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SAMSON AGONISTES;

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Dramatic POEM.

The AUTHOR

JOHN MILTON.

Ariftot. Poet. Cap. 6.

ΤραΓωδία μίμησις πράξεως σπεδαίας, &c.

Tragoedia eft imitatio actionis feriæ, &c. per mifericordiam & metum perficiens talium affectuum luftrationem.

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Of that fort of Dramatic Poem which is call'd Tragedy.

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RAGEDY, as it was anciently compos'd, hath been ever held the gravest, moralleft, and most profitable of all other Poems: therefore faid by Ariftotle to be of power, by raifing pity and fear, or terror, to purge the mind of those and fuch like Paffions, that is, to temper, and reduce them to juft measure with a kind of delight, ftirr'd up by reading or feeing thofe Paffions well imitated. Nor is Nature wanting in her own effects to make good his affertion; for fo in Phyfic things of melancholic hue and quality are us'd againft Melancholy, four against four, falt to remove falt Humours. Hence Philofophers, and other gravest Writers. as Cicero, Plutarch, and others, frequently cite out of Tragic Poets, both to adorn and illuftrate their difcourfe. The Apoftle Paul himself thought it not unworthy to infert a verfe of Euripides into the Text of Holy Scripture, 1 Cor. xv. 33. and Paraus commenting on the Revelation, divides the whole Book as a Tragedy, into Acts, diftinguish'd each by a Chorus of Heavenly HarpE 2 ings,

ings, and Song between. Heretofore Men in higheft dignity have laboured not a little to be thought able to compofe a Tragedy. Of that honour Dionyfius the elder was no lefs ambitious, than before of his attaining to the Tyranny. Auguftus Cæfar alfo had begun his Ajax, but unable to please his own Judgment with what he had begun, left it unfinish'd. Seneca the Philofopher is by fome thought the Author of thofe Tragedies (at leaft the best of them) that go under that name. Gregory Nazianzen, a Father of the Church, thought it not unbefeeming the fanctity of his perfon to write a Tragedy, which is intitl'd, Chrift fuffering. This is mention'd to vindicate Tragedy from the fmall esteem, or rather infamy, which in the account of many it undergoes at this day with other common Interludes; hap'ning through the Poet's error of intermixing Comic ftuff with Tragic fadness and gravity; or introducing trivial and vulgar Perfons, which by all judicious hath been counted abfurd; and brought in without difcretion, corruptly to gratify the people. And though ancient Tragedy ufe no Prologue, yet ufing fometimes, in case of selfdefence, or explanation, that which Martial calls an Epiftle; in behalf of this Tragedy coming forth after the ancient manner, much different from what among us paffes for beft, thus much before-hand may be Epiftl'd; That Chorus is here introduc'd after the Greek man

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ner, not ancient only but modern, and still in ufe among the Italians. In the modelling therefore of this Poem, with good reason, the Ancients and Italians are rather follow'd, as of much more Authority and Fame. The measure of Verfe us'd in the Chorus is of all forts, call'd by the Greeks Monoftrophic, or rather Apolelymenon, without regard had to Strophe, Antiftrophe, or Epod, which were a kind of Stanzas fram'd only for the Mufic, then us'd with the Chorus that fung; not effential to the Poem, and therefore not material; or being divided into Stanzas or Paufes, they may be call'd Alleoftropha. Divifion into Act and Scene referring chiefly to the Stage, (to which this Work never was intended) is here omitted. It fuffices if the whole Drama be found not produc'd beyond the fifth Act. Of the ftyle and uniformity, and that commonly call'd the Plot, whether intricate or explicit, (which is nothing indeed but fuch economy, or difpofition of the fable as may ftand beft with verifimilitude and decorum) they only will best judge who are not unacquainted with Efchylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the three Tragic Poets unequall'd yet by any, and the best. rule to all who endeavour to write Tragedy.. The circumfcription of time wherein the whole Drama begins and ends, is according to ancient rule, and beft example, within the fpace of 24 hours.

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