Prifon within prison

Infeparably dark?

Thou art become (O worst imprisonment!)

The dungeon of thy felf; thy foul

(Which men enjoying fight oft without caufe comImprifon'd now indeed,

In real darkness of the body dwells,

Shut up from outward light

T'incorporate with gloomy night;
For inward light alas

Puts forth no visual beam.
O mirror of our fickle ftate,
Since man on earth unparallel'd!
The rarer thy example stands,

[plain'd)

By how much from the top of wond'rous glory,
Strongest of mortal men,

To lowest pitch of abject fortune thou art fall'n.
For him I reckon not in high eftate,

Whom long descent of birth

Or the sphere of fortune raises;

But thee whofe ftrength, while virtue was her mate, Might have fubdu'd the earth,

Univerfally crown'd with highest praifes.

Samf. I hear the found of words, their fenfe the air Diffolves unjointed ere it reach my ear..

Chor. He fpake, let us draw nigh. Matchlefs in might, The glory late of Ifrael, now the grief,

We come thy friends and neighbours not unknown
From Efhtaol and Zora's fruitful vale

To vifit or bewail thee, or if better,
Counsel or confolation we may bring,

Salve to thy fores, apt words have pow'r to fwage
The tumours of a troubled mind,

And are as balm to fefter'd wounds.

1

Samf. Your coming, friends, revives me, for I learn Now of my own experience, not by talk, How counterfeit a coin they are who friends Bear in their fuperfcription (of the most I would be understood) in profp'rous days They swarm, but in adverse withdraw their head Not to be found, though fought. Ye fee, O friends, How many evils have inclos'd me round; Yet that which was the worst now leaft afflicts me, Blindness, for had I fight, confus'd with shame, How could I once look up, or heave the head, Who like a foolish pilot have shipwreck'd My veffel trufted to me from above, Gloriously rigg'd; and for a word, a tear, Fool, have divulg'd the fecret gift of God To a deceitful woman? tell me, friends, Am I not fung and proverb'd for a fool In ev'ry street, do they not fay, how well Are come upon him his deferts? yet why? Immeasurable strength-they might behold In me, of wisdom nothing more than mean; This with the other fhould, at least, have pair'd, These two proportion'd ill drove me transverse.

Chor. Tax not divine difpofal, wifeft men Have err'd, and by bad women been deceiv'd; And shall again, pretend they ne'er so wise. Deject not then so overmuch thyself,

Who hast of sorrow thy full load besides;

B

Yet truth to say,

Toft h have heard men wonder Why thou should'st wed Philiftian woman rather Than of thine own tribe fairer, or as fair,

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At leaft of thy own nation, and as noble.
Samf. The firft I faw at Timna, and the pleas'd
Me, not my parents, that I fought to wed,
The daughter of an infidel; they knew not
That what I mention'd was of God; I knew
From intimate impulfe, and therefore urg'd
The marriage on; that by occafion hence
I might begin Ifrael's deliverance,
The work to which I was divinely call'd. quatonT
She proving falfe, the next I took to wife goniow Y
(0 that I never had! fond with too late,) mods can
Was in the vale of Sorec, Dalila, omncman or OT
That fpecious monfter, my accomplish'd fnare.god
I thought it lawful from my former act, doo T
And the fame end; ftill watching to'opprefs tem
Ifrael's oppreffors: of what now I fuffer
She was not the prime caufe, but I myself,

Who vanquish'd with a peal of words (O weakness!)
Gave up my fort of filence to a woman.

Chor. In feeking juft occafion to provoke

The Philiftin, thy country's enemy,

Thou never waft remifs, I bear thee witness: I Yet Ifrael ftill ferves with all his fons.

Samf. That fault I take not on me, but transfer On Ifrael's governors, and heads of tribes, Who feeing thofe great acts which God had done Singly by me against their conquerors, 991 wolf Acknowledg'd not, or not at all confider'den e

Deliv'rance offer'd I on th' other fide
Us'd no ambition to commend my deeds,

d

The deeds themfelves, though mute, fpoke loud the doer;
But they persisted deaf, and would not feem
To count them things worth notice, till at length
Their lords the Philistines with gather'd pow'rs
Enter'd Judea feeking me, who then

Safe to the rock of Etham was retir'd,
Not flying, but fore-cafting in what place
To set upon them what advantag'd beft,
Mean while the men of Judah to prevent
The harrafs of their land befet me round;
I willingly on fome conditions came

Into their hands, and they as gladly yield me
To the uncircumcis'd a welcome prey,

Bound with two cords; but cords to me were threds
Touch'd with the flame: on their whole hoft I flew
Unarm'd, and with a trivial weapon fell'd

Their choiceft youth; they only liv'd who fled.
Had Judah that day join'd, or one whole tribe,
They had by this poffefs'd the tow'rs of Gath,
And lorded over them whom now they ferve:
But what more oft in nations grown corrupt,
And by their vices brought to fervitude,
Than to love bondage more than liberty,
Bondage with cafe than ftrenuous liberty;
And to defpife, or envy, or fufpect
Whom God hath of his special favour rais’¿
As their deliv'rer; if he aught begin,
How frequent to defert him, and at laft
To heap ingratitude on worthieft deeds?

Chor. Thy words to my remembrance bring it bab How Succoth and the fort of Penuelst we them or M Their great deliverer contemn'd, algo liat dish bra The matchless Gideon in purfuit

Of Madian and her vanquish'd kings:
And how ingrateful Ephraim

Had dealt with Jephtha, who by argument,
Not worse than by his fhield and fpearon blow st
Defended Ifrael from the Ammonite, le Boglu

gła Had not his prowess quell'd their pride oog astoto T In that fore battle, when fo many dy’dfganong av bi Without reprieve adjudg'd to death,

For want of well pronouncing Shibboleth.
Samf. Of fuch examples add me to the roll,
Me cafily indeed mine may neglect,

But God's propos'd deliverance not fo.
Chor. Juft are the ways of God;

And justifiable to men;

Unless there be who think not God at all,

If any be, they walk obfcure;

For of fuch doctrine never was their school, Bike

But the heart of the fool,

And no man therein doctor but himself.

Yet more there be who doubt his ways not juft,
As to his own edicts found contradicting,
Then give the reins to wandring thought,
Regardless of his glory's diminution;
Till by their own perplexities involv'd
They ravel more, ftill léfs refolv'd,
But never find felf-fatisfying folution.
As if they would confine th' interminable,