Read The Complete Poetry of John Milton Online
Authors: John Milton
Tags: #English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh, #Poetry, #European
440
Whose off-spring on the Throne of
Juda
sat
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
445
Worthy of Memorial) canst thou not remember
Quintius, Fabricius, Curius, Regulus?
34
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.
450
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 toyl
35
of Fools,
The wise mans cumbrance if not snare, more apt
455
To slacken Virtue, and abate her edge,
Then 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 shew, is but a wreath of thorns,
460
Brings dangers, troubles, cares, and sleepless nights
To him who wears the Regal Diadem,
When on his shoulders each mans burden lies;
For therein stands the office of a King,
His Honour, Vertue, Merit and chief Praise,
465
That for the Publick 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 vertuous man attains:
And who attains not, ill aspire to rule
470
Cities of men, or head-strong Multitudes,
Subject himself to Anarchy within,
Or lawless passions in him which he serves.
But to guide Nations in the way of truth
By saving Doctrine, and from errour lead
475
To know, and knowing worship God aright,
Is yet more Kingly, this attracts the Soul,
Governs the inner man, the nobler part,
That other o’re the body only reigns,
And oft by force, which to a generous mind
480
So reigning can be no sincere delight.
Besides to give a Kingdom hath been thought
Greater and nobler done, and to lay down
Far more magnanimous, then to assume.
Riches are needless then, both for themselves,
485
And for thy reason why they should be sought,
To gain a Scepter, oftest better miss’t.
1
Elijah; see 2 Kings ii.
2
Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she would bear a son.
3
Herod.
4
Luke ii. 34–35.
5
Luke ii. 42–49.
6
nonplused.
7
crowded state.
8
tested.
9
The profligate Belial is described in
PL
I, 490–501.
10
the demon lover in Tobit iii, vi, who killed Tobias’ wife’s first seven husbands.
11
demonic seducer.
12
temperament.
13
magnet.
14
See 1 Kings xi. 1–8.
15
Alexander the Great.
16
Scipio Africanus.
17
Venus’ ornamented girdle which Juno wore to charm Jove (
Iliad
, XIV, 214–18).
18
See
Son.
9, n. 2.
19
The accounts of Elijah here are found in 1 Kings xvii. 3–7, xix. 4–8.
20
peas, lentils, or beans; Dan. i. 8–16.
21
Hagar (Gen. xxi. 14–19). However, her son was Ishmael; his son was Nebaioth.
22
See Exod. xvi.
23
Elijah.
24
the Black Sea and the bay near Naples.
25
See
El.
7, n. 2, 3.
26
horn of plenty.
27
the guardians of the golden tree; see
Mask
, ll. 981–83.
28
English geographic areas or knights, all connected with King Arthur.
29
goddess of flowers.
30
forbids. Satan dissembles, as Michael Fixler pointed out (
MLN
, LXX, 1955, 573–77), for certain meats and shellfish (ll. 342–45) were proscribed.
31
far-fetched.
32
Compare the last lines of
Sonnet
15.
33
David; see Judges vi–viii, xi–xii, and 1 Sam. xvi–xvii.
34
important early military leaders of Rome.
35
snare.
So spake the Son of God, and Satan stood
A while as mute confounded what to say,
What to reply, confuted and convinc’t
Of his weak arguing, and fallacious drift;
5
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 canst say, to do canst do;
Thy actions to thy words accord, thy words
10
To thy large heart give utterance due, thy heart
Conteins of good, wise, just, the perfect shape.
Should Kings and Nations from thy mouth consult,
Thy Counsel would be as the Oracle
Urim
and
Thummim
,
1
those oraculous gems
15
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
20
In battel, though against thy few in arms.
These God-like Vertues wherefore dost thou hide?
Affecting private life, or more obscure
In savage Wilderness, wherefore deprive
All Earth her wonder at thy acts, thy self
25
The fame and glory, glory the reward
That sole excites to high attempts the flame
Of most erected Spirits, most temper’d pure
Ætherial, who all pleasures else despise,
All treasures and all gain esteem as dross,
30
And dignities and powers all but the highest?
Thy years are ripe, and over-ripe, the Son
Of
Macedonian Philip
had e’re these
Won
Asia
and the Throne of
Cyrus
2
held
At his dispose, young
Scipio
had brought down
35
The
Carthaginian
pride, young
Pompey
quell’d
The
Pontic
King
3
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
40
The more he grew in years, the more inflam’d
With glory, wept that he had liv’d so long
Inglorious: but thou yet art not too late.
To whom our Saviour calmly thus reply’d.
Thou neither dost perswade me to seek wealth
45
For Empires sake, nor Empire to affect
For glories sake by all thy argument.
For what is glory but the blaze of fame,
The peoples praise, if always praise unmixt?
And what the people but a herd confus’d,
50
A miscellaneous rabble, who extol
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,
55
To live upon thir tongues and be thir talk,
Of whom to be disprais’d 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 rais’d.
60
This is true glory and renown, when God
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
,
65
When to extend his fame through Heav’n and Earth,
As thou to thy reproach mayst 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
70
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 field great Battels win,
Great Cities by assault: what do these Worthies,
75
But rob and spoil, burn, slaughter, and enslave
Peaceable Nations, neighbouring, or remote,
Made Captive, yet deserving freedom more
Then those thir Conquerours, who leave behind
Nothing but ruin wheresoe’re they rove,
80
And all the flourishing works of peace destroy,
Then swell with pride, and must be titl’d Gods,
Great Benefactors of mankind, Deliverers,
Worship’t with Temple, Priest and Sacrifice;
One is the Son of
Jove
, of
Mars
the other,
4