Imatges de pàgina
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Well hath obey'd; just trial e'er I merit
My exaltation without change or end.
But what concerns it thee when I begin
My everlasting Kingdom, why art thou
Sollicitous, what moves thy inquifition?
Know'st thou not that my rising is thy fall,
And my promotion will be thy deftruction?
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 worse, the expectation more
Of worse torments me than the feeling can.
I would be at the worft; worst is my Port,
My harbour and my ultimate repose,
The end I would attain, my final good.

and my

My error was my error, and

crime

My crime; whatever for it felf condemn'd,

And will alike be punish'd, whether thou
Reign or reign not; though to that gentle brow
Willingly I could flie, and hope thy reign,
From that placid aspect and meek regard,
Rather than aggravate my evil state,

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Would

Would stand between me and thy Father's ire,
(Whose ire I dread more than the fire of Hell,)
A fhelter and a kind of fhading cool.
Interpofition, as a fummer's cloud.

If I then to the worft that can be hafte,.
Why move thy feet fo flow to what is beft,
Happiest both to thy felf and all the world,
That thou who worthiest art should't be their King?
Perhaps thou lingreft in deep thoughts detain'd
Of th' enterprize fo hazardous and high;

No wonder, for though in thee be united
What of perfection can in man be found,
Or human nature can receive, confider
Thy life hath yet been private, most part spent
At home, fcarce view'd the Gallilean Towns,
And once a year Jerufalem, few days

[ferve?
Short fojourn, and what thence could'ft thou ob-
The world thou haft 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 wifeft, unexperienc'd, will be ever

Tim'rous and loth, with novice modesty,

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(As he who feeking Affes found a Kingdom)
Irrefolute, unhardy, unadventrous:

But I will bring thee where thou foon fhall quit
Those rudiments, and fee before thine eyes

The Monarchies of th' Earth, their pomp and state, Sufficient introduction to inform

Thee, of thy felf fo apt, in regal Arts,"

And regal Mysteries, that thou may'st know

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How beft their opposition to withstand.

With that (fuch pow'r was giv'n him then) he took The Son of God up to a Mountain high. It was a Mountain at whofe verdant feet A fpacious plain out-stretch'd in circuit wide Lay pleafant; from his fide two rivers flow'd, Th'one winding, th' other straight, and left between Fair Champaign with lefs rivers intervein'd, Then meeting join'd their Tribute to the Sea, Fertil of corn the glebe, of oyl and wine,

With herds the pastures throng'd, with flocks the hills Huge Cities and high towr'd, that well might seem The feats of mightieft Monarchs, and so large The Profpect was, that here and there was room For barren defart fountainless and dry.

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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 Tow'rs
Cut shorter many a league; here thou behold'st
Affyria 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 inacceffible th' Arabian drouth:'
Here Ninevee, of length within her wall
Sev'ral days journey, built by Ninus old,
Of that first golden Monarchy the seat,
And feat of Salmanaffar, whofe fuccefs
Ifrael in long captivity ftill 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 Jerufalem laid waste,
Till Cyrus fet them free; Persepolis

His City there thoù seest, and Bactra there;
Ecbatana her ftructure vast there shews,

And Hecatompylos her hundred gates,

There

There Sufa by Choafpes, amber stream,
The drink of none but Kings; of later fame
Built by Emathian, or by Parthian hands,
The great Seleucia, Nicibis, and there
Artaxata, Teredon, Tefiphon,

Turning with cafie eye thou may'st behold.
All these the Parthian, now fome Ages past,
By great Arfaces led, who founded first
That Empire, under his dominion holds
From the luxurious Kings of Antioch won.
And just in time thou com'ft to have a view
Of his great pow'r; for now the Parthian King
In Ctesiphon hath gather'd all his Hoft
Against the Scythian, whofe incurfions wild
Have wafted Sogdiana; to her aid

He marches now in hafte; fee, though from far,
His thousands, in what Martial equipage

They iffue 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 and wedges, and half-moons and wings,

He

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