The Complete Poetry of John Milton (139 page)

   245     
Those rudiments,
¹²
and see before thine eyes

               
The Monarchies of th’ Earth, thir pomp and state,

               
Sufficient introduction to inform

               
Thee, of thy self so apt, in regal Arts,

               
And regal Mysteries; that thou may’st know

   250     
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 spatious plain out stretch’t in circuit wide

   255     
Lay pleasant; from his side two rivers
¹³
flow’d,

               
Th’ one winding, th’ other strait and left between

               
Fair Champain with less rivers interveind,

               
Then meeting joyn’d thir tribute to the Sea:

               
Fertil of corn the glebe,
¹⁴
of oyl and wine,

   260     
With herds the pastures throng’d, with flocks the hills,

               
Huge Cities and high towr’d, that well might seem

               
The seats of mightiest Monarchs, and so large

               
The Prospect was, that here and there was room

               
For barren desert fountainless and dry.

   265     
To this high mountain top the Tempter brought

               
Our Saviour, and new train of words began.

           
      
       Well have we speeded, and o’re hill and dale,

               
Forest and field, and flood, Temples and Towers

               
Cut shorter many a league; here thou behold’st

   270     
Assyria
and her Empires antient bounds,

               
Araxes
¹⁵
and the
Caspian
lake, thence on

               
As far as
Indus
East,
Euphrates
West,

               
And oft beyond; to South the
Persian
Bay,

               
And inaccessible th’
Arabian
drouth:
¹⁶

   275     
Here
Ninevee
, of length within her wall

               
Several days journey, built by
Ninus
old,

               
Of that first golden Monarchy the seat,

               
And seat of
Salmanassar
,
¹⁷
whose success

               
Israel
in long captivity still mourns;

   280     
There
Babylon
the wonder of all tongues,

               
As antient, but rebuilt by him
¹⁸
who twice

               
Judah
and all thy Father
David’s
house

               
Led captive, and
Jerusalem
laid waste,

               
Till
Cyrus
¹⁹
set them free;
Persepolis

   285     
His City there thou seest, and
Bactra
there;

               
Ecbatana
her structure vast there shews,

               
And
Hecatompylos
her hunderd gates,

               
There
Susa
by
Choaspes
, amber stream,

               
The drink of none but Kings; of later fame

   290     
Built by
Emathian
,
²⁰
or by
Parthian
²¹
hands,

               
The great
Seleucia, Nisibis
, and there

               
Artaxata, Teredon, Ctesiphon
,

               
Turning with easie eye thou may’st behold.

               
All these the
Parthian
, now some Ages past,

   295     
By great
Arsaces
led, who founded first

               
That Empire, under his dominion holds

               
From the luxurious Kings of
Antioch
²²
won.

               
And just in time thou com’st to have a view

               
Of his great power; for now the
Parthian
King

   300     
In
Ctesiphon
hath gather’d all his Host

               
Against the
Scythian
,
²³
whose incursions wild

               
Have wasted
Sogdiana;
to her aid

               
He marches now in hast; see, though from far,

               
His thousands, in what martial equipage

   305     
They issue 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.

   310  
      
       He look’t and saw what numbers numberless

               
The City gates out powr’d, light armed Troops

               
In coats of Mail and military pride;

               
In Mail thir horses clad, yet fleet and strong,

               
Prauncing their riders bore, the flower and choice

   315     
Of many Provinces from bound to bound;

               
From
Arachosia
, from
Candaor
East,

               
And
Margiana
to the
Hyrcanian
cliffs

               
Of
Caucasus
, and dark
Iberian
²⁴
dales,

               
From
Atropatia
and the neighbouring plains

   320     
Of
Adiabene, Media
, and the South

               
Of
Susiana
to
Balsara
’s hav’n.

               
He saw them in thir forms of battell rang’d,

               
How quick they wheel’d, and flying behind them shot

               
Sharp fleet of arrowie showers against the face

   325     
Of thir pursuers, and overcame by flight;

               
The field all iron cast a gleaming brown,

               
Not wanted clouds of foot, nor on each horn,

               
Cuirassiers all in steel for standing fight;

               
Chariots or Elephants endorst
²⁵
with Towers

   330     
Of Archers, nor of labouring Pioners

               
A multitude with Spades and Axes arm’d

               
To lay hills plain, fell woods, or valleys fill,

               
Or where plain was raise hill, or over-lay

               
With bridges rivers proud, as with a yoke;

   335     
Mules after these, Camels and Dromedaries,

               
And Waggons fraught with Utensils of war.

               
Such forces met not, nor so wide a camp,

               
When
Agrican
²⁶
with all his Northern powers

               
Besieg’d
Albracca
, as Romances tell;

   340     
The City of
Gallaphrone
, from thence to win

               
The fairest of her Sex
Angelica

               
His daughter, sought by many Prowest
²⁷
Knights,

               
Both
Paynim
, and the Peers of
Charlemane.

               
Such and so numerous was thir Chivalrie;

   345     
At sight whereof the Fiend yet more presum’d,

               
And to our Saviour thus his words renew’d.

           
      
       That thou may’st know I seek not to engage

               
Thy Vertue, and not every way secure

               
On no slight grounds thy safety; hear, and mark

   350     
To what end I have brought thee hither and shewn

               
All this fair sight; thy Kingdom though foretold

               
By Prophet or by Angel, unless thou

               
Endeavour, as thy Father
David
did,

               
Thou never shalt obtain; prediction still

   355     
In all things, and all men, supposes means,

               
Without means us’d, what it predicts revokes.

               
But say thou wert possess’d of
David
’s Throne

               
By free consent of all, none opposite,

               
Samaritan
or
Jew;
²⁸
how could’st thou hope

   360     
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

   365     
Found able by invasion to annoy

               
Thy country, and captive lead away her Kings

               
Antigonus
, and old
Hyrcanus
bound,

               
Maugre the
Roman:
²⁹
it shall be my task

               
To render thee the
Parthian
at dispose;

   370     
Chuse which thou wilt by conquest or by league.

               
By him thou shalt regain, without him not,

               
That which alone can truly reinstall thee

               
In
David
’s royal seat, his true Successour,

               
Deliverance of thy brethren, those ten Tribes
³⁰

   375     
Whose off-spring in his Territory yet serve

               
In
Habor
, and among the
Medes
dispers’t,

               
Ten Sons of
Jacob
, two of
Joseph
lost

               
Thus long from
Israel;
serving as of old

               
Thir Fathers in the land of
Egypt
serv’d,

   380     
This offer sets before thee to deliver.

               
These if from servitude thou shalt restore

               
To thir inheritance, then, nor till then,

               
Thou on the Throne of
David
in full glory,

               
From
Egypt
to
Euphrates
and beyond

   385     
Shalt raign, and
Rome
or
Caesar
not need fear.

           
      
       To whom our Saviour answer’d thus unmov’d.

               
Much ostentation vain of fleshly arm,

               
And fragile arms, much instrument of war

               
Long in preparing, soon to nothing brought,