Then softly answered Dives where the money-changers sit:-- ‘My refuge is Our Master, O My Master in the Pit; ‘But behold all Earth is laid ‘In the peace which I have made, ‘And behold I wait on thee to trouble it!’
Then angrily turned Satan, and about the Seas he fled, To shake the new-sown peoples with insult, doubt, and dread; But for all the sleight he used There was never squadron loosed, And the brands he flung flew dying and fell dead.
Yet to Dives came Atlantis and the Captains of the West-- And their hates were nothing weakened nor their anger nor unrest-- And they pawned their utmost trade For the dry, decreeing blade; And Dives lent and took of them their best.
Then Satan said to Dives:--’Declare thou by The Name, ‘The secret of thy subtlety that turneth mine to shame. ‘It is known through all the Hells ‘How my peoples mocked my spells, ‘And my faithless Kings denied me ere I came.’
Then answered cunning Dives: ‘Do not gold and hate abide ‘At the heart of every Magic, yea, and senseless fear beside? ‘With gold and fear and hate ‘I have harnessed state to state, ‘And with hate and fear and gold their hates are tied.
‘For hate men seek a weapon, for fear they seek a shield-- ‘Keener blades and broader targes than their frantic neighbours wield-- ‘For gold I arm their hands, ‘And for gold I buy their lands, ‘And for gold I sell their enemies the yield.
‘Their nearest foes may purchase, or their furthest friends may lease, ‘One by one from Ancient Accad to the Islands of the Seas. ‘And their covenants they make ‘For the naked iron’s sake, ‘But I--I trap them armoured into peace.
‘The flocks that Egypt pledged me to Assyria I drave, ‘And Pharaoh hath the increase of the herds that Sargon gave. ‘Not for Ashdod overthrown ‘Will the Kings destroy their own, ‘Or their peoples wake the strife they feign to brave.
‘Is not Calno like Carchemish? For the steeds of their desire ‘They have sold me seven harvests that I sell to Crowning Tyre; ‘And the Tyrian sweeps the plains ‘With a thousand hired wains, ‘And the Cities keep the peace and--share the hire.
‘Hast thou seen the pride of Moab? For the swords about his path, ‘His bond is to Philistia, in half of all he hath. ‘And he dare not draw the sword ‘Till Gaza give the word, ‘And he show release from Askalon and Gath.