Of his great pow'r; for now the Parthian king
In Ctesiphon hath gather'd all his host
Against the Scythian, whose incursions wild.
Have wafted Sogdiana; to her aid
He marches now in haste; see, though from far,
His thousands, in what martial equipage
They issue forth, steel bows, andshafts their arms 305
Of equal dread in flight, or in pursuit;
All horsemen, in which fight they moft 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 Arachofia, from Candaor east,
And Margiana to the Hyrcanian cliffs
Of Caucafus, and dark Iberian dales,
From Atropatia and the neighb'ring plains
Of Adiabene, Media, and the south
Of Sufiana, to Balfara's haven.
He saw them in their forms of battel rang'd,
How quick they wheel'd, and fly'ing behind them fhot
Sharp fleet of arrowy fhow'rs against the face
Of their pursuers, and overcame by flight;
The field all iron cast a gleaming brown:
Nor wanted clouds of foot, nor on each horn
Cuiraffiers all in steel 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 thence to win 340
The fairest of her sex Angelica
His daughter, fought by many prowest knights,
Both Paynim, and the peers of Charlemain.
Such and so numerous was their chivalry;
At fight whereof the Fiend yet more prefum'd, 345
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 shown All this fair fight: thy kingdom though foretold 351 By Prophet or by Angel, unless thou
Endevor, as thy father David did,
Thou never shalt obtain; prediction still
In all things, and all men, supposes means, 355
Without means us'd, what it predicts revokes.
But fay thou wert poffefs'd of David's throne
By free consent of all, none opposit,
Samaritan or Jew; how could'st thou hope
Long to enjoy it quiet and fecure,
Between two fuch inclofing 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 kings
Antigonus, and old Hyrcanus bound,
Maugre the Roman: it shall be my task
To render thee the Parthian at dispose;
Choose which thou wilt by conqueft or by league. 370
By him thou fhalt 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
Whose ofspring in his territory yet serve,
In Habor, and among the Medes difpers'd;
Ten fons of Jacob, two of Joseph loft
Thus long from Ifrael, ferving as of old
Their fathers in the land of Egypt serv'd,
This offer fets before thee to deliver.
Thefe if from fervitude thou fhalt restore
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. 385
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 eyes thou' haft fet; and in my ear 390
Vented much policy, and projects deep
Of enemies, of aids, battels and leagues,
Plausible to the world, to me worth nought.
Means I must use thou fay'ft, prediction elfe
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 flack
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 ftrength.
My brethren, as thou call'ft, them, those ten tribes
I must deliver, If I mean to reign
David's true heir, and his full scepter fway 405
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 ftood'ft up his tempter to the pride
Of numb'ring Ifrael, which coft the lives.
Of threefcore and ten thousand Ifraelites
By three days peftilence? such was thy zeal
To Ifrael then, the fame that now to me.
As for those captive tribes, themselves were they
Who wrought their own captivity, fell off
From God to worship calves, the deities
Of Egypt, Baal next and Afhtaroth,
And all th' idolatries of Heathen round,
Befides their other worfe than heath'nifh crimes; Nor in the land of their captivity
Humbled themselves, or penitent befought
The God of their forefathers; but so 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 serve 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, 435
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,
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