The happier reign the fooner it begins;
Reign then; what canft thou better do the
To whom our Saviour answer thus re
All things are beft fullfill'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 1-85
The Father in his purpose hath decreed,
He in whofe hand all times and feafons 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 fhares, and vio-
lence,
Suffering, abstaining, quietly expecting,
Without diftrust or doubt, that he may know
What I can fuffer, how obey? who beft
Can fuffer, beft can do; beft reign, who
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? 200
Know'st thou not that my rifing 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? 205 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; worft is my port, My harbour 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 condemn'd, And will alike be punish'd, whether thou Reign or reign not; though to that gentle
215 Willingly I could fly, and hope thy reign, From that placid afpéct 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
A fhelter and a kind of fhading cool.
Interpofition, as a fummers cloud.
If I then to the worst that can be hafte,
Why move thy feet fo flow to what is best,
Happieft both to thy felf and all the world, 225
That thou who worthieft art should'st be their
Perhaps thou linger'ft in deep thoughts de
Of th' enterprise fo hazardous and high;
No wonder, for though in thee be united
What of perfection can in man be found, 230
Or human nature can receive, confider
Thy life hath yet been private, moft part
spent
At home, scarce view'd the Galilean towns,
And once a year Jerusalem, few days
Short fojourn; and what thence could'st thou
The world thou haft not seen, much less her
Empires, and monarchs, and their radiant
Beft school of beft experience, quickest infight
In all things, that to greatest actions lead.
The wifeft, unexperienc'd, will be ever 240
Timorous and loath, with novice modefty,
(As he who seeking affes found a kingdom)
Irrefolute, unhardy, unadventrous:
But I will bring thee, where thou foon fhalt
Those rudiments, and fee before thinc
The monarchies of th' earth, their pomp and
Sufficient introduction to inform
Thee, of thyfelf so apt, in regal arts,
And regal myfteries, that thou mayft know
How beft their oppofition 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 pleasant; from his fide two rivers flow'd, 255
Th'one winding, th' other ftrait, and left
between
Fair champain with lefs rivers intervein'd,
Then meeting join'd their tribute to the fea:
Fertil of corn the glebe, of oil and wine;
With herds the pastures throng'd, with floks
the hills;
260 Huge cities and high towr'd, that well might seem
The feats of migthieft monarchs, and fo large The profpect was, that here and there was
For barren defert fountainless and dry
To this high mountain top the Tempter
Our Saviour, and new train of words began. Well have we speeded, and o'er hill and
Foreft and field and flood, temples and
Cut fhorter many a league; here thou be
Affyria and her empire's ancient bounds 270.
Araxes, and the Cafpian lake, thence on
As far as Indus eaft, Euphrates weft,
And oft beyond; to fouth the Perfian bay
And inacceffible th' Arabian drouth;
Here Nineveh, of length within her wall 275
Several days journey, built by Ninus old,
Of that firft golden monarchy the seat,
And feat of Salmanaffar, whofe fuccefs
Ifrael in long captivity ftill mourns;
There Babylon, the wonder of all tongues, 280
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 thou seeft, and Bactra there; 285
Ecbatana her structure vaft there shows,
And Hecatomphylos her hundred gates;
There Sufa by Choafpes, amber stream,
The drink of none but kings; of later fame
Built by Emathian, or by Parthian hands, 290
The great Seleucia, Nifibis, and there
Artaxata, Teredon, Ctefiphon,
Turning with eafy eye thou may'st behold.
All these the Parthian, now fome ages past,
By great Arfaces led, who founded first 295
That empire, under his dominion holds,
From the luxurious kings of Antioch won.
And just in time thou com'ft to have a view
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