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Dispute thy coming? come without delay;
Or we shall find such engins to assail

And hamper thee, as thou shalt come of force, Though thou wert firmlier fasten'd than a rock.

1101

SAM. I could be well content to try their art
Which to no few of them would prove pernicious.
Yet knowing their advantages too many,
Because they shall not trail me through their street,
Like a wild beast, I am content to go.

Masters' commands come with a power resistless
To such as owe them absolute subjection;
And for a life who will not change his purpose?
(So mutable are all the ways of men)
Yet this be sure, in nothing to comply
Scandalous or forbidden in our law.

OF. I praise thy resolution: doff these links: 1410
By this compliance thou wilt win the lords
To favour, and perhaps to set thee free.

SAM. Brethren, farewell; your company along
I will not wish, lest it perhaps offend them
To see me girt with friends; and how the sight
Of me as of a common enemy,

So dreaded once, may now exasperate them,
I know not: lords are lordliest in their wine;
And the well-feasted priest then soonest fir'd
With zeal, if ought religion seem concern'd; 1420
No less the people on their holy days
Impetuous, insolent, unquenchable:
Happen what

may, of me expect to hear

Nothing dishonourable, impure unworthy
Our God, our law, my nation, or myself,
The last of me or no I cannot warrant.

CHOR. Go, and the Holy One

Of Israel be thy guide

To what may serve his glory best, and spread his name Great among the Heathen round;

Send thee the angel of thy birth to stand

Fast by thy side, who from thy father's field
Rode up in flames after his message told
Of thy conception, and be now a shield
Of fire; that Spirit that first rush'd on thee
In the camp of Dan

Be efficacious in thee now at need.
For never was from Heav'n imparted

1430

Measure of strength so great to mortal seed,
As in thy wond'rous actions hath been seen. 1440
But wherefore comes old Manoah in such haste
With youthful steps
He seems supposing here to find his son,
Or of him bringing to us some glad news?
MAN. Peace with brethren; my
you,

? much livelier than erewhile

hither

inducemer.t

Was not at present here to find my son,
By order of the lords now parted hence
To come and play before them at their feast.
I heard all as I came; the city rings,

And numbers thither flock, I had no will, 1450.
Lest I should see him forc'd to things unseemly.
But that which mov'd my coming now was chiefly

To give ye part with me what hope I have
With good success to work his liberty.

CHOR. That hope would much rejoice us to par With thee; say, rev'rend Sire, we thirst to hear. [take MAN.I have attempted one by one the lords Either at home, or through the high street passing, With supplication prone and father's tears, 1459 Το accept of ransom for my son their pris'ner. Some much averse I found and wond'rous'harsh, Contemptuous, proud, set on revenge and spite; ¦ That part most reverenc'd Dagon and his priest Others more moderate seeming, but their aim Private reward, for which both God and state They easily would set to sale; a third More generous far and civil, who confess'd They had enough reveng'd, having reduc'd Their foe to misery beneath their fears, The rest was magnanimity to remit, If some convenient ransom were propos'd. What noise or shout was that? It tore the sky.

1470

CHOR. Doubtless the people shouting to behold Their once great dread, captive and blind before them, Or at some proof of strength before them shown, MAN. His ransom, if my whole inheritance May compass it, shall willingly be paid And number'd down: much rather I shall choose To live the poorest in my tribe, than richest, And he in that calamitous prison left. 1480 No, I am fix'd not to part hence without him, For his redemption all my patrimony,

If need be I am ready to forego

And quit not wanting him I shall want nothing.
CHOR. Fathers are wont to lay up for their sons,
Thou for thy son are bent to lay out all:
Sons wont to nurse their parents in old age,
Thou in old age car'st how to nurse thy son
Made older than thy age through eye-sight lost.
MAN. It shall be my delight to tend his eyes 1490
And view him sitting in the house, ennobled
With all those high exploits by him achiev'd,
And on his shoulders waving down those locks
That of a nation arm'd the strength contain❜d:
And I persuade me God had not permitted
His strength again to grow up with his hair
Garrison'd round about him like a camp
Of faithful soldiery, were not his purpose
To use him further yet in some great service,
Not to sit idle with so great a gift

1500

Useless, and thence ridiculous about him.
And since his strength with eye-sight was not lost,
God will restore him eye-sight to his strength.
CHOR. Thy hopes are not ill founded nor seem

Of his delivery, and the joy thereon
Conceiv'd agreeable to a father's love,

In both which we, as next, participate.

[vain

[noise!

MAN. I know your friendly minds and---O what Mercy of Heav'n what hideous noise was that! Horribly loud, unlike the former shout.

1510

CHOR. Noise call you it or universal groan,

As if the whole inhabitátion perish'd!

Blood, death, and deathful deeds are in that noise, Ruin, destruction at the utmost point.

MAN.Ofruin indeed methought I heard the noise : Oh it continues, they have slain my son.

CHOR. Thy son is rather slaying them, that outFrom slaughter of one foe could not ascend. [cry MAN. Some dismal accident it needs must be ; What shall we do, stay here or run and see? 1520. CHOR. Best keep together here,lest running thiWe unawares run into Danger's mouth,

This evil on the Philistines is fall'n ;

[ther

From whom could else a gen'ral cry be heard?
The sufferers then will scarce molest us here,
From other hands we need not much to fear.
What if his eye-sight (for to Israel's God
Nothing is hard) by miracle restor'd,

He now be dealing dole among his foes,

And over heaps of slaughter'd walk his way ? 1530 MAN. That were a joy presumptuous to be thought.

CHOR. Yet God hath wrought things as incrediFor his people of old: what hinders now?

[ble

MAN.He can I know, but doubt to think he will; Yet hope would fain subscribe, and tempt belief. A little stay will bring some notice hither.

CHOR.Of good or bad so great, of bad the sooner; For evil news rides post, while good news baits, And to our wish I see one hither speeding, An Hebrew as I guess, and of our tribe. 1540

MES O whither shall I run, or which way fly

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