Times past, what once I was, and what am now. His god-like presence, and from some great act Or benefit reveal'd to Abraham's race? Design'd for great exploits; if I must die Betray'd, captiv'd, and both my eyes put out, To grind in brazen fetters under task 25 30 35 With this Heav'n-gifted ftrength? O glorious ftrength Put to the labor of a beast, debas'd Lower than bondflave! Promife was that I Should Ifrael from Philiftian yoke deliver; Ask for this great deliverer now, and find him 40 Had been fulfill'd but through mine own default, 45 But But weakly to a woman must reveal it, By weakest subtleties, not made to rule, But to fubferve where wisdom bears command! 50 55 60 65 Light the prime work of God to me' is extinct, 70 Annull'd, which might in part my grief have eas'd, Of man or worm; the vileft here excel me, 75 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, 80 Without all hope of day! O first created Beam, and thou great Word, Why am I thus bereav'd thy prime decree? And filent as the moon, When she deserts the night Hid in her vacant interlunar cave. She all in every part; why was the fight 85 00 95 So obvious and so easy to be quench'd? 100 Bury'd, yet not exempt By privilege of death and burial From worst of other evils, pains and wrongs, 105 But But made hereby obnoxious more To all the miseries of life, Life in captivity Among inhuman foes. But who are these? for with joint pace I hear Let us not break in upon him; O change beyond report, thought, or belief! With languish'd head unpropt, As one past hope, abandon'd, And by himself given over; In flavish habit, ill-fitted weeds O'er-worn and foil'd; Or do my eyes misrepresent? Can this be he, Irrefiftible Samfon? whom unarm'd 110 115 120 125 No ftrength of man, or fiercest wild beast could withWho tore the lion, as the lion tears the kid, (stand; Ran on imbattel'd armies clad in iron, And weaponless himself, Made arms ridiculous, useless the forgery 130 Of brazen shield and spear, the hammer'd cuirass, Chaly' bean temper'd steel, and frock of mail Adamantean proof; But fafeft he who ftood aloof, When insupportably his foot advanc'd, In scorn of their proud arms and warlike tools, 135 Spurn'd them to death by troops. The bold Afcalo- (nite 140 Or grov❜ling foil'd their crested helmets in the dust. 145 A thousand fore-fkins fell, the flow'r of Palestine, Up to the hill by Hebron, seat of giants old, No journey of a sabbath-day, and loaded so; (bore Like whom the Gentiles feign to bear up Heaven. 150 Which fhall I first bewail, Thy bondage or loft fight, Prison within prison Infeparably dark? Thou art become (O worst imprisonment!) The dungeon of thyself; thy soul 155 (Which men enjoying fight oft without cause com Imprison'd now indeed, plain) In real darkness of the body dwells, Shut up from outward light T'incorporate with gloomy night; 160 For |