The Complete Poetry of John Milton (138 page)

   85        
Till Conquerour Death discover them scarce men,

               
Rowling in brutish vices, and deform’d,

               
Violent or shameful death thir due reward.

               
But if there be in glory aught of good,

               
It may by means far different be attain’d

   90        
Without ambition, war, or violence;

               
By deeds of peace, by wisdom eminent,

               
By patience, temperance; I mention still

               
Him whom thy wrongs with Saintly patience born,

               
Made famous in a Land and times obscure;

   95        
Who names not now with honour patient
Job?

               
Poor
Socrates
(who next more memorable?)

               
By what he taught and suffer’d for so doing,

               
For truths sake suffering death unjust, lives now

               
Equal in fame to proudest Conquerours.

   100     
Yet if for fame and glory aught be done,

               
Aught suffer’d; if young
African
⁵
for fame

               
His wasted Country freed from
Punic
rage,

               
The deed becomes unprais’d, the man at least,

               
And loses, though but verbal, his reward.

   105     
Shall I seek glory then, as vain men seek

               
Oft not deserv’d? I seek not mine, but his

               
Who sent me, and thereby witness whence I am.

           
      
       To whom the Tempter murmuring thus reply’d.

               
Think not so slight of glory; therein least

   110     
Resembling thy great Father: he seeks glory,

               
And for his glory all things made, all things

               
Orders and governs, nor content in Heav’n

               
By all his Angels glorifi’d, requires

               
Glory from men, from all men good or bad,

   115     
Wise or unwise, no difference, no exemption;

               
Above all Sacrifice, or hallow’d gift

               
Glory he requires, and glory he receives

               
Promiscuous from all Nations, Jew, or Greek,

               
Or Barbarous, nor exception hath declar’d;

   120     
From us his foes pronounc’t glory he exacts.

           
      
       To whom our Saviour fervently reply’d.

               
And reason; since his word all things produc’d,

               
Though chiefly not for glory as prime end,

               
But to shew forth his goodness, and impart

   125     
His good communicable to every soul

               
Freely; of whom what could he less expect

               
Then glory and benediction, that is thanks,

               
The slightest, easiest, readiest recompence

               
From them who could return him nothing else,

   130     
And not returning that would likeliest render

               
Contempt instead, dishonour, obloquy?

               
Hard recompence, unsutable return

               
For so much good, so much beneficence.

               
But why should man seek glory? who of his own

   135     
Hath nothing, and to whom nothing belongs

               
But condemnation, ignominy, and shame?

               
Who for so many benefits receiv’d

               
Turn’d recreant
⁶
to God, ingrate and false,

               
And so of all true good himself despoil’d,

   140     
Yet, sacrilegious, to himself would take

               
That which to God alone of right belongs;

               
Yet so much bounty is in God, such grace,

               
That who advance his glory, not thir own,

               
Them he himself to glory will advance.

   145  
      
       So spake the Son of God; and here again

               
Satan had not to answer, but stood struck

               
With guilt of his own sin, for he himself

               
Insatiable of glory had lost all,

               
Yet of another Plea bethought him soon.

   150  
      
       Of glory as thou wilt, said he, so deem,

               
Worth or not worth the seeking, let it pass:

               
But to a Kingdom thou art born, ordain’d

               
To sit upon thy Father
David
’s Throne;

               
By Mothers side thy Father, though thy right

   155     
Be now in powerful hands, that will not part

               
Easily from possession won with arms;

               
Judæa
now and all the promis’d land

               
Reduc’t a Province under
Roman
yoke,

               
Obeys
Tiberius;
nor is always rul’d

   160     
With temperate sway; oft have they violated

               
The Temple,
⁷
oft the Law with foul affronts,

               
Abominations rather, as did once

               
Antiochus:
⁸
and think’st thou to regain

               
Thy right by sitting still or thus retiring?

   165     
So did not
Machabeus:
⁹
he indeed

               
Retir’d unto the Desert, but with arms;

               
And o’re a mighty King so oft prevail’d,

               
That by strong hand his Family obtain’d,

               
Though Priests, the Crown, and
David
’s Throne usurp’d,

   170     
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 Occasions forelock watchful wait.

               
They themselves rather are occasion best,

   175     
Zeal of thy Fathers house, Duty to free

               
Thy Country from her Heathen servitude;

               
So shalt thou best fullfil, best verifie

               
The Prophets old, who sung thy endless raign,

               
The happier raign the sooner it begins,

   180     
Raign then; what canst thou better do the while?

           
      
       To whom our Saviour answer thus return’d.

               
All things are best fullfil’d in their due time,

               
And time there is for all things, Truth hath said:
¹⁰

               
If of my raign Prophetic Writ hath told,

   185     
That it shall never end, so when begin

               
The Father in his purpose hath decreed,

               
He in whose hand all times and seasons roul.

               
What if he hath decreed that I shall first

               
Be try’d in humble state, and things adverse,

   190     
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

   195     
Can suffer, best can do; best reign, who first

               
Well hath obey’d; just tryal e’re I merit

               
My exaltation without change or end.

               
But what concerns it thee when I begin

               
My everlasting Kingdom, why art thou

   200     
Sollicitous, 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 rackt reply’d.

               
Let that come when it comes; all hope is lost

   205     
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 then the feeling can.

               
I would be at the worst; worst is my Port,

   210     
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 it self condemn’d,

               
And will alike be punish’d; whether thou

   215     
Raign or raign not; though to that gentle brow

               
Willingly I could fly, and hope thy raign,

               
From that placid aspect and meek regard,

               
Rather then aggravate my evil state,

               
Would stand between me and thy Fathers ire

   220     
(Whose ire I dread more then the fire of Hell),

               
A shelter and a kind of shading cool

               
Interposition, as a summers cloud.

               
If I then to the worst that can be hast,

               
Why move thy feet so slow to what is best,

   225     
Happiest both to thy self and all the world,

               
That thou who worthiest art should’st be thir King?

               
Perhaps thou linger’st in deep thoughts detain’d

               
Of the enterprize so hazardous and high;

               
No wonder, for though in thee be united

   230     
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 view’d the
Gallilean
Towns,

               
And once a year
Jerusalem
, few days

   235     
Short sojourn; and what thence could’st thou observe?

               
The world thou hast not seen, much less her glory,

               
Empires, and Monarchs, and thir radiant Courts,

               
Best school of best experience, quickest insight

               
In all things that to greatest actions lead.

   240     
The wisest, unexperienc’t, will be ever

               
Timorous and loth, with novice modesty

               
(As he
¹¹
who seeking Asses found a Kingdom),

               
Irresolute, unhardy, unadventrous:

               
But I will bring thee where thou soon shalt quit