The Complete Poems

by John Milton

  Of worse torments me than the feeling can.

  I would be at the worst; worst is my port,

  210 My harbour and my ultimate repose,

  The end I would attain, my final good.

  My error was my error, and my crime

  My crime; whatever for itself condemned,

  And will alike be punished; whether thou

  215 Reign or reign not; though to that gentle brow

  Willingly I could fly, and hope thy reign,

  From that placíd aspéct and meek regard,

  Rather than aggravate my evil state,

  Would stand between me and thy Father’s ire,

  220 (Whose ire I dread more than the fire of Hell)

  A shelter and a kind of shading cool

  Interposition, as a summer’s cloud.

  If I then to the worst that can be haste,

  Why move thy feet so slow to what is best,

  225 Happiest both to thyself and all the world,

  That thou who worthiest art shouldst be their king?

  Perhaps thou linger’st in deep thoughts detained

  Of the enterprise so hazardous and high;

  No wonder, for though in thee be united

  230 What of perfection can in man be found,

  Or human nature can receive, consider

  Thy life hath yet been private, most part spent

  At home, scarce viewed the Galilean towns,

  And once a year Jerusalem, few days’

  235 Short sojourn; and what thence couldst thou observe?

  The world thou hast not seen, much less her glory,

  Empires, and monarchs, and their radiant courts,

  Best school of best experience, quickest in sight

  In all things that to greatest actions lead.

  240 The wisest, unexperienced, will be ever

  Timorous and loath, with novice modesty,

  (As he who seeking asses found a kingdom)

  Irresolute, unhardy, unadvent’rous:

  But I will bring thee where thou soon shalt quit

  245 Those rudiments, and see before thine eyes

  The monarchies of the earth, their pomp and state,

  Sufficient introduction to inform

  Thee, of thyself so apt, in regal arts,

  And regal mysteries; that thou may’st know

  250 How best their opposition to withstand.

  With that (such power was giv’n him then) he took

  The Son of God up to a mountain high.

  It was a mountain at whose verdant feet

  A spacious plain outstretched in circuit wide

  255 Lay pleasant; from his side two rivers flowed,

  Th’ one winding, the other straight, and left between

  Fair champaign with less rivers interveined,

  Then meeting joined their tribute to the sea:

  Fertile of corn the glebe, of oil and wine,

  260 With herds the pastures thronged, with flocks the hills;

  Huge cities and high-towered, that well might seem

  The seats of mightiest monarchs, and so large

  The prospect was, that here and there was room

  For barren desert fountainless and dry.

  265 To this high mountain top the Tempter brought

  Our Saviour, and new train of words began.

  Well have we speeded, and o’er hill and dale,

  Forest and field, and flood, temples and towers

  Cut shorter many a league; here thou behold’st

  270 Assyria and her empire’s ancient bounds,

  Araxes and the Caspian lake, thence on

  As far as Indus east, Euphrates west,

  And oft beyond; to south the Persian bay,

  And inaccessible the Arabian drouth:

  275 Here Nineveh, of length within her wall

  Several days’ journey, built by Ninus old,

  Of that first golden monarchy the seat,

  And seat of Salmanassar, whose success

  Israel in long captivity still mourns;

  280 There Babylon the wonder of all tongues,

  As ancient, but rebuilt by him who twice

  Judah and all thy father David’s house

  Led captive, and Jerusalem laid waste,

  Till Cyrus set them free; Persepolis

  285 His city there thou seest, and Bactra there;

  Ecbatana her structure vast there shows,

  And Hecatompylos her hundred gates,

  There Susa by Choaspes, amber stream,

  The drink of none but kings; of later fame

  290 Built by Emathian, or by Parthian hands,

  The great Seleucia, Nisibis, and there

  Artaxata, Teredon, Ctesiphon,

  Turning with easy eye thou may’st behold.

  All these the Parthian, now some ages past,

  295 By great Arsaces led, who founded first

  That empire, under his dominion holds,

  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

  300 In Ctesiphon hath gathered all his host

  Against the Scythian, whose incursions wild

  Have wasted Sogdiana; to her aid

  He marches now in haste; see, though from far,

  His thousands, in what martial equipage

  305 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.

