seven small hills, with palaces adorned,
Porches7069 and theaters,7070 baths, aqueducts,
Statues and trophies,7071 and triumphal arcs,7072
Gardens and groves, presented to his eyes
Above the height of mountains interposed
The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Page 67
