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Of fair fallacious looks, venereal trains,
Soften'd with pleasure and voluptuous life;

At length to lay my head and hallow'd pledge 535
Of all my strength in the lafcivious lap

Of a deceitful concubine, who shore me
Like a tame wether, all my precious fleece,
Then turn'd me out ridiculous, defpoil'd,
Shav'n, and difarm'd among mine enemies.

CHO. Defire of wine and all delicious drinks,

540

Which many a famous warrior overturns,
Thou couldst reprefs, nor did the dancing ruby
Sparkling, out-pour'd, the flavor, or the smell,
Or taste that chears the heart of Gods and men, 545
Allure thee from the cool cryftallin stream.

550

SAMS. Wherever fountain or fresh current flow'd
Against the eastern ray, tranflucent, pure
With touch ethereal of Heav'n's fiery rod,
I drank, from the clear milky juice allaying
Thirst, and refresh'd; nor envy'd them the grape
Whofe heads that turbulent liquor fills with fumes.
CHO. O madness, to think use of strongest wines
And strongest drinks our chief fupport of health,
When God with these forbidd'n made choice to rear
His mighty champion, ftrong above compare,
Whose drink was only from the liquid brook!

SAMS. But what avail'd this temp❜rance, not com

Against another object more enticing?

What boots it at one gate to make defense,
And at another to let in the foe,

Effeminately vanquifh'd? by which means,

[plete 560

Now

Now blind, dishearten'd, fham'd, difhonor'd, quell'd, To what can I be useful, wherein serve

My nation, and the work from Heav'n impos'd, 565
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 clustering down,

Vain monument of ftrength; till length of years 570
And fedentary numness 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-invoked death

Haften the welcome end of all my pains.

575

MAN. Wilt thou then ferve the Philistines with that Which was exprefly giv'n thee to annoy them? [gift Better at home lie bed-rid, not only idle,

Inglorious, unemploy'd, with age outworn,
But God, who caus'd a fountain at thy prayer
From the dry ground to spring, thy thirst t' allay

After the brunt of battel, can as easy

Caufe light again within thy eyes to spring,

58a

Wherewith to serve him better than thou haft; 585
And I perfuade me fo; why elfe this ftrength
Miraculous yet remaining in thofe locks?

His might continues in thee not for nought,
Nor fhall his wondrous gifts be fruftrate thus,

SAMS. 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

But yield to double darkness nigh at hand:
So much I feel my genial spirits 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 fhall fhortly be with them that rest.

595

MAN. Believe not these fuggeftions, which proceed From anguish of the mind and humors black,

That mingle with thy fancy, I however
Muft not omit a father's timely care

To profecute the means of thy deliverance

600

By ransome, or how else: mean while be calm,
And healing words from these thy friends admit. 605
SAMS. 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 muft fecret paffage find

To th' inmoft mind,

There exercise all his fierce accidents,

And on her purest spirits prey,

610

As on entrails, joints, and limbs,

With answerable pains, but more intense,

615

Though void of corporal fenfe.

My griefs not only pain me

As a lingring disease,

But finding no redress, ferment and rage,

Nor less than wounds immedicable
Rankle, and fefter, and gangrene,

To black mortification.

620

Thoughts

Thoughts my tormentors arm'd with deadly stings
Mangle my apprehensive tendereft parts,
Exafperate, exulcerate, and raise

Dire inflammation, which no cooling herb
Or medicinal liquor can affwage,

Nor breath of vernal air from fnowy Alp.
Sleep hath forfook and giv'n me o'er

625

To death's benumming opium as my only cure: 630 Thence faintings, fwoonings of despair,

And fenfe of Heav'n's desertion.

I was his nurfling once and choice delight, His deftin'd from the womb,

Promis'd by heav'nly message twice defcending. 635 Under his special eye

Abftemious I grew up

and thriv'd amain;

He led me on to mightiest deeds

Above the nerve of mortal arm
Against th' uncircumcis'd, our enemies :
But now hath caft me off as never known,
And to thofe cruel enemies,

Whom I by his appointment had provok'd,
Left me all helpless with th' irreparable loss
Of fight, referv'd alive to be repeated
The subject of their cruelty or fcorn.
Nor am I in the lift of them that hope;
Hopeless are all my evils, all remediless;

This one prayer yet remains, might I be heard,
No long petition, speedy death,

The close of all my miferies, and the balm.

CHO. Many are the fayings of the wife

640

645

650

+

In ancient and in modern books inroll'd,
Extolling patience as the trueft fortitude:

And to the bearing well of all calamities,

All chances incident to man's frail life,
Confolatories writ

655

With ftudy'd argument, and much persuasion sought
Lenient of grief and anxious thought:

But with th' afflicted in his pangs their found

Little prevails, or rather seems a tune

Harsh, and of diffonant mood from his complaint;

Unless he feel within

Some fource of confolation from above,

660

Secret refreshings, that repair his ftrength,

665

And fainting fpirits uphold.

God of our fathers, what is man!

That thou towards him with hand so various,

Or might I fay contrarious,

Temper'ft thy providence through his fhort course, 670

Not ev'nly, as thou rul❜st

Th' angelic orders and inferior creatures mute,

Irrational and brute.

Nor do I name of men the common rout,

That wandering loose about

Grow
up and perish, as the fummer flie,
Heads without name no more remember'd,
But fuch as thou haft folemnly elected,
With gifts and graces eminently adorn'd

To fome great work, thy glory,

And people's fafety, which in part they' effect:
Yet toward thefe thus dignify'd, thou oft

675

680

Amidft

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