Then had I not been thus exil'd from light, By privilege of death and burial 109 From worst of other evils, pains and wrongs, 105 But made hereby obnoxious more To all the miseries of life, Life in captivity Among inhuman foes. But who are these? for with joint pace I hear CHOR. This, this is he; softly a while, Let us not break in upon him; O change beyond report, thought or belief! As one past hope, abandon'd, 119 115 120 And by himself given over; In slavish habit, ill-fitted weeds O'er-worn and soil'd; Or do my eyes misrepresent? Can this be he, That heroic, that renown'd, Irresistible Samson? whom unarm'd 125 No strength of man,or fiercest wild beast could with stand; Hiij Who tore the lion, as the lion tears the kid, Ran on imbattel'd armies clad in iron, Made arms ridiculous, useless the forgery 130 Of brazen shield and spear, the hammer'd cuirass, Chalybean temper'd steel, and frock of mail Adamantean proof; But safest he who stood aloof, When insupportably his foot advanc'd, 135 In scorn of their proud arms and warlike tools, Spurn'd them to death by troops. The bold Ascalo nite Fled from his lion ramp, old warriors turn'd 140 Or grov'ling soil'd their crested helmets in the dust. A thousand fore-skins fell, the flower of Palastine, 145 Then by main force pull'd up, and on his shoulders The gates of Azza, post, and massy bar, [bore Up to the hill by Hebron, seat of giants old, No journey of a sabbath-day, and loaded so; Like whom the Gentiles feign to bear up Heav'n. Which shall I first bewail, Thy bondage or lost sight, Prison within prison Inseparably dark? 151 Thou art become (O worst imprisonment!) 155 The dungeon of thyself; thy soul [plain) (Which men enjoying sight oft without cause com mprison'd now indeed, In real darkness of the body dwells, To' incorporate with gloomy night; Puts forth no visual beam. O mirror of our fickle state, Since man on earth unparallel'd! The rarer thy example stands, By how much from the top of wondrous glory, 160 165 To lowest pitch of abject fortune thou art fall'n, Whom long descent of birth Or the sphere of fortune raises; 70 But thee whose strength, while virtue was her mate, Might have subdued the earth, Universally crown'd with highest praises. 175 SAM. I hear the sound of words, their sense the [air Dissolves unjointed ere it reach my ear. To visit or bewail thee, or if better, Counsel or consolation we may bring, 181 Salve to thy sores; apt words have power to swage The tumors of a troubled mind, And are as balm to fester'd wounds. 185 The Persons. SAMSON. MANOAH, the Father of Samson. DALILA, his Wife. HARAPHA of Gath. Public Officer.. Messenger. Chorus of Danites. The SCENE before the Prison in Gaza. The Argument. Samson made captive, blind, and now in the prison at Gaza, there to labor as in a common workhouse, on a festival day, in the general cessation from labor, comes forth into the open air, to a place nigh, somewhat retir'd, there to sit awhile and bemoan his condition. Where he happens at length to be visited by certain friends and equals of his Tribe, which make the Chorus, who seek to comfort him what they can; then by his old father Manoah, who endevors the like, and withal tells him his purpose to procure his liberty by ransom; lastly, that this feast was proclam'd by the Philistines as a day of thanksgiving for their deliverance from the hands of Samson, which yet more troubles him. Manoah then departs to prosecute his endevor with the Philistine lords for Samson's redemption; who in the mean while is visited by other persons; and lastly by a public officer to require his coming to the feast before the lords and people, to play or show his strength in their presence; he at first refuses, dismissing the public officer with absolute denial to come; at length persuaded inwardly that this was from God, he yields to go along with him, who came now the second time with great threatnings to fetch him: the Chorus yet remaining on the place, Manoah returns full of joyful hope, to procure ere long his son's deliverance in the midst of which discourse an Hebrew comes in haste, confusedly at first, and afterwards more distinctly relating the catastrophe, what Samson had done to the Philistines, and by accident to himself; wherewith the tragedy ends. r SAMSON. A LITTLE onward lend thy guiding hand H 5 |