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Arm'd thee or charm'd thee ftrong, which thou from

Heaven

Feign'dft at thy birth, was giv'n thee in thy hair, 1135 Where strength can least abide, though all thy hairs Were bristles rang'd like those that ridge the back Of chaf'd wild boars, or ruffled porcupines.

SAMSON.

I know no spells, ufe no forbidden arts; My truft is in the living God, who gave me At my nativity this ftrength, diffus'd

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No less through all my finews, joints and bones, Than thine, while I preferv'd these locks unfhorn, The pledge of my unviolated vow.

For proof hereof if Dagon be thy God,

other editions have and thy fpear, which is not fo proper, for it cannot well be faid in conftruction, put on thy Spear. A weaver's beam, as Goliath's was, 1 Sam. XVII, 7. And the staff of his Spear was like a weaver's beam, and his brother's, 2 Sam. XXI. 19. the staff of whofe Spear was like a weaver's beam. And feven times folded fhield, as was Ajax's, clypei dominus feptemplicis Ajax, Ovid. Met. XIII, 2.

i132. had not spells, &c] This is natural enough in the mouth of Harapha, and no ways inconfiftent with the manners of

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Go to his temple, invocate his aid
With folemneft devotion, spread before him
How highly it concerns his glory now
To fruftrate and diffolve these magic spells,
Which I to be the pow'r of Ifrael's God
Avow, and challenge Dagon to the test,
Offering to combat thee his champion bold,
With th' utmost of his Godhead feconded:
Then thou shalt fee, or rather to thy forrow
Soon feel, whofe God is ftrongeft, thine or mine.

HARAPH A.

Prefume not on thy God, whate'er he be,

Thee he regards not, owns not, hath cut off
Quite from his people, and deliver'd up

Into thy enemies hand, permitted them

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To put out both thine eyes, and fetter'd fend thee

Into the common prison, there to grind
Among the flaves and affes thy comrades,

As good for nothing else, no better service
With those thy boift'rous locks, no worthy match

And each particular hair to stand on end,

Like quills upon the fretful porcupine.

For

1162.thy comrades,] With the accent upon the last fyllable as in 1 Henry IV, A& 4. Sc. 2.

And

For valor to affail, nor by the fword

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Of noble warrior, fo to ftain his honor,
But by the barber's razor best subdued.

SAMSON.

All these indignities, for fuch they are From thine, these evils I deserve and more, Acknowledge them from God inflicted on me 1170 Juftly, yet despair not of his final pardon Whose ear is ever open, and his eye Gracious to re-admit the fuppliant : In confidence whereof I once again Defy thee to the trial of mortal fight, By combat to decide whose God is God, Thine or whom I with Ifrael's fons adore.

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Fair honor that thou doft thy God, in trusting

He will accept thee to defend his cause,

A Murderer, a Revolter, and a Robber.

SAMSON.

1180 [these?

Tongue-doughty Giant, how dost thou prove me

HA

And his comrades, that daft the that is valiant. See Skinner. Spa

world afide

And bid it pafs.

1181, Tongue-doughty] Doughty

ourou. Efchylus. Septem contra Thebas. 617.

Richardfon.

1222. Whe

HARAPH A.

Is not thy nation subject to our lords ?
Their magistrates confess'd it, when they took thee
As a league-breaker and deliver❜d bound

Into our hands for hadft thou not committed 1185
Notorious murder on those thirty men

At Afcalon, who never did thee harm,

Then like a robber ftripp'dft them of their robes?
The Philistines, when thou hadft broke the league,
Went up with armed pow'rs thee only feeking, 1190
To others did no violence nor fpoil.

SAMSON.

Among the daughters of the Philistines
I chose a wife, which argued me no foe;
And in your city held my nuptial feast :
But your ill-meaning politician lords
Under pretence of bridal friends and guests,
Appointed to await me thirty fpies,

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Who threatning cruel death constrain'd the bride
To wring from me and tell to them my fecret,
That folv'd the riddle which I had propos'd. 1200
When I perceiv'd all fet on enmity,

1222. Who now defies thee thrice.] This was the custom and the law of

As

arms to give the challenge and to
found the trumpet thrice. In al-

lufion

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As on my enemies, wherever chanc'd,
I us'd hoftility, and took their spoil
To pay my underminers in their coin.
My nation was fubjected to your lords.

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It was the force of conqueft; force with force

Is well ejected when the conquer'd can.

But I a private perfon, whom my country
As a league-breaker gave up bound, prefum'd
Single rebellion and did hoftile acts.

I was no private but a person rais'd

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With strength fufficient and command from Heaven
To free my country; if their fervile minds
Me their deliverer fent would not receive,

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But to their masters gave me up for nought,
Th' unworthier they; whence to this day they

ferve.

I was to do my part from Heav'n affign'd,
And had perform'd it, if my known offenfe
Had not difabled me, not all your force:
These shifts refuted, answer thy appellant
Though by his blindness maim'd for high attempts,
Who now defies thee thrice to fingle fight,

lufion to the fame practice Edgar appears to fight with the Baftard VOL. I.

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