ERPLEX'D and troubled at his bad fuccess
The Tempter stood, nor had what to reply,
Discover'd in his fraud, thrown from his hope
So oft, and the persuasive rhetoric
That fleek'd his tongue, and won so much on Eve, 5
So little here, nay loft; but Eve was Eve,
This far is over-match, who self-deceiv'd
And rash, before-hand had no better weigh'd
The ftrength he was to cope with, or his own:
But as a man who had been matchlefs held
In cunning, over-reach'd where least he thought,
To falve his credit, and for very spite,
Still will be tempting him who foils him ftill,
And never ceafe, though to his fhame the more;
Or as a swarm of flies in vintage time,
About the wine-prefs where sweet muft is pour'd,
Beat off, returns as oft with humming found;
Or furging waves against a folid rock,
Though all to fhivers dafh'd, th' affault renew,
Vain batt'ry, and in froth or bubbles end;
So Satan, whom repulfe upon repulse
Met ever, and to fhameful filence brought,
Yet gives not o'er though desp’rate of success,
And his vain importunity pursues.
He brought our Saviour to the western fide
Of that high mountain, whence he might behold
Another plain, long but in breadth not wide,
Wafh'd by the southern sea, and on the north
To equal length back'd with a ridge of hills,
That screen'd the fruits of th'earth and feats of men 30
From cold Septentrion blafts, thence in the midft
Divided by a river, of whose banks
On each fide an imperial city flood,
With tow'rs and temples proudly elevate
On sev'n small hills, with palaces adorn'd,
Porches and theatres, baths, aqueducts,
Statues and trophies, and triumphal arcs,
Gardens and groves prefented to his eyes,
Above the highth of mountains interpos'd:
By what strange parallax or optic skill
Of vision multiply'd through air, or glass
Of telescope, were curious to inquire:
And now the Tempter thus his filence broke.
The city which thou seeft no other deem
Than great and glorious Rome, queen of the earth
So far renown'd, and with the spoils enrich'd 46
Of nations; there the capitol thou seest
Above the rest lifting his ftately head
On the Tarpeian rock, her citadel
Impregnable, and there mount Palatine,
Th' imperial palace, compass huge, and high
The ftructure, fkill of nobleft architects,
With gilded battlements, confpicuous far,
Turrets and terrafes, and glitt'ring fpires.
Many a fair edifice befides, more like
Houses of Gods, (fo well I have dispos'd
My aery microscope) thou may'st behold
Outfide and infide both, pillars and roofs,
Carv'd work, the hand of fam'd artificers
In cedar, marble, ivory or gold.
Thence to the gates caft round thine eye, and see What conflux iffuing forth, or entring in,
Pretors, proconfuls to their provinces
Hafting, or on return, in robes of state;
Lictors and rods, the enfigns of their pow'r, 65 Legions and cohorts, turms of horse and wings: Or embaffies from regions far remote
In various habits on the Appian road,
Or on th' Emilian, fome from fartheft south, Syene', and where the shadow both way falls, 70 Meroe Nilotic ile, 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 Cherfonese,
And utmost Indian ile Taprobane,
Dufk faces with white filken turbants wreath'd;
From Gallia, Gades, and the British weft,
Germans and Scythians, and Sarmatians north
Beyond Danubius to the Tauric pool.
All nations now to Rome obedience pay,
To Rome's great emperor, whose wide domain
In ample territory, wealth and power,
Civility of manners, arts and arms,
And long renown, thou justly may'st prefer
Before the Parthian; those two thrones except, 85
The reft are barb'rous, and scarce worth the fight,
Shar'd among petty kings too far remov'd;
These having fhown thee, I have shown thee all
The kingdoms of the world, and all their glory.
This emp'ror hath no son, and now is old,
Old and lafcivious, and from Rome retir'd
To Capreæ an iland small but strong
On the Campanian fhore, with purpose there
His horrid lufts in private to enjoy
Committing to a wicked favorite
All public cares, and yet of him suspicious,
Hated of all, and hating; with what ease,
Indued with regal virtues as thou art,
Appearing, and beginning noble deeds,
Might'ft thou expel this monfter from his throne 100
Now made a flye, and in his place afcending
A victor people free from fervile yoke?
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