Turning with eafy eye thou may'ft behold.
All these the Parthian, now fome ages past,
By great Arfaces led, who founded first
That empire, under his dominion holds,
From the luxurious kings of Antioch won.
And just in time thou com'ft to have a view
Of his great pow'r; for now the Parthian king
In Ctesiphon hath gather'd all his hoft
Against the Scythian, whofe incurfions wild
Have wafted Sogdiana; to her aid
He marches now in hafte; fee, though from far,
His thousands, in what martial equipage
They iffue forth, steel bows and shafts their arms, 305 Of equal dread in flight or in pursuit ;
All horsemen, in which fight they most excel
See how in warlike mufter they appear,
In rhombs and wedges, and half-moons, and wings.
He look'd, and faw what numbers numberless 310
The city gates out-pour'd, light-armed troops
In coats of mail and military pride;
In mail their horses clad, yet fleet and strong,
Prauncing their riders bore, the flow'r and choice
Of many provinces from bound to bound;
From Aràchofia, from Candaor east,
And Margiana to the Hyrcanian cliffs
Of Caucafus, and dark Iberian dales,
He faw them in their forms of battle rang'd.
How quick they wheel'd, and fly'ing behind them fhot
Sharp fleet of arrowy show'rs against the face
Of their purfuers, and overcame by flight;
The field all iron cast a gleaming brown ;
Nor wanted clouds of foot, nor on each horn
Cuiraffiers all in fteel for standing fight,
Chariots or elephants indors'd with towers
Of archers, nor of lab'ring pioneers
A multitude with spades and axes arm'd
To lay hills plain, fell woods, or valleys fill,
Or where plain was raise hill, or overlay
With bridges rivers proud, as with a yoke;
Mules after thefe, camels and dromedaries,
And waggons fraught with utenfils of war.
Such forces met not, nor fo wide a camp,
When Agrican with all his northern powers
Befieg'd Albracca, as romances tell,
The city' of Gallaphrone, from whence to win
The fairest of her fex Angelica
His daughter, fought by many proweft knights,
Both Paynim, and the peers of Charlemain.
Such and fo numerous was their chivalry;
At fight whereof the Fiend yet more prefum'd,
And to our Saviour thus his words renew'd.
That thou may'st know I seek not to engage
Thy virtue, and not every way fecure
On no flight grounds thy fafety; hear, and mark
To what end I have brought thee hither and fhown 350
All this fair fight: thy kingdom though foretold
By prophet or by Angel, unless thou
Endevor, as thy father David did,
Thou never fhalt obtain; prediction still
In all things, and all men, fuppofes means,
Without means us'd, what it predicts revokes.
But fay thou wert poffefs'd of David's throne
By free confent of all, none oppofit,
Samaritan or Jew; how could'st thou hope
Long to enjoy it quiet and fecure,
Between two fuch inclosing enemies
Roman and Parthian? therefore one of thefe
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 kings
Antigonus and old Hyrcanus bound,
Maugre the Roman : it fhall be my task
To render thee the Parthian at difpofe;
Choose which thou wilt, by conquest or by league. 370
By him thou shalt regain, without him not,
That which alone can truly reinstall thee
In David's royal feat, his true fucceffor,
Deliverance of thy brethren, those ten tribes
Whofe offspring in his territory yet serve,
In Habor, and among the Medes difpers'd;
Ten fons of Jacob, two of Jofeph loft
Thus long from Ifrael, ferving as of old
Their fathers in the land of Egypt ferv'd,
This offer fets before thee to deliver.
These if from fervitude thou shalt reftore
To their inheritance, then, nor till then,
Thou on the throne of David in full glory,
From Egypt to Euphrates and beyond
Shalt reign, and Rome or Cæfar not need fear.
To whom our Saviour answer'd thus unmov'd.
Much oftentation vain of fleshly arm,
And fragil arms, much inftrument of war
Long in preparing, foon to nothing brought,
Before mine thou' haft fet; and in my ear
Vented much policy, and projects deep
Of enemies, of aids, battels and leagues,
Plaufible to the world, to me worth nought.
Means I must use, thou fay'ft, prediction else
Will unpredict and fail me of the throne :
My time I told thee (and that time for thee
Were better fartheft off) is not yet come :
When that comes, think not thou to find me slack
On my part ought endevoring, or to need
Thy politic maxims, or that cumbersome
Luggage of war there shown me, argument
Of human weakness rather than of strength.
My brethren, as thou call'ft them, those ten tribes
I muft deliver, if I mean to reign
David's true heir, and his full scepter sway
To juft extent over all Ifrael's fons ;
But whence to thee this zeal, where was it then
For Ifrael, or for David, or his throne,
When thou stood'st up his tempter to the pride
Of numb'ring Ifrael, which coft the lives
Of threefcore and ten thousand Ifraelites
By three days peftilence? fuch was thy zeal
To Ifrael then, the fame that now to me.
Befides their other worse than heáth'nish crimes;
Nor in the land of their captivity
Humbled themselves, or penitent befought
The God of their forefathers; but fo dy'd
Impenitent, and left a race behind
Like to themselves, distinguishable scarce
From Gentiles, but by circumcifion 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 serve
Their enemies, who ferve idols with God.
Yet he at length, time to himself best known,
Remembring Abraham, by fome wondrous call
May bring them back repentant and fincere,
And at their paffing cleave th' Affyrian flood,
While to their native land with joy they hafte,
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