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THE

ARGUMENT.

Samfon made captive, blind, and now in the prifon at Gaza, there to labor as in a common workhouse, on a festival day, in the general ceffation from labor, comes forth into the open air, to a place nigh, fomewhat retir'd, there to fit a while and bemoan his condition. Where he happens at length to be vifited by certain friends and equals of his tribe, which make the Chorus, who feek to comfort him what they can; then by his old father Manoah, who endevors the like, and withal tells him his laft purpose to procure his liberty by ransome; laftly, that this feast was proclam'd by the Philistines as a day of thankfgiving for their deliverance from the hands of Samion, which yet more troubles him. Manoah then departs to profecute his endevor with the Philiftine lords for Samfon's redemption; who in the mean while is vifited by other perfons; and laftly by a public officer to require his coming to the feaft before the lords and people, to play or show his ftrength in their prefence; he at firft refufes, difmiffing the public officer with abfolute denial to come; at length perfuaded inwardly that this was from God, he yields to go along with him, who came now the fecond 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 fon's deliverance: in the midst of which difcourfe an Hebrew comes in hafte, confusedly at firft, and afterward more diftinctly relating the catastrophe, what Samfon had done to the Philiftines, and by accident to himself; wherewith the tragedy ends.

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THE PERSONS.

SAMSON.

MANOAH, the Father of Samfon.

DALILA, his Wife.

HA

ARAPHA of Gath.

Public Officer.

Meffenger.

Chorus of Danites.

The SCENE before the Prifon in Gaza,

SAMSON AGONISTES.

A

SAMSON.

Little onward lend thy guiding hand
To thefe dark steps, a little further on;
For yonder bank hath choice of fun or fhade:
There I am wont to fit, when any chance
Relieves me from my task of servile toil,
Daily' in the common prison else injoin'd me,
Where I, a prifoner chain'd, scarce freely draw
The air imprison'd also, close and damp,

Unwholesome draught: but here I feel amends,
The breath of Heav'n fresh blowing, pure and sweet,
With day-fpring born; here leave me to respire.
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
Retiring from the popular noise, I seek
This unfrequented place to find some ease,
Eafe to the body fome; none to the mind
From reftless thoughts, that, like a deadly fwarm
Of hornets arm'd, no fooner found alone,
But rush upon me thronging, and present
Times paft, what once I was, and what am now.
B 4

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O wherefore

O 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 offering burn'd,
As in a fiery column charioting

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

Why was my breeding order'd and prescrib'd

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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 scorn and gaze;

To grind in brazen fetters under task

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

Put to the labor of a beast, debas'd

Lower than bond-flave! Promise was that I
Should Ifrael from Philiftian yoke deliver;
Afk for this great deliverer now, and find him
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

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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 easily bereft me,
Under the feal of filence could not keep,
But weakly to a woman muft reveal it,
O'ercome with importunity and tears.
O impotence of mind, in body strong!

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But

But what is ftrength without a double share
Of wisdom, vaft, unwieldy, burdenfome,
Proudly fecure, yet liable to fall

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By weakest fubtleties, not made to rule,

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.

But

peace, I must not quarrel with the will

Of higheft difpenfation, which herein

Haply had ends above my reach to know:
Suffices that to me ftrength is my bane,

And proves the fource of all my miseries;
many, and fo huge, that each apart
Would ask a life to wail, but chief of all,

So

O lofs of fight, of thee I most complain!

Blind among enemies, O worse than chains,
Dungeon, or beggary, or decrepit age!

Light the prime work of God to me' is extinct,
And all her various objects of delight

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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, still as a fool,
In pow'r of others, never in my own;
Scarce half I feem to live, dead more than half.
O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon,
Irrecoverably dark, total eclipse

Without all hope of day!

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O first

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