The Complete Poetry of John Milton (141 page)

   65        
Lictors
⁷
and rods the ensigns of thir power,

               
Legions and Cohorts,
⁸
turmes of horse and wings:

               
Or Embassies from Regions far remote

               
In various habits on the
Appian
road,
⁹

               
Or on th’
Æmilian
,
¹⁰
some from farthest South,

   70        
Syene
,
¹¹
and where the shadow both way falls,

               
Meroe Nilotic
Isle, and more to West,

               
The Realm of
Bocchus
to the Black-moor Sea;

               
From th’
Asian
Kings and
Parthian
among these,

               
From
India
and the golden
Chersoness
,
¹²

   75        
And utmost
Indian
Isle
Taprobane
,
¹³

               
Dusk faces with white silken Turbants wreath’d:

               
From
Gallia, Gades
,
¹⁴
and the
Brittish
West,

               
Germans
and
Scythians
, and
Sarmatians
¹⁵
North

               
Beyond
Danubius
to the
Tauric
Pool.
¹⁶

   80        
All Nations now to
Rome
obedience pay,

               
To
Rome
’s great Emperour, whose wide domain

               
In ample Territory, wealth and power,

               
Civility of Manners, Arts, and Arms,

               
And long Renown thou justly may’st prefer

   85        
Before the
Parthian;
these two Thrones except,

               
The rest are barbarous, and scarce worth the sight,

               
Shar’d among petty Kings too far remov’d;

               
These having shewn thee, I have shewn thee all

               
The Kingdoms of the world, and all thir glory.

   90        
This Emperour
¹⁷
hath no Son, and now is old,

               
Old, and lascivious, and from
Rome
retir’d

               
To
Capreæ
an Island small but strong

               
On the
Campanian
shore, with purpose there

               
His horrid lusts in private to enjoy,

   95        
Committing to a wicked Favourite
¹⁸

               
All publick cares, and yet of him suspicious,

               
Hated of all, and hating; with what ease

               
Indu’d with Regal Vertues as thou art,

               
Appearing, and beginning noble deeds,

   100     
Might’st thou expel this monster from his Throne

               
Now made a sty, and in his place ascending

               
A victor, people free from servile yoke!

               
And with my help thou may’st; to me the power

               
Is giv’n, and by that right I give it thee.

   105     
Aim therefore at no less then all the world,

               
Aim at the highest, without the highest attain’d

               
Will be for thee no sitting, or not long

               
On
David
’s Throne, be propheci’d what will.

           
      
       To whom the Son of God unmov’d reply’d.

   110     
Nor doth this grandeur and majestic show

               
Of luxury, though call’d magnificence,

               
More then of arms before, allure mine eye,

               
Much less my mind; though thou should’st add to tell

               
Thir sumptuous gluttonies, and gorgeous feasts

   115     
On
Cittron
tables or
Atlantic
stone;
¹⁹

               
(For I have also heard, perhaps have read)

               
Their wines of
Setia, Cales
, and
Falerne
,

               
Chios
and
Creet
,
²⁰
and how they quaff in Gold,

               
Crystal and Myrrhine
²¹
cups imboss’d with Gems

   120     
And studs of Pearl, to me should’st tell who thirst

               
And hunger still: then Embassies thou shew’st

               
From Nations far and nigh; what honour that,

               
But tedious wast of time to sit and hear

               
So many hollow compliments and lies,

   125     
Outlandish flatteries? then proceed’st to talk

               
Of the Emperour, how easily subdu’d,

               
How gloriously; I shall, thou say’st, expel

               
A brutish monster: what if I withal

               
Expel a Devil who first made him such?

   130     
Let his tormentor Conscience find him out,

               
For him I was not sent, nor yet to free

               
That people victor once, now vile and base,

               
Deservedly made vassal, who once just,

               
Frugal, and mild, and temperate, conquer’d well,

   135     
But govern ill the Nations under yoke,

               
Peeling
²²
thir Provinces, exhausted all

               
By lust and rapine; first ambitious grown

               
Of triumph that insulting vanity;

               
Then cruel, by thir sports to blood enur’d

   140     
Of fighting beasts, and men to beasts expos’d,

               
Luxurious by thir wealth, and greedier still,

               
And from the daily Scene effeminate.