  310 He looked and saw what numbers numberless

  The city gates outpoured, light-armèd troops

  In coats of mail and military pride;

  In mail their horses clad, yet fleet and strong,

  Prancing their riders bore, the flower and choice

  315 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

  320 Of Adiabéne, Media, and the south

  Of Susiana to Balsara’s hav’n.

  He saw them in their forms of battle ranged,

  How quick they wheeled, and flying behind them shot

  Sharp sleet of arrowy showers against the face

  325 Of their 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 endorsed with towers

  330 Of archers, nor of labouring pioneers

  A multitude with spades and axes armed

  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;

  335 Mules after these, camels and dromedaries,

  And waggons fraught with útensils of war.

  Such forces met not, nor so wide a camp,

  When Agrican with all his northern powers

  Besieged Albracca, as romances tell;

  340 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 Charlemagne.

  Such and so numerous was their chivalry;

  345 At sight whereof the Fiend yet more presumed,

  And to our Saviour thus his words renewed.

  That thou may’st know I seek not to engage

  Thy virtue, and not every way secure

  On no slight grounds thy safety; hear, and mark

  350 To what end I have brought thee hither and shown

  All this fair sight; thy k
ingdom though foretold

  By Prophet or by angel, unless thou

  Endeavour, as thy father David did,

  Thou never shalt obtain; prediction still

  355 In all things, and all men, supposes means;

  Without means used, what it predicts revokes.

  But say thou wert possessed of David’s throne

  By free consent of all, none opposite,

  Samaritan or Jew; how couldst thou hope

  360 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

  365 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;

  370 Choose 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 successor,

  Deliverance of thy brethren, those ten tribes

  375 Whose offspring in his territory yet serve

  In Habor, and among the Medes dispersed;

  Ten sons of Jacob, two of Joseph lost

  Thus long from Israel; serving as of old

  Their fathers in the land of Egypt served,

  380 This offer sets before thee to deliver.

  These if from servitude thou shalt restore

  To their inheritance, then, nor till then,

  Thou on the throne of David in full glory,

  From Egypt to Euphrates and beyond

  385 Shalt reign, and Rome or Caesar not need fear.

  To whom our Saviour answered thus unmoved.

  Much ostentation vain of fleshly arm,

  And fragile arms, much instrument of war

  Long in preparing, soon to nothing brought,

  390 Before mine eyes thou hast set; and in my ear

  Vented much policy, and projects deep

  Of enemies, of aids, battles and leagues,

  Plausible to the world, to me worth naught.

  Means I must use thou say’st, prediction else

  395 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

  400 Thy politic maxims, or that cumbersome

  Luggage of war there shown me, argument

  Of human weakness rather than of strength.

  My brethren, as thou call’st them, those ten tribes,

  I must deliver, if I mean to reign

  405 David’s true heir, and his full sceptre 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

  410 Of numb’ring Israel, which cost the lives

  Of three score 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

  415 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 their other worse than heathenish crimes;

  420 Nor in the land of their captivity

  Humbled themselves, or penitent besought

  The God of their forefathers; but so died

  Impenitent, and left a race behind

  Like to themselves, distinguishable scarce

  425 From Gentiles, but by circumcision vain,

  And God with idols in their worship joined.

  Should I of these the liberty regard,

  Who freed, as to their ancient patrimony,

  Unhumbled, unrepentant, unreformed,

  430 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,

  Rememb’ring Abraham by some wondrous call

  435 May bring them back repentant and sincere,

  And at their passing cleave the Assyrian flood,

  While to their native land with joy they haste,

  As the Red Sea and Jordan once he cleft,

  When to the promised land their fathers passed;

  440 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 falsehood contends.

