PER
ERPLEX'D and troubled at his bad fuccefs
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 felf-deceiv'd
And rafh, 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'd where least he thought,
To falve his credit, and for very spite,
Still will be tempting him who foils him still,
And never cease, though to his fhame the more;
Or as a swarm of flies in vintage time,
About the wine-press where sweet must is pour'd,
Beat off, returns as oft with humming found;
Or furging waves against a solid rock,
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Though all to fhivers dash'd, th' assault renew,
Vain batt'ry, and in froth or bubbles end;
So Satan, whom repulse upon repulse
Met ever, and to fhameful filence brought,
Yet gives not o'er though defp'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,
Wash'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 blasts, thence in the midst
Divided by a river, of whose banks
On each fide an imperial city stood,
With tow'rs and temples proudly elevate
On fev'n small hills, with palaces adorn'd,
Porches and theatres, baths, aqueducts,
Statues and trophies, and triumphal arcs,
Gardens and groves presented 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
Of nations; there the capitol thou seest
Above the rest lifting his stately head
On the Tarpeian rock, her citadel
Impregnable, and there mount Palatine,
Th'imperial palace, compass huge, and high
The stucture, skill of nobleft architects,
With gilded battlements, confpicuous far,
Turrets and terrafes, and glitt'ring spires.
Many a fair edifice befides, more like
Houses of Gods, (fo well I have difpos'd
My aery microscope) thou may'st behold
Outside and inside both, pillars and roofs,
Carv'd work, the hand of fam'd artificers
In cedar, marble, ivory or gold.
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Thence to the gates caft round thine eye, and fee
What conflux iffuing forth, or entring in,
Pretors, proconfuls to their provinces
Hafting, or on return, in robes of flate;
Lictors and rods, the enfigns of their pow'r,
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 farthest south,
Syene', and where the shadow both way falls,
Meroe Nilotic ile, and more to weft,
The realm of Bocchus to the Black-moor fea;
From th' Afian kings and Parthian among these,
From India and the golden Chersonese,
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