Could not sustain thy prowess, or subsist
In battel, though against thy few in arms. These God-like virtues wherefore doft thou hide, Affecting private life, or more obscure
In favage wilderness? wherefore deprive All earth her wonder at thy acts, thyfelf The fame and glory, glory the reward That fole excites to high attempts, the flame Of moft erected spi'rits, moft temper'd pure Ethereal, who all pleasures else despise, All treasures and all gain esteem as dross, And dignities and pow'rs all but the higheft? 30 Thy years are ripe, and over-ripe; the fon Of Macedonian Philip had ere these Won Afia, and the throne of Cyrus held
At his dispose; young Scipio had brought down The Carthaginian pride; young Pompey quell'd 35 The Pontic king, and in triumph had rode. Yet years, and to ripe years judgment mature, Quench not the thirft of glory, but augment. Great Julius, whom now all the world admires, The more he grew in years, the more inflam'd 40 With glory, wept that he had liv'd fo long Inglorious but thou yet art not too late.
To whom our Saviour calmly thus reply'd. Thou neither doft perfuade me to feek wealth For empire's fake, nor empire to affect For glory's fake by all thy argument.
For what is glory but the blaze of fame, The peoples praise, if always praise unmix'd? And what the people but a herd confus'd, A miscellaneous rabble, who extol Things vulgar, and well weigh'd, scarce worth the They praise, and they admire they know not what, And know not whom, but as one leads the other; And what delight to be by fuch extoll'd,
To live upon their tongues
Of whom to be disprais'd were no small praise? His lot who dares be fingularly good.
Th' intelligent among them and the wife Are few, and glory scarce of few is rais'd. This is true glory and renown, when God Looking on th' earth, with approbation marks The just man, and divulges him through Heaven To all his Angels, who with true applause Recount his praises: thus he did to Job, When to extend his fame through Heav'n and Earth, As thou to thy reproach may'st well remember, 66 He afk'd thee, Haft thou feen my fervant Job? Famous he was in Heav'n, on Earth lefs known; Where glory is false glory, attributed
To things not glorious, men not worthy' of fame. 70 They err who count it glorious to fubdue By conqueft far and wide, to over-run Large countries, and in field great battels win, Great cities by assault: what do these worthies,
But rob and spoil, burn, slaughter, and inslave 75 Peaceable nations, neighb'ring, or remote, Made captive, yet deferving freedom more Than those their conquerors, who leave behind Nothing but ruin wherefoe'er they rove, And all the flourishing works of peace deftroy, 80 Then swell with pride, and must be titled Gods, Great Benefactors of mankind, Deliverers, Worshipt with temple, priest and sacrifice ; One is the son of Jove, of Mars the other; Till conqu'ror Death discover them fcarce men, 85 Rolling in brutish vices, and deform'd, Violent or fhameful death their due reward. But if there be in glory ought of good, It may by means far different be attain'd Without ambition, war, or violence; By deeds of peace, by wisdom eminent, By patience, temperance: I mention still Him whom thy wrongs with faintly patience borne Made famous in a land and times obfcure; Who names not now with honor patient Job? 95 Poor Socrates (who next more memorable?) By what he taught and suffer'd for fo doing, For truth's fake fuffering death unjust, lives now Equal in fame to proudest conquerors. Yet if for fame and glory ought be done, Ought fuffer'd; if young African for fame His wafted country freed from Punic rage,
The deed becomes unprais'd, the man at least, And lofes, though but verbal, his reward. Shall I feek glory then, as vain men seek,
Oft not deferv'd? I feek not mine, but his Who fent me', and thereby witness whence I am. To whom the Tempter murm'ring thus reply'd. Think not fo flight of glory; therein least Refembling thy great Father: he seeks glory, 10 And for his glory all things made, all things Orders and governs; nor content in Heaven By all his Angels glorify'd, requires
Glory from men, from all men good or bad,
Wife or unwife, no difference, no exemption; 115 Above all facrifice, or hallow'd gift
Glory' he requires, and glory he receives Promiscuous from all nations, Jew, or Greek, Or barbarous, nor exception hath declared; From us his foes pronounc'd glory' he exacts. 120 To whom our Saviour fervently reply'd. And reason; fince his word all things produc'd Though chiefly not for glory as prime end, But to show forth his goodness, and impart His good communicable to every foul Freely; of whom what could he less expect Than glory' and benediction, that is thanks, The flightest, easiest, readieft recompenfe From them who could return him nothing else, And not returning that would likelieft render 130
Contempt instead, dishonor, obloquy? Hard recompenfe, unfuitable return
For fo much good, fo much beneficence.
But why should man seek glory, who' of his own Hath nothing, and to whom nothing belongs 135 But condemnation, ignominy', and fhame? Who for so many benefits receiv'd Turn'd recreant to God, ingrate and false, And fo of all true good himself defpoil'd, Yet, facrilegious, to himself would take That which to God alone of right belongs; Yet fo much bounty is in God, such grace, That who advance his glory, not their own, Them he himself to glory will advance.
So fpake the Son of God; and here again 145 Satan had not to answer, but stood ftruck With guilt of his own fin, for he himself Insatiable of glory had lost all, Yet of another plea bethought him soon.
Of glory, as thou wilt, faid he, so deem, Worth or not worth the feeking, let it pass: But to a kingdom thou art born, ordain'd To fit upon thy father David's throne;
By mother's fide thy father; though thy right Be now in powerful hands, that will not part 155 Easily from possession won with arms :
Judæa now and all the promis'd land,
Reduc'd a province under Roman yoke,
« AnteriorContinuar » |