"Get riches first, get wealth, and treasure heap,—
"Not difficult, if thou hearken to me:
"Riches are mine; Fortune is in my hand:
"They whom I favour thrive in wealth amain;
"While Virtue, Valour, Wisdom, sit in want."
To whom thus Jesus patiently replied:
"Yet wealth, without these three, is impotent
"To gain dominion, or to keep it gained.
"Witness those ancient empires of the earth,
"In height of all their flowing wealth dissolved:
"But men endued with these have oft attained,
"In lowest poverty, to highest deeds;
"Gideon, and Jephthah, and the shepherd lad,
"Whose offspring on the throne of Judah sat
"So many ages, and shall yet regain

"That seat, and reign in Israel without end.

“ Among the Heathen, (for throughout the world
"To me is not unknown what hath been done
"Worthy of memorial,) canst thou not remember
"Quintius, Fabricius, Curius, Regulus?
"For I esteem those names of men so poor,

"Who could do mighty things, and could contemn
"Riches, though offered from the hand of kings.
"And what in me seems wanting, but that I

"Accomplish what they did, perhaps, and more!

"Extol not riches then,-the toil of fools,

"The wise man's cumbrance, if not snare ;-more apt

"To slacken Virtue, and abate her edge,

"Than prompt her to do aught may merit praise.

"What if with like aversion I reject

"Riches and realms? yet not, for that a crown,

"Golden in show, is but a wreath of thorns,

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"Brings dangers, troubles, cares, and sleepless nights, 460

"To him who wears the regal diadem,

"When on his shoulders each man's burden lies;

"For therein stands the office of a king;

"His honour, virtue, merit, and chief praise;

"That for the public all this weight he bears.
"Yet he, who reigns within himself, and rules
"Passions, desires, and fears, is more a king;
"Which every wise and virtuous man attains;
"And who attains not, ill aspires to rule
"Cities of men, or headstrong multitudes,
"Subject himself to anarchy within,

"Or lawless passions in him, which he serves.
"But to guide nations in the way of truth
66 By saving doctrine, and from error lead
"To know, and knowing worship God aright,—
"Is yet more kingly; this attracts the soul,
"Governs the inner man, the nobler part:
"That other o'er the body only reigns,
"And oft by force; which, to a generous mind,
"So reigning, can be no sincere delight.
"Besides, to give a kingdom hath been thought
"Greater and nobler done, and to lay down
"Far more magnanimous, than to assume!
"Riches are needless then, both for themselves,
"And for thy reason why they should be sought,—
"To gain a sceptre, oftest better missed."

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BOOK III.

THE ARGUMENT.

SATAN, in a speech of much flattering commendation, endeavours to awaken in Jesus a passion for glory, by particularising various instances of conquests achieved, and great actions performed, by persons at an early period of life. Our Lord replies, by showing the vanity of worldly fame, and the improper means by which it is generally attained; and contrasts with it the true glory of religious patience, and virtuous wisdom, as exemplified in the character of Job. Satan justifies the love of glory from the example of God himself, who requires it from all his creatures. Jesus detects the fallacy of this argument, by showing that, as goodness is the true ground on which glory is due to the great Creator of all things, sinful man can have no right whatever to it. Satan then urges our Lord respecting his claim to the throne of David: he tells him, that the kingdom of Judea, being at that time a province of Rome, cannot be got possession of without much personal exertion on his part, and presses him to lose no time in beginning to reign. Jesus refers him to the time allotted for this, as for all other things; and, after intimating somewhat respecting his own previous sufferings, asks Satan why he was so solicitous for the exaltation of one whose rising was destined to be his fall. Satan replies, that his own desperate state, by excluding all hope, leaves little room for fear; and that, as his own punishment was equally doomed, he is not interested in preventing the reign of one, from whose apparent benevolence he might rather hope for some interference in his favour. Satan still pursues his former incitements; and, supposing that the seeming reluctance of Jesus to be thus advanced might arise from his being unacquainted with the world and its glories, conveys him to the summit of a high mountain, and from thence shows him most of the kingdoms of Asia, particularly pointing out to his notice some extraordinary military preparations of the Parthians to resist the incursions of the Scythians. He then informs our Lord, that he showed him this purposely, that he might see how necessary military exertions are to retain the possession of kingdoms, as well as to subdue them at first; and advises him to consider how impossible it was to maintain Judea against two such powerful neighbours as the Romans and Parthians, and how necessary it would be to form an alliance with one or other of them. He recommends, and engages to secure to him, that of the Parthians; and tells him that by this means his power will be defended against any attempt of Rome, that he will be able to extend his glory wide, and even accomplish, what alone would make his throne the throne of David, the restoration of the ten tribes, still in captivity. Jesus, having noticed the vanity of military efforts or of the arm of flesh, says, that at the

