Me overthrown, to enter lifts with God, ons agrono
His Deity comparing and preferring

Before the God of Abraham. He, be fure,
Will not connive, or linger, thus provok❜d,
But will arife and his great name affert :
Dagon must stoop, and fhall ere long receive
Such a difcomfit, as fhall quite defpoil him
Of all these boafted trophies won on me,
And with confufion blank his worshippers.

Man, With cause this hope relieves thee, and these

I as a prophecy receive; for God,

Nothing more certain, will not long defer

To vindicate the glory of his name
Against all competition, nor will long
Endure it, doubtful whether God be Lord,
Or Dagon. But for thee what shall be done?
Thou must not in the mean while here forgot
Lye in this miferable loathfom plight
Neglected. I already have made way

To fome Philiftian lords with whom to treat
About thy ranfom: well they may by this
Have fatisfy'd their utmost of revenge

(words

By pains and flav'ries, worse than death, inflicted
On thee who now no more canft do them harm.

Samf. Spare that propofal, father, fpare the trouble Of that follicitation; let me here,

As I deserve, pay on my punishment;
And expiate, if poffible, my crime,
Shameful garrulity. To have reveal'd
Secrets of men, the fecrets of a friend,

How heinous had the fact been, how deserving

Contempt and fcorn of all, to be excluded
All friendship, and avoided as a blab,
The mark of fool fet on his front? but I
God's counsel have not kept, his holy fecret
Prefumptuously have publish'd, impiously,
Weakly at least, and shamefully: a fin
That Gentiles in their parables condemn
To their aby's and horrid pains confin'd.
Man. Be penitent and for thy fault contrite,
But act not in thy own affliction, fon;
Repent the fin, but if the punishment
Thou canst avoid, felf-prefervation bids;
Or th' execution leave to high difpofal,
And let another hand, not thine, exaft
Thy penal forfeit from thyfelf: perhaps
God will relent, and quit thee all his debt;
Who ever more approves and more accepts
(Beft pleas'd with humble and filial fubmiffion)
Him who imploring mercy fues for life,
Than who felf-rigorous chufes death as due;
Which argues over-just, and self-displeas'd
For felf-offence, more than for God offended.
Reject not then what offer'd means, who knows
But God hath fet before us, to return thee
Home to thy country and his facred house,
Where thou may't bring thy off'rings, to avert
His farther ire, with pray'rs and vows renew'd?

Samf. His pardon I implore; but as for life,
To what end fhould I feek it? when in ftrength
All mortals I excell'd, and great in hopes

With youthful courage and magnanimous thoughts

Of birth from heav'n foretold and high exploits,
Full of divine inftinet, after fome proof
Of acts indeed heroick, far beyond

The fons of Anack, famous now and blaz'd,
Fearless of danger, like a petty god

I walk'd about admir'd of all and dreaded
On hoftile ground, none daring my affront.
Then fwoll'n with pride into the fnare I fell
of fair fallacious looks, venereal trains,
Softned with pleasure and voluptuous life;
At length to lay my head and hollow pledge
Of all my strength in the lafcivious lap
Of a deceitful concubine, who shore me
Like a tame weather, all my precious fleece,
Then turn'd me out ridiculous, defpoil'd,
Shaven and difarm'd among mine enemies.

Chor. Defire of wine and all delicious drinks
Which many a famous warrior overturns,
`Thou couldst repress, nor did the dancing ruby
Sparkling, out-pour'd, the flavour or the smell,
Or taste that chears the hearts of gods or men,
Allure thee from the tool crystalline stream.
Samf. Where-ever fountain or fresh current flow'd
Against the eastern ray, translucent, pure,
With touch aetherial of heav'n's fiery rod,

I drank, from the clear milky juice allaying
Thirst, and refresh'd; nor envy'd them the grape
Whose heads that turbulent liquor fills with fumes.
Chor. O madness, to think ufe of strongest wines
And strongest drinks our chief fupport of health,
When God with thefe forbidd'n made choice to rear

His mighty champion, ftrong above compare,
Whose drink was only from the liquid brook.

Samf. But what avail'd this temp'rance, not compleat Against another obje& more enticing?

What boots it at one gate to make defence,

And at another to let in the foe

Effeminately. vanquish'd? by which means,

Now blind, disheartn'd, sham'd, dishonour'd, quell'd,
To what can I be useful, wherein ferve
My nation, and the work from heav'n impos'd,
But to fit idle on the houshold-hearth,
A burd'nous drone; to vifitants a gaze,
Or pity'd object, thefe redundant locks
Robuftious to no purpose chuftring down,
Vain monument of ftrength; till dength of years
And fedentary numbness craze my limbs
To a contemptible old age obfcure.

Here rather let me drudge and earn my bread,
Till vermin or the draff of fervile food
Confume me, and oft invocated death

Haften the welcome end of all my pains.

Man. Wilt thou then ferve Philiftians with that gift
Which was exprefly giv'n thee to annoy them?
Better at home lie bed-rid, not only idle,
Inglorious, unimploy'd, with age out-worn.
But God who caus'd a fountain at thy pray'r
From the dry ground to fpring, thy thirft t' allay
After the brunt of battle, can as cafy

Cause light again within thy eyes to fpring,
Wherewith to ferve him better than thou haft;
And I perfuade me fo; why else this strength

C

Mirac'lous yet remaining in those locks?

His might continues in thee not for naught,
Nor fhall his wondrous gifts be frustrate thus.

Samf. All otherwife to me my thoughts portend, That these dark orbs no more shall treat with light, Nor th' other light of life continue long,

But yield to double darkness nigh at hand:
So much I feel my genial fpirits droop,
My hopes all flat, nature within me seems
In all her functions weary of herself;
My race of glory run, and race of shame,
And I shall shortly be with them that reft.

Man. Believe not these fuggeftions, which proceed
From anguish of the mind and humours black,
That mingle with thy fancy. I however
Must not omit a father's timely care
To prosecute the means of thy deliverance
By ranfom, or how elfe: mean while be calm,
And healing words from these thy friends admit.
Samf. O that torment should not be confin'd
To the body's wounds and fores,

With maladies innumerable

In heart, head, breast, and reins;

But must secret paffage find

To th' inmoft mind,

There exercise all his fierce accidents,

And on her purest spirits prey,

As on entrails, joints and limbs

With answerable pains, but more intense,

Though void of corporal fenfe.

My griefs not only pain me