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52 PARADISE REGAINED. BOOK III.
Our Saviour, and new train of words began.
" Well have we fpeeded, and o'er hill and dale,
Foreft and field and flood, temples and towers,
Cut fhorter many a league ;
here thou behold'ft
Aflyria and her empire's ancient bounds,
Araxes and the Cafpian lake, thence on
As far as Indus eaft, Euphrates weft,
And oft beyond ;
*o fouth the Perfian bay,
And inaccefllble th' Arabian drouth:
Here Nineveh, of length within her wall
Several days journey, built by Ninus old,
Of that firft golden monarchy the feat,
And feat of Salmanaflar, whofe fuccefs
Ifrael in long captivity ftill mourns}
There Babylon, the wonder of all tongues,
As ancient, but rebuilt by him who twice
Judah and all thy father David's houfe
Led captive, and Jerufalem laid wafte,
Till Cyrus fet them free; Perfepolis
His city there thou feeft, and Baclxa there;
Ecbatana her ftru6ture vaft there fhows,
And Hecatompylos her hundred gates;
There Sufa by Choafpes, amber ftream,
The drink of none but kings; of later fame
Built by Emathian, or by Parthian hands,
The great Seleucia, Nifibis, and there
Artaxata, Teredon, Ctefiphon,
Turning with eafy eye thou may'ft behold.
All thefe the Parthian, now fome ages paft,
By great Arfaces led, who founded firft
That empire, under his dominion holds.