great threatnings to fetch him; the Chorus yet remaining on the place, Manoa returns full of joyful hope, to procure ore long his Son's deliverance: in the midst of which difcourfe an He brew comes in hafte confusedly at firft; and af terward more diftinctly relating the Catastrophe, what Samfon had done to the Philiftins, and by accident to himfelf; wherewith the Tragedy ends.
Manoa, the Father of Samfon.
Harapha of Gath.
Publick Officer.
Meffenger.
Chorus of Danites.
The Scene before the Prison in Gaza.
Little onward lend thy guiding hand
To thefe darkifteps, a little farther on
For yonder bank hath choice of Sun or fade,
There I am wont to fit, when any chance
Relieves me from my task of fervile toil,
Daily in the common Prifon elfe enjoin'd me,
Where I a Pris'ner chain'd, fcarce freely draw
The Air imprifon'd alfo, clofe and damp,
Unwholfome draught: but here I feel amends,
The breath of Heav'n fresh blowing, pure and fweer,
With day-fpring born; here leave me to refpite.
This day a folemn Feaft the people hold
To Dagon their Sea-Idol, and forbid
Laborious works, unwillingly this réft
Their Superftition yields me; hence with leave rs
Retiring from the pop'lar noife, I feek
This unfrequented place to find fome cafe,
Eafe to the body fome, none to the mind
From reftlefs thoughts, that like a deadly fwarm
Of hornets arm'd, no fooner found alone,
But rush upon me thronging, and prefent
Times past, what once I was, and what am now.
wherefore was my birth from Heav'n foretold
-Twice by an Angel; who at laft in fight
Of both my Parents all in flames afcended
From off the Altar, where an Off'ring burn'd,
As in a fiery column charioting
His God-like presence, and from some great act
Or benefit reveal'd to Abraham's race?
Why was my breeding order'd and prescrib'd
As of a perfon separate to God,
Defign'd for great exploits; if I must die
Betray'd, Captiv'd, and both my Eyes put out,.
Made of my Enemies the fcorn and gaze;
To grind in Brazen Fetters under task
With this Heav'n-gifted strength? O glorious strength
Put to the labour of a Beaft, debas'd
Lower than bondflave! Promise was that I
Should Ifrael from Philiftian yoke deliver;
Ask for this great deliv'rer now, and find him 40
Eyelefs in Gaza at the Mill with flaves,
Himself in bonds under Philiftian yoke;
Yet ftay, let me not rafhly call in doubt
Divine Prediction: what if all foretold
Had been fulfill'd but thro' mine own default, 45
Whom have I to complain of but my self?
Who this high gift of strength committed to me,
In what part lodg'd, how easily bereft me,
Under the Seal of filencé could not keep,
But weakly to a Woman muft reveal it
O'ercome with importunity and tears.
impotence of mind, in body strong!
But what is ftrength without a double share
Of wisdom, vaft, unwieldy, burthenfome,
Proudly fecure, yet liable to fall ainda dead wess
By weakest fubtleties, not made to rule, jedes
But to fubferve where wifdom bears command. bila
God, when he gave me ftrength, to fhew withal
How flight the gift was, hung it in my Hair.
But Peace, I muft not quarrel with the will160.
Of higheft difpenfation, which herein darin bad
Haply had ends above my reach to know:
Suffices that to me ftrength is my bane, abger
And proves the fource of all my miseries;
So many, and fo huge, that each apart
Would ask a life to wail, but chief of all, th
Olofs of fight, of thee I moft complain!
Blind among Enemies, O worse than chains, pode Dungeon, or beggary, decrepit age!
Light the prime work of God to me is extinct, 70 And all her various objects of delight
Annull'd, which might in part my grief have eas'd,
Inferior to the vileft now become
Of man or worm; the vileft here excel me,
They creep, yet fee, I dark in light expos'd
To daily fraud, contempt, abuse and wrong,
Within doors, or without, ftill as a fool,
In pow'r of others, never in my own;
Scarce half I feem to live, dead more than half.
@dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon, so
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