Selected quad for the lemma: land_n
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A50931
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Paradise regain'd a poem in IV books : to which is added Samson Agonistes / the author John Milton.
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Milton, John, 1608-1674.; Milton, John, 1608-1674. Samson Agonistes.
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1671
(1671)
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Wing M2152; ESTC R299
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60,088
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218
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From the luxurious Kings of Antioch won And just in time thou com'st to have a view Of his great power for now the Parthian King In Ctesiphon hath gather'd all his Host Against the Scythian whose incursions wild Have wasted Sogdiana to her aid He marches now in hast see though from far His thousands in what martial equipage They issue forth Steel Bows and Shafts their arms Of equal dread in flight or in pursuit All Horsemen in which fight they most excel See how in warlike muster they appear In Rhombs and wedges and half moons and wings He look't and saw what numbers numberless The City gates out powr'd light armed Troops In coats of Mail and military pride In Mail thir horses clad yet fleet and strong Prauncing their riders bore the flower and choice Of many Provinces from bound to bound From Arachosia from Candaor East And Margiana to the Hyrcanian cliffs Of Caucasus and dark Iberian dales From Atropatia and the neighbouring plains Of Adiabene Media and the South Of Susiana to Balsara's hav'n He saw them in thir forms of battell rang'd How quick they wheel'd and flying behind themshot Sharp sleet of arrowie shower against the face Of thir pursuers and overcame by flight The field all iron cast a gleaming brown Nor wanted clouds of foot nor on each horn Cuirassiers all in steel for standing fight Chariots or Elephants endorst with Towers Of Archers nor of labouring Pioners A multitude with Spades and Axes arm'd To lay hills plain fell woods or valleys fill Or where plain was raise hill or over-lay With bridges rivers proud as with a yoke Mules after these Camels and Dromedaries And Waggons fraught with Utensils of war Such forces met not nor so wide a camp When Agrican with all his Northern powers Besieg'd Albracca as Romances tell The City of Gallaphrone from thence to win The fairest of her Sex Angelica His daughter sought by many Prowest Knights Both Paynim and the Peers of Charlemane Such and so numerous was thir Chivalrie At sight whereof the Fiend yet more presum'd And to our Saviour thus his words renew'd That thou may'st know I seek not to engage Thy Vertue and not every way secure On no slight grounds thy safety hear and mark To what end I have brought thee hither and shewn All this fair fight thy Kingdom though foretold By Prophet or by Angel unless thou Endeavour as thy Father David did Thou never shalt obtain prediction still In all things and all men supposes means Without means us'd what it predicts revokes But say thou wer 't possess'd of David's Throne By free consent of all none opposite Samaritan or Jew how could'st thou hope Long to enjoy it quiet and secure Between two such enclosing 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 Chuse which thou wilt by conquest or by league By him thou shalt regain without him not That which alone can truly reinstall thee In David's royal seat his true Successour Deliverance of thy brethren those ten Tribes Whose off-spring in his Territory yet serve In Habor and among the Medes dispers't Ten Sons of Jacob two of Joseph lost Thus long from Israel serving as of old Thir Fathers in the land of Egypt serv'd This offer sets before thee to deliver These if from servitude thou shalt restore To thir inheritance then nor till then Thou on the Throne of David in full glory From Egypt to Euphrates and beyond Shalt raign and Rome or Caesar not need fear To whom our Saviour answer'd thus unmov'd Much ostentation vain of fleshly arm And fragile arms much instrument of war Long in preparing soon to nothing brought Before mine eyes thou hast set and in my ear Vented much policy and projects deep Of enemies of aids battels and leagues Plausible to the world to me worth naught Means I must use thou say'st prediction else Will unpredict and fail me of the Throne My time I told thee and that time for thee Were better farthest off is not yet come When that comes think not thou to find me slack On my part aught endeavouring or to need Thy politic maxims or that cumbersome Luggage of war there shewn me argument Of human weakness rather then of strength My brethren as thou call'st them those Ten Tribes I must deliver if I mean to raign David's true heir and his full Scepter sway To just extent over all Israel's Sons But whence to thee this zeal where was it then For Israel or for David or his Throne When thou stood'st up his Tempter to the pride Of numbring Israel which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of threeseore and ten thousand Israelites By three days Pestilence such was thy zeal To Israel then the same 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 Ashtaroth And all the Idolatries of Heathen round Besides thir other worse then heathenish crimes Nor in the land of their captivity Humbled themselves or penitent besought The God of their fore-fathers but so dy'd Impenitent and left a race behind Like to themselves distinguishable scarce From Gentils but by Circumcision vain And God with Idols in their worship joyn'd Should I of these the liberty regard Who freed as to their antient Patrimony Unhumbl'd unrepentant unreform'd Headlong would follow and to thir Gods perhaps Of Bethel and of Dan no let them serve Thir enemies who serve Idols with God Yet he at length time to himself best known Remembring Abraham by some wond'rous call May bring them back repentant and sincere And at their passing cleave the Assyrian flood While to their native land with joy they hast As the Red Sea and Jordan once he cleft When to the promis'd land thir Fathers pass'd To his due time and providence I leave them So spake Israel's true King and to the Fiend Made answer meet that made void all his wiles So fares it when with truth falshood contends The End of the Third Book PARADISE REGAIN'D The Fourth BOOK PErplex'd and troubl'd at his bad success The Tempter stood nor had what to reply Discover'd in his fraud thrown from his hope So oft and the perswasive Rhetoric That sleek't his tongue and won so much on Eve So little here nay lost but Eve was Eve This far his over-match who self deceiv'd And rash before-hand had no better weigh'd The strength he was to cope with or his own But as a man who had been matchless held In cunning over-reach't where least he thought To salve his credit and for very spight Still will be tempting him who foyls him still And never cease though to his shame the more