               
What wise and valiant man would seek to free

               
These thus degenerate, by themselves enslav’d,

   145     
Or could of inward slaves make outward free?

               
Know therefore when my season comes to sit

               
On
David
’s Throne, it shall be like a tree

               
Spreading and over-shadowing all the Earth,

               
Or as a stone that shall to pieces dash

   150     
All Monarchies besides throughout the world,

               
And of my Kingdom there shall be no end:
²³

               
Means there shall be to this, but what the means,

               
Is not for thee to know, nor me to tell.

           
      
       To whom the Tempter impudent repli’d.

   155     
I see all offers made by me how slight

               
Thou valu’st, because offer’d, and reject’st:

               
Nothing will please the difficult and nice,
²⁴

               
Or nothing more then still to contradict:

               
On th’ other side know also thou, that I

   160     
On what I offer set as high esteem,

               
Nor what I part with mean to give for naught;

               
All these which in a moment thou behold’st,

               
The Kingdoms of the world to thee I give;

               
For giv’n to me, I give to whom I please,

   165     
No trifle; yet with this reserve, not else,

               
On this condition, if thou wilt fall down,

               
And worship me as thy superior Lord,

               
Easily done, and hold them all of me;

               
For what can less so great a gift deserve?

   170  
      
       Whom thus our Saviour answer’d with disdain.

               
I never lik’d thy talk, thy offers less,

               
Now both abhor, since thou hast dar’d to utter

               
Th’ abominable terms, impious condition;

               
But I endure the time, till which expir’d,

   175     
Thou hast permission on me. It is written

               
The first of all Commandments, Thou shalt worship

               
The Lord thy God, and only him shalt serve;
²⁵

               
And dar’st thou to the Son of God propound

               
To worship thee accurst, now more accurst

   180     
For this attempt bolder then that on
Eve
,

               
And more blasphemous? which expect to rue.

               
The Kingdoms of the world to thee were giv’n,

               
Permitted rather, and by thee usurp’t,

               
Other donation none thou canst produce:

   185     
If given, by whom but by the King of Kings,

               
God over all supreme? if giv’n to thee,

               
By thee how fairly is the Giver now

               
Repaid? But gratitude in thee is lost

               
Long since. Wert thou so void of fear or shame,

   190     
As offer them to me the Son of God,

               
To me my own, on such abhorred pact,

               
That I fall down and worship thee as God?

               
Get thee behind me; plain thou now appear’st

               
That Evil one, Satan for ever damn’d.

   195     
To whom the Fiend with fear abasht reply’d.

               
Be not so sore offended, Son of God;

               
Though Sons of God both Angels are and Men,

               
If I to try whether in higher sort

               
Then these thou bear’st that title, have propos’d

   200     
What both from Men and Angels I receive,

               
Tetrarchs
²⁶
of fire, air, flood, and on the earth

               
Nations besides from all the quarter’d winds,

               
God of this world invok’t and world beneath;

               
Who then thou art, whose coming is foretold

   205     
To me so fatal, me it most concerns.

               
The tryal hath indamag’d thee no way,

               
Rather more honour left and more esteem;

               
Me naught advantag’d, missing what I aim’d.

               
Therefore let pass, as they are transitory,

   210     
The Kingdoms of this world; I shall no more

               
Advise thee, gain them as thou canst, or not.

               
And thou thy self seem’st otherwise inclin’d

               
Then to a worldly Crown, addicted more

               
To contemplation and profound dispute,

   215     
As by that early action may be judg’d,

               
When slipping from thy Mothers eye thou went’st

               
Alone into the Temple;
²⁷
there wast found

               
Among the gravest Rabbies disputant

               
On points and questions fitting
Moses
Chair,