appointed time for ascending his allotted throne he shall not be slack; remarks on Satan's zeal for the deliverance of the Israelites, whose constant enemy he had been; declares their servitude to be the reward of their idolatry; but adds, that at a future time it may perhaps please God to restore them to liberty and their country.

So spake the Son of God; and Satan stood
Awhile, as mute, confounded what to say,
What to reply, confuted, and convinced
Of his weak arguing and fallacious drift:
At length, collecting all his serpent wiles,
With soothing words renewed, him thus accosts:
"I see thou knowest what is of use to know,
"What best to say canst say, to do canst do;
"Thy actions to thy words accords; thy words
"To thy large heart give utterance due; thy heart
"Contains of good, wise, just, the perfect shape.
"Should kings and nations from thy mouth consult,
"Thy counsel would be as the oracle

"Urim and Thummim,-those oraculous gems
"On Aaron's breast; or tongue of seers old
"Infallible: or wert thou sought to deeds
"That might require the array of war, thy skill
"Of conduct would be such, that all the world
"Could not sustain thy prowess, or subsist
"In battle, though against thy few in arms.
“These godlike virtues wherefore dost thou hide,
Affecting private life, or more obscure

"In savage wilderness? Wherefore deprive
"All Earth her wonder at thy acts, thyself
"The fame and glory?-glory, the reward
"That sole excites to high attempts, the flame
"Of most erected spirits, most tempered pure
"Ethereal, who all pleasures else despise,
"All treasures and all gain esteem as dross,
"And dignities and powers all but the highest!
"Thy years are ripe and overripe; the son
"Of Macedonian Philip had ere these
“Won Asia, and the throne of Cyrus held

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"At his dispose; young Scipio had brought down
"The Carthaginian pride; young Pompey, quelled
"The Pontic king, and in triumph had rode.
"Yet years, and to ripe years judgment mature,
"Quench not the thirst of glory, but augment.
"Great Julius, whom now all the world admires,
"The more he grew in years, the more inflamed
"With glory, wept that he had lived so long
"Inglorious :—but thou yet art not too late.”
To whom our Saviour calmly thus replied:
"Thou neither dost persuade me to seek wealth
"For empire's sake, nor empire to affect
"For glory's sake, by all thy argument.
"For what is glory but the blaze of fame,

"The people's praise?—if always praise unmixed-
"And what the people but a herd confused,

"A miscellaneous rabble, who extol

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"Things vulgar, and, well weighed, scarce worth the

praise?

"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 such extolled,
"To live upon their tongues, and be their talk,
"Of whom to be dispraised were no small praise ?—
"His lot who dares be singularly good!
"The intelligent among them, and the wise,
"Are few, and glory scarce of few is raised.
"This is true glory and renown;-when God,

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"Looking on the 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 Heaven and Earth, "As thou to thy reproach mayst well remember, “He asked thee, 'Hast thou seen my servant Job? "Famous he was in Heaven, on Earth less known ;"Where glory is false glory,-attributed "To things not glorious, men not worthy of fame.

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