Endeavor, as thy father David did,
Thou never shalt obtain ; prediction still
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 opposit,
Samaritan or Jew; how couldst thou hope
Long to enjoy it quiet and secure,
360
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
Found able by invasion to annoy
Thy country', and captive lead away her king
Antigonus, and old Hyrcanus bound,
Maugre the Roman ; it shall be may task
To render thee the Parthian at dispose ;
Chuse which thou wilt by conquest or by league. 370
By him thou shalt regain, without him not,
That which alone can truly reinstal thee
In David's royal seat, his true successor,
Deliverance of thy brethren, those Ten Tribes
Whose offspring in his territory' yet serve,
In Habor, and among the Medes dispersid;
Ten sons of Jacob, ewo of Joseph lost
Thus long from Israel, serving as of old
Their fathers in the land of Egypt servid,
This offer sets before thee to deliver.
These if from servitude thou shalt restore
To their inberitance, then, nor till thely
Thou on the throne of David in full glory,
From Egypt to Euphrates and beyond
Shalt reign, and Rome or Cæsar not need fear.
To whom our Saviour answered thus unmov'd:
Much ostentation vain of fleshly arm,
And fragil arms, much intrument of war
Long in preparing, soon to nothing brought,
Before mine eyes thou' hast set ; and in my ear 390
Vented much policy, and projects deep
Of enemies, of aids, battles and leagues,
Plausible to the world, to me worth nought.
Means I must use, thou say'st, prediction clse
Will unpredict and fail me of the throne : 1
My time I told thee (and that time for thee
Were betier farthest off) is not yet come:
When that comes, think not thou to find me stack
On my part ought endeavouring, or to need
Thy politic maxims, or that cumbersome 400
Laggage of war there shown me, argument
Or homan weakness rather than of strength.
My brethren, as thou call'st them, those Ten Tribes
I must deliver, if I mean to reign .
David's true heir, and his full scepter sway
To just 'extent over all Israel's sons; ..
But whence to thee this zeal, where was it then
For Israel, or for David, or his throne,
When thou stood'st up his tempter to the pride
Of numb'ring Israel, which cost the lives 410
Of threescore and ten thousand Israelites
By three days' pestilence ? such was thy zeal,
To Israel then, the same that now to me.
As for these captive tribes, themselves were they
Who wrought their own captivity, fell off
From God to worship calves, the deities
Of Egypt, Baal next and Ashtaroth,
And all th' idolatries of Heathen round,
Besides their other worse than heath'nish crimes ;
Nor in the land of their captivity
120
Humbled themselves, or penitent besought
The God of their forefathers; but so dy'd
Impenitent, and left a race behind
Like to themselves, distinguishable scarce
From Gentiles, but by circumcision vain,
And God with idols in their worship join'd.
Should I of these the liberty regard,
Who freed as to their ancient patrimony,
Unhumbled, unrepentant, unreform’d,
Headlong would follow'; and to their gods perhaps
Of Bethel and of Dan ? no, let them ssrve 431
Their enemies, who serve idols with God. .
Yet he at length, time to himself best known,,
Rememb’ring Abraham, by some wond'rous call
May bring them back repentant and sincere,
And at their passing cleave th' Assyrian flood,
While to their native land with joy they haste,
As the Red Sea and Jordan once he cleft,
When to the Promis'd Land their fathers pass'd;
To his due time and providence I leave them. 440
So spake Israel's true King, and to the Fiend Made answer meet, that made void all his wiles. So fares it when with Truth Falsehood contends.
THE END OF THE THIRD BOOK.
Perplex'p and troubled at his bad success
The Tempter stood, nor had what to reply,
Discover'd in his fraud, thrown from his hope
So oft, and the persuasive rhetoric
That sleek'd his tongue, and won so much on Eve,
So little here, nay lost; but Eve was Eve,
This far his over-match, who self-deceiv'd
And rash, before-hand had no better weigh'd
The strength he was to cope with, or his own:
But as a man who had been matchless held 10
In cunning, over-reach'd where least he thought,
To salve his credit, and for very spite,
Still will be tempting him who foils him still,
And never cease, though to his shame the more;
Or as a swarm of flics in vintage time,
About the wine-press where sweet must is pour'd,
Beat off, returns as oft with humming sound;
Or surging waves against a solid rock,
Though all to shivers dash'd, th' assault renew,
Vain batt'ry, and in froth or bubbles end; 20
So Satan, whom repulse upon repulse
Met ever, and to shameful silence brought,
Yet gives not o'er though desp'rate of success,
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