Ignorant of themselves, of God much more,

And how the world began, and how man fell
Degraded by himself, on grace depending?
Much of the Soul they talk, but all awry,

And in themselves feek virtue, and to themselves
All glory arrogate, to God give none,

Rather accufe him under ufual names,

Fortune and Fate, as one regardless quite
Of mortal things. Who therefore seeks in these
True wisdom, finds her not, or by delusion
Far worse, her false resemblance only meets,
An empty cloud. However many books

Wife men have faid are wearifom; who reads
Inceffantly, and to his reading brings not

A spirit and judgment equal or fuperior,

(And what he brings, what need he elsewhere feek) Uncertain and unfettled ftill remains,

Deep verst in books and shallow in himself,
Crude or intoxicate, collecting toys,

And trifles for choice matters, worth a fpunge;

As Children gath'ring pibles on the shore.
Or if I would delight my private hours

With Mufick or with Poem, where so soon

As in our native Language can I find

That folace? All our Law and Story ftrew'd
With Hymens,our Pfalms with artful terms infcrib'd,
Our Hebrew Songs and Harps in Babylon,

That pleas'd fo well our Victors ear, declare
That rather Greece from us these arts deriv'd,
Ill imitated, while they loudeft fing

The vices of their Deities, and their own
In Fable, Hymn, or Song, fo personating
Their Gods ridiculous, and themselves paft fhame.
Remove their swelling Epithetes thick laid
As varnish on a Harlot's check, the rest,
Thin fown with aught of profit or delight,
Will far be found unworthy to compare
With Sion's fongs, to all true tafts excelling,
Where God is prais'd aright, and God-like men,
The Holieft of Holies, and his Saints;

Such are from God infpir'd, not fuch from thee;
Unless where moral virtue is exprefs'd

By light of Nature not in all quite lost.

Their Orators thou then extoll'ft, as thofe

The

top of Eloquence, Statists indeed,

And lovers of theid Country, as may feem,

But herein to our Prophets far beneath,

As men divinely taught, and better teaching
The folid rules of Civil Government

In their Majestic unaffected ftile

Than all the Oratory of Greece, and Rome.
In them is plaineft taught, and easiest learnt,
What makes a Nation happy, and keeps it so,
What ruins Kingdoms, and lays Cities flat;
These only with our Law best form a King.
So fpake the Son of God; but Satan now
Quite at a lofs, for all his darts were spent,
Thus to our Saviour with ftern brow reply'd.

Since neither wealth, nor honour, arms nor arts,
Kingdom nor Empire pleases thee, nor aught
By me propos'd in life contemplative,

Or active, tended on by glory, or fame,
What doft thou in this World? the Wilderness
For thee is fitteft place, I found thee there,
And thither will return thee, yet remember
What I foretel thee, foon thou shalt have caufe
To wish thou never hadst rejected thus

Nicely or cautiously my offer'd aid,

Which would have fet thee in fhort time with ease

On

On David's Throne; or Throne of all the world, Now at full age, fulness of time, thy season, When Prophecies of thee are best fulfill'd.

Now contrary, if I read aught in Heav'n,

Or Heav'n write aught of Fate, by what the Stars
Voluminous, or fingle Characters,

In their conjunction met, give me to spell,
Sorrows and labours, oppofition, hate,
Attends thee, fcorns, reproaches, injuries,
Violence and stripes, and laftly cruel death;

A Kingdom they portend thee, but what Kingdom,
Real or Allegoric I discern not,

Nor, when, eternal fure, as without end,
Without beginning; for no date perfixt,
Directs me in the Starry Rubric set.

So faying he took (for still he knew his Pow'r Not yet expir'd) and to the Wilderness

Brought back the Son of God, and left him there, Feigning to disappear. Darkness now rose,

As day-light funk, and brought in lowring night. Her shad'wy off-spring unsubstantial both, Privation meer of light and absent day.

Our Saviour meek and with untroubled mind

After his aery jaunt, though hurry'd fore,

Hungry and cold betook him to his rest,

Wherever, under fome concourse of shades

Whose branching arms thick intertwin'd might shield From dews and damps of night his shelter'd head, But shelter'd slept in vain, for at his Head

The Tempter watch'd, and foon with ugly dreams
Disturb'd his fleep; and either Tropic now

'Gan thunder, and both ends of Heav'n the Clouds
From many a horrid rift abortive pour'd
Fierce rain with lightning mixt, water with fire
In ruin reconcil'd: nor flept the winds
Within their ftony caves, but rush'd abroad
From the four hinges of the world, and fell
On the vext Wilderness, whofe tallest Pines,
Though rooted deep as high, and sturdiest Oaks
Bow'd their stiff necks, loaden with stormy blafts,
Or torn up sheer: ill waft thou shrouded then,
O patient: Son of God, yet.only floodst
Unfhaken, nor yet ftaid the terror there,

Infernal Ghosts, and Hellish Furies, round

[Thriek❜d, Environ'd thee, fome howl'd, fome yell'd, fome Some bent at thee their fiery darts while thou