  THE FOURTH BOOK

  Perplexed and troubled at his bad success

  The Tempter stood, nor had what to reply,

  Discovered in his fraud, thrown from his hope,

  So oft, and the persuasive rhetoric

  5 That sleeked his tongue, and won so much on Eve,

  So little here, nay lost; but Eve was Eve,

  This far his over-match, who self-deceived

  And rash, beforehand had no better weighed

  The strength he was to cope with, or his own:

  10 But as a man who had been matchless held

  In cunning, overreached where least he thought,

  To salve his credit, and for very spite

  Still will be tempting him who foils him still,

  And never cease, though to his shame the more;

  15 Or as a swarm of flies in vintage-time,

  About the wine-press where sweet must is poured,

  Beat off, returns as oft with humming sound;

  Or surging waves against a solid rock,

  Though all to shivers dashed, the assault renew,

  20 Vain battery, and in froth or bubbles end;

  So Satan, whom repulse upon repulse

  Met ever; and to shameful silence brought,

  Yet gives not o’er though desperate of success,

  And his vain importunity pursues.

  25 He brought our Saviour to the western side

  Of that high mountain, whence he might behold

  Another plain, long but in breadth not wide;

  Washed by the southern sea, and on the north

  To equal length backed with a ridge of hills

  30 That screened the fruits of the earth and seats of men

  From cold Septentrion blasts; thence in the midst

  Divided by a river, of whose banks

  On each side an imperial city stood,

  With towers and temples proudly elevate

  35 On seven small hills, with palaces adorned,

  Porches and theatres, baths, aqueducts,

  Statues and trophies, and triumphal arcs,

  Gardens and groves presented to his eyes,

  Above the heighth of mountains interposed.

  40 By what strange parallax or optic skill

  Of vision multiplied through air, or glass

  Of telescope, were curious to inquire:

  And now the Tempter thus his silence broke.

  The city which thou seest no other deem

  45 Than great and glorious Rome, queen of the earth

  So far renowned, and with the spoils enriched

  Of nations; there the Capitol thou seest

  Above the rest lifting his stately head

  On the Tarpeian rock, her citadel

  50 Impregnable, and there Mount Palatine

  The imperial palace, compass huge, and high

  Th
e structure, skill of noblest architects,

  With gilded battlements, conspicuous far,

  Turrets and terraces, and glittering spires.

  55 Many a fair edifice besides, more like

  Houses of gods (so well I have disposed

  My airy microscope) thou may’st behold

  Outside and inside both, pillars and roofs

  Carved work, the hand of famed artificers

  60 In cedar, marble, ivory or gold.

  Thence to the gates cast round thine eye, and see

  What conflux issuing forth, or ent’ring in,

  Praetors, proconsuls to their provinces

  Hasting or on return, in robes of state;

  65 Lictors and rods the ensigns of their power;

  Legions and cohorts, turms of horse and wings:

  Or embassies from regions far remote

  In various habits on the Appian road,

  Or on the Aemilian, some from furthest south,

  70 Syene, and where the shadow both way falls,

  Meroë Nilotic isle, and more to west,

  The realm of Bocchus to the Blackmoor sea;

  From the Asian kings and Parthian among these,

  From India and the golden Chersoness,

  75 And utmost Indian isle Tapróbanè,

  Dusk faces with white silken turbans wreathed:

  From Gallia, Gades, and the British west,

  Germans and Scythians, and Sarmatians north

  Beyond Danubius to the Tauric pool.

  80 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

  85 Before the Parthian; these two thrones except,

  The rest are barbarous, and scarce worth the sight,

  Shared among petty kings too far removed;

  These having shown thee, I have shown thee all

  The kingdoms of the world, and all their glory.

  90 This Emperor hath no son, and now is old,

  Old, and lascivious, and from Rome retired

  To Capreae an island small but strong

  On the Campanian shore, with purpose there

  His horrid lusts in private to enjoy,

  95 Committing to a wicked favourite

  All public cares, and yet of him suspicious,

  Hated of all, and hating; with what ease,

  Endued with regal virtues as thou art,

  Appearing, and beginning noble deeds,

  100 Might’st thou expel this monster from his throne

  Now made a sty, and in his place ascending,

  A victor-people free from servile yoke!

  And with my help thou may’st; to me the power

  Is given, and by that right I give it thee.

  105 Aim therefore at no less than all the world,