The realm of Bocchus to the Black-moor sea; From the Asian kings and Parthian, among these, From India and the golden Chersonese,

And utmost Indian isle Taprobane,

Dusk faces with white silken turbans wreath'd: From Gallia, Gades, and the British west, Germans, and Scythians, and Sarmatians north Beyond Danubius to the Tauric pool.

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,

75

80

And long renown, thou justly may'st prefer
Before the Parthian; these two thrones except, 85
The rest are barbarous, and scarce worth the sight,
Shar'd among petty kings too far remov❜d.
These having shown thee, I have shown thee all
The kingdoms of the world, and all their glory.
This emperor hath no son, and now is old,
Old and lascivious, and from Rome retir'd
To Capreæ, an island small but strong
On the Campanian shore, with purpose there
His horrid lusts in private to enjoy,
Committing to a wicked favourite

All public cares, and yet of him suspicious,
Hated of all and hating: with what ease,
Indu'd with regal virtues as thou art,

72 Black-moor] Hor. Od. ii. vi. 3.

90

96

Estuat unda.'

Ubi Maura semper

Dunster.

Appearing and beginning noble deeds,

99

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!

105

And with my help thou may'st; to me the power
Is given, and by that right I give it thee.
Aim therefore at no less than all the world;
Aim at the highest; without the highest attain'd,
Will be for thee no sitting, or not long,
On David's throne, be prophesy'd what will.
To whom the Son of God unmov'd replied.
Nor doth this grandeur and majestic show
Of luxury, though call'd magnificence,
More than of arms before, allure mine eye,

110

Much less my mind; though thou should'st add to tell

Their sumptuous gluttonies and gorgeous feasts On citron tables or Atlantic stone,

115

115 citron tables or Atlantic stone] Citron wood grew on Mount Atlas, and was held by the Romans as valuable as gold. Martial Ep. xiv. 89. 'Accipe felices, Atlantica munera, sylvas.' Atlantic stone, the Commentators say, was never heard of; nor can they explain the meaning of the expression: had the mantle therefore of Bentley descended on me, I should read

and gorgeous feasts

On citron tables or Atlantic, stor❜d.'

I can find no account of Atlantic marble in the learned work of Cariophylus de Ant. Marmoribus.-Since writing the above, I believe that I have detected the true meaning of Atlantic stone, which has escaped the Commentators. Pliny mentions that the woods of Atlas were eagerly searched by the Romans for

-For I have also heard, perhaps have read— Their wines of Setia, Cales, and Falerne, Chios, and Crete, and how they quaff in gold, Crystal and myrrhine cups emboss'd with gems And studs of pearl; to me should'st tell, who thirst And hunger still. Then embassies thou show'st From nations far and nigh. What honour that, But tedious waste of time to sit and hear So many hollow compliments and lies, Outlandish flatteries? then proceed'st to talk Of the emperor, how easily subdu❜d, How gloriously; I shall, thou say'st, expel A brutish monster: what if I withal Expel a devil who first made him such?

125

citron wood, and ivory. Hist. Nat. lib. v. c. i. 1. vol. i. p. 366, ed. Brot. 'quam luxuriæ, cujus efficacissima vis sentitur atque maxima, cum ebori citroque silvæ exquirantur.' Diod. Siculus joins them, lib. v. c. xlvi. vol. iii. p. 355, ed. Bip. • τά τε θυρώματα τοῦ ναοῦ θαυμαστὰς ἔχει τὰς κατασκευὰς ἐξ ἀργύρου καὶ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἐλέφαντος, ἔτι δὲ θύας δεδημιουργημévas'; so the author of the Apocalypse, xviii. 12. πāv §úλov θύϊνον, καὶ πᾶν σκευος ἐλεφάντινον; Suidas and Pausanias also mention them together. We may, therefore, consider 'Atlantic stone' to be a learned and poetical way for naming the 'Ebor Atlanticum;' and Pliny also says, that the forests in Mauritania were filled with elephants, lib. v. c. i. 1. vol. i. p. 364, the same forests which afforded the citron wood. Should 1 'stone' be still thought a singular expression for ivory, it may be observed, that 'fossil ivory' might have been sought for; and that Pliny, lib. xxxvi. c. xxix. 18, vol. vi. p. 230, mentions a mineral ivory, which he calls a stone.

119 myrrhine] Plinii N. Hist. lib. xxxv. c. xlvi. vol. vi. p. 172. Quoniam eò pervenit luxuria, ut etiam fictilia pluris constent quam murrhina.'

130

Let his tormentor conscience find him out;
For him I was not sent, nor yet to free
That people victor once, now vile and base,
Deservedly made vassal, who, once just,
Frugal, and mild, and temperate, conquer'd well,
But govern ill the nations under yoke,
Peeling their provinces, exhausted all
By lust and rapine; first ambitious grown
Of triumph, that insulting vanity;

Then cruel, by their sports to blood inur'd

138

Of fighting beasts, and men to beasts expos'd; 140
Luxurious by their wealth, and greedier still,
And from the daily scene effeminate.

What wise and valiant man would seek to free
These thus degenerate, by themselves enslav'd,
Or could of inward slaves make outward free? 145
Know therefore, when my season comes to sit
On David's throne, it shall be like a tree
Spreading and overshadowing all the earth,
Or as a stone that shall to pieces dash

All monarchies besides throughout the world, 150
And of my kingdom there shall be no end.
Means there shall be to this, but what the means,
Is not for thee to know, nor me to tell.

To whom the tempter impudent replied.

I see all offers made by me how slight
Thou valu'st, because offer'd, and reject'st;

141 Luxurious] Manilius, iv. 10.

'Luxuriamque lucris emimus, luxuque rapinas.'

Dunster.

155

Nothing will please the difficult and nice,
Or nothing more than still to contradict.
On the other side know also thou, that I
On what I offer set as high esteem,
Nor what I part with mean to give for nought;
All these which in a moment thou behold'st,
The kingdoms of the world to thee I give;
For, giv'n to me, I give to whom I please,
No trifle; yet with this reserve, not else,
On this condition, if thou wilt fall down,
And worship me as thy superior lord,
Easily done, and hold them all of me:
For what can less so great a gift deserve?

160

165

Whom thus our Saviour answer'd with disdain.

I never lik'd thy talk, thy offers less,

175

Now both abhor, since thou hast dar'd to utter
The abominable terms, impious condition;
But I endure the time, till which expir'd,
Thou hast permission on me. It is written
The first of all commandments, Thou shalt worship
The Lord thy God, and only him shalt serve;
And dar'st thou to the Son of God propound
To worship thee accurst, now more accurst
For this attempt, bolder than that on Eve,
And more blasphemous ? which expect to rue.
The kingdoms of the world to thee were giv'n,
Permitted rather, and by thee usurp❜d,

Other donation none thou canst produce:

180

157 the difficult] Jortin and Sympson would read 'thee difficult.'