THE PERSONS.

SAMSON.

MANOAH, the Father of Samfon.

DALILA, his Wife.

HARAPHA of Gath.

Public Officer..

Meffenger.

Chorus of Danites.

The SCENE before the Prison in Gaza.

211

SAMSON AGONISTES.

A

SAMSON.

Little onward lend thy guiding hand

5

To these dark steps, a little further on; For yonder bank hath choice of sun or shade : There I am wont to fit, when any chance Relieves me from my tafk of fervile toil, Daily' in the common prison else injoin'd me, Where I a prisoner chain'd, scarce freely draw The air imprison'd also, close and damp, Unwholesome draught: but here I feel amends, The

Samfon Agoniftes]The fubject but a very indifferent one for a dramatic fable. However he has made the best of it. He feems to have chofen it for the fake of the fatire on bad wives. Warburton.

Samson Agonifles] That is Samfon an actor, Samfon reprefented in a play. Aywuss, ludio, hiftrio, actor fcenicus.

Samfon] Milton after the example of the Greek tragedians, whom he profeffes to imitate, opens his drama with introducing one of its principal perfonages explaining the story upon which it is founded. Thyer. 1.A little onward lend thy guiding hand

To thefe dark steps,] So Tirefias in Euripides, Phæniffe ver. 841. Ηγε προπαροιθε θυγατερ, ὡς τυφλῳ ποδι &c. Richardfon.

3. For yonder bank] The fcene of this tragedy is much the fame as that of the Oldies e non wvw in Sophocles, where blind Oedipus is conducted in like manner and reprefented fitting upon a little hill near Athens: but yet I think there. is fcarcely a fingle thought the fame in the two pieces, and I am sure the Greek tragedy can have no pretence to be efteem'd better, but only because it is two thousand years older.

The breath of Heav'n freth blowing, pure and fweet,
With day-fpring born; here leave me to refpire. II
This day a folemn feast the people hold
To Dagon their fea-idol, and forbid
Laborious works; unwillingly this reft

Their fuperftition yields me; hence with leave 15
Retiring from the popular noife, I seek

This unfrequented place to find some case,
Eafe to the body fome, none to the mind
From restless thoughts, that like a deadly fwarm
Of hornets arm'd, no fooner found alone,
But rush upon me thronging, and present

20

Times paft, what once I was, and what am now. O wherefore was my birth from Heav'n foretold Twice by an Angel, who at last in fight

Of both my parents all in flames afcended

13.
To Dagon their fea-idol,] For
Milton both here and in the Pa-
radife Loft follows the opinion of
thofe, who defcribe this idol as
part man, part fish. I. 462.

Dagon his name, fea monfter,
upward man
And downward fish.

24. Twice by an Angel,] Once to his mother, and again to his father Manoah and his mother both,

25 From

From off the altar, where an offering burn'd,
As in a fiery column charioting

His god-like presence, and from fome great act
Or benefit reveal'd to Abraham's race?

Why was my breeding order'd and prefcrib'd 30 As of a person 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

35

With this Heav'n-gifted strength? O glorious strength

Put to the labor of a beaft, debas'd

Lower than bondflave! Promife was that I

Should Ifrael from Philistian yoke deliver;

Afk for this great deliverer now, and find him 40 Eyelefs in Gaza at the mill with flaves,

flood tho' not exprefs'd. As in a fiery column charioting Sc, and as from fome great act &c.

33. Betray'd, captiv'd,] It should be pronounced with the accent upon the last fyllable, as afterwards ver. 694.

To dogs and fowls a prey, or elfe captiv'd.

I think we commonly pronounce it with the accent upon the first

Himfelf

fyllable captiv'd: but our old au-
thors give it the fame pronuncia-
tion as Milton. Spenfer. Faery
Queen. B. 2. Cant. 4. St. 16.
Thus when as Guyon Furor had
captiv'd:

and B. 3.
Cant. 1. St. 2.
But the captiv'd Acrafia he fent:
and Fairfax Cant. 19. St. 95.
Free was Erminia, but captiv'd
her heart.

P 3

53. But

Himself in bonds under Philifstian yoke :

Yet stay, let me not rafhly call in doubt
Divine prediction; what if all foretold

46

Had been fulfill'd but through mine own default,
Whom have I to complain of but myself?
Who this high gift of strength committed to me,
In what part lodg'd, how eafily bereft me,
Under the feal of filence could not keep,
But weakly to a woman must reveal it,
O'ercome with importunity and tears.
O impotence of mind, in body strong!
But what is strength without a double share
Of wisdom, vaft, unwieldy, burdensome,
Proudly fecure, yet liable to fall

By weakeft fubtleties, not made to rule,

50

55

But to fubferve where wisdom bears command! God, when he gave me strength, to show withal How flight the gift was, hung it in my hair.