The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (147 page)

To whom our Savior calmly thus replied:

“Thou neither dost persuade me to seek wealth

For empire’s sake, nor empire to affect
⁶⁹²⁶

For glory’s sake, by all thy argument.

For what is glory but the blaze
⁶⁹²⁷
of fame,

The people’s praise—if always praise unmixed?

And what
⁶⁹²⁸
the people but a herd confused,

A miscellaneous rabble,
⁶⁹²⁹
who extol

Things vulgar and, well weighed,
⁶⁹³⁰
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
⁶⁹³¹
good.

Th’ intelligent among them and the wise

Are few, and glory scarce of few is raised.
⁶⁹³²

This is true glory and renown—when God,

Looking on the earth, with approbation marks

The just man, and divulges
⁶⁹³³
him through Heav’n

To all His Angels, who with true applause

Recount his praises. Thus He did to Job,

When to extend his fame through Heav’n and earth

(As thou to thy reproach may’st well remember)

He asked thee, ‘Hast thou seen my servant Job?’

Famous he was in Heav’n; on earth less known,

Where glory is false glory, attributed

To things not glorious, men not worthy of fame.

“They err who count it glorious to subdue

By conquest far and wide, to overrun

Large countries, and in field great battles win,

Great cities by assault. What do these worthies

But rob and spoil, burn, slaughter, and enslave

Peaceable nations, neighboring or remote?

Made captive, yet deserving freedom more

Than those their conquerors, who leave behind

Nothing but ruin wheresoe’er they rove,

And all the flourishing works of peace destroy,

Then swell with pride, and must be titled gods,

Great benefactors of mankind, deliverers,

Worshipped with temple, priest, and sacrifice!

One is the son of Jove,
⁶⁹³⁴
of Mars
⁶⁹³⁵
the other,

Till conqueror Death discover
⁶⁹³⁶
them scarce men,

Rolling in brutish vices, and deformed,
⁶⁹³⁷

Violent or shameful Death their due reward.

“But if there be in glory aught of good,

It may by means far different be attained,

Without ambition, war, or violence—

By deeds of peace, by wisdom eminent,

By patience, temperance. I mention still

Him whom thy wrongs with saintly patience borne,

Made famous in a land and times obscure:

Who names not now with honor patient Job?

Poor Socrates (who next more memorable?)

By what he taught and suffered for so doing,

For truth’s sake suffering death unjust, lives now

Equal in fame to proudest conquerors.

Yet if for fame and glory aught be done,

Aught suffered—if young African
⁶⁹³⁸
for fame

His wasted country freed from Punic
⁶⁹³⁹
rage—

The deed becomes unpraised, the man at least,

And loses, though but verbal, his reward.

Shall I seek glory, then, as vain men seek,

Oft not deserved? I seek not mine, but His

Who sent me, and thereby witness
⁶⁹⁴⁰
whence I am.”
⁶⁹⁴¹

To whom the Tempter, murmuring, thus replied:

“Think not so slight of glory, therein least

Resembling thy great Father. He seeks glory,

And for His glory all things made, all things

Orders and governs, nor content in Heav’n,

By all His Angels glorified, requires

Glory from men, from all men, good or bad,

Wise or unwise, no difference, no exemption.

Above all sacrifice, or hallowed gift,

Glory He requires, and glory He receives,

Promiscuous
⁶⁹⁴²
from all nations, Jew, or Greek,

Or barbarous, nor exception hath declared.

From us, His foes pronounced, glory He exacts.”

To whom our Savior fervently replied:

“And reason,
⁶⁹⁴³
since His Word all things produced,

Though chiefly not for glory as prime end,

But to show forth His goodness, and impart

His good communicable to every soul

Freely. Of whom what could He less expect

Than glory and benediction
⁶⁹⁴⁴
—that is, thanks—

The slightest, easiest, readiest recompense

From them who could return Him nothing else?

And not returning that, would likeliest render

Contempt instead, dishonor, obloquy?

Hard recompense, unsuitable return

For so much good, so much beneficence!

“But why should man seek glory, who of his own

Hath nothing, and to whom nothing belongs

But condemnation, ignominy, and shame?

Who for so many benefits received

Turned recreant
⁶⁹⁴⁵
to God, ingrate and false,

And so of all true good himself despoiled,
⁶⁹⁴⁶

Yet sacrilegious, to himself would take

That which to God alone of right belongs?

Yet so much bounty
⁶⁹⁴⁷
is in God, such grace,

That who advances His glory, not their own,

Them He Himself to glory will advance.”

So spoke the Son of God, and here again.

Satan had not to answer, but stood struck

With guilt of his own sin—for he himself,

Insatiable of glory, had lost all.

Yet of another plea bethought him soon:

“Of glory, as thou wilt,” said he, “so deem,

Worth or not worth the seeking. Let it pass.

But to a kingdom thou art born—ordained

To sit upon thy father David’s throne,

By mother’s side thy father, though thy right

Be now in powerful hands that will not part

Easily from possession won with arms.

Judaea now, and all the promised land

Reduced a province under Roman yoke,

Obeys Tiberius,
⁶⁹⁴⁸
nor is always ruled

With temperate sway. Oft have they violated

The Temple, oft the Law, with foul affronts,

Abominations rather, as did once

Antiochus.
⁶⁹⁴⁹
And think’st thou to regain

Thy right by sitting still, or thus retiring?

So did not Machabeus.
⁶⁹⁵⁰
He indeed

Retired unto the desert, but with arms,

And o’er a mighty king so oft prevailed

That by strong hand his family obtained,

Though priests, the crown, and David’s throne usurped,

With Modin and her suburbs once content.

“If kingdom move thee not, let move thee zeal

And duty. Zeal and duty are not slow,

But on occasion’s
⁶⁹⁵¹
forelock watchful wait.

They themselves, rather, are occasion best,

Zeal of thy Father’s house, duty to free

Thy country from her heathen servitude.

So shalt thou best fulfill, best verify,

The prophets old, who sung thy endless reign—

The happier reign the sooner it begins.

Reign then. What canst thou better do the while?”

To whom our Savior answer thus returned:

“All things are best fulfilled in their due time,

And time there is for all things, truth hath said.

If of my reign prophetic writ hath told

That it shall never end, so when begin

The Father in His purpose hath decreed,

He in whose hand all times and seasons roll.

What if He hath decreed that I shall first

Be tried in humble state, and things adverse,

By tribulations, injuries, insults,

Contempts, and scorns, and snares, and violence,

Suffering, abstaining, quietly expecting

Without distrust or doubt, that He may know

What I can suffer, how obey? Who best

Can suffer, best can do, best reign who first

Well hath obeyed—just trial ere I merit

My exaltation without change or end.

“But what concerns it thee when I begin

My everlasting kingdom? Why art thou

Solicitous? What moves thy inquisition?

Know’st thou not that my rising is thy fall,

And my promotion will be thy destruction?”

To whom the Tempter, inly racked,
⁶⁹⁵²
replied:

“Let that come when it comes. All hope is lost

Of my reception into grace. What worse?

For where no hope is left, is left no fear.

If there be worse, the expectation more

Of worse torments me than the feeling can.

I would be at the worst. Worst is my port,

My harbor, 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

Reign or reign not—though to that gentle brow