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Samfon made captive, blind, and now in the prifon at Gaza, there to labor as in a common work-house, 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 purpose to procure his liberty by ranfome; laftly, that this feaft was proclam'd by the Philifines as a day of thanksgiving for their deliverance from the hands of Samfon, which yet more troubles him. Manoah then

departs to profecute his endevor with the Philiftian lords for Samfon's redemption; who in the mean while is vifited by other perfons; and lafly by a public officer to require his coming to the feast before the lords and people, to play or fhow his frength in their prefence; he at first 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, confufedly at first, and afterward more diftinctly relating the catastrophe, what Samfon had done to the Philiftines, and by accident to himfelf; wherewith the tragedy ends.

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THE PERSONS.

SAMSON.

MANOAH, the Father of Samfon.

DALILA, his Wife.

HARAPHA of Gath.

Public Officer.

Messenger.

Chorus of Danites.

The SCENE before the Prifon in Gaza..

SAMSON AGONISTES.

Samf. A

Little onward lend thy guiding hand

To these 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 prisoner chain'd, scarce freely draw
The air imprison'd also, close and damp,

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Unwholesome draught: but here I feel amends,
The breath of Heav'n fresh blowing, pure and sweet,
With day-spring born; here leave me to respire. 11
This day a folemn feast the people hold
To Dagon their fea-idol, and forbid
Laborious works; unwillingly this reft

Their superstition yields me; hence with leave 15
Retiring from the popular noife, I seek
This unfrequented place to find some ease,
Ease to the body fome, none to the mind
From restless thoughts, that like a deadly swarm
Of hornets arm'd, no sooner found alone,
But rufh upon me thronging, and present

N 2

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Times

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Times past, what once I was, and what am now.
O wherefore was my birth from Heav'n foretold
Twice by an Angel, who at last 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

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

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Why was my breeding order'd and prefcrib'd 30 As of a person separate to God,

Design'd for great exploits; if I must die

Betray'd, captiv'd, and both my eyes put out,
Made of my enemies the fcorn and gaze ;

To grind in brazen fetters under task

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With this Heav'n-gifted frength? O glorious flrength
Put to the labor of a beaft, debas'd

Lower than bondflave! Promife was that I
Should Ifrael from Philistian yoke deliver;

Afk for this great deliverer now, and find him 40
Eyelefs in Gaza at the mill with flaves,
Himself in bonds under Philiftian yoke:
Yet stay, let me not rafhly call in doubt
Divine prediction; what if all foretold

Had been fulfill'd but through mine own default, 45
Whom have I to complain of but myself?
Who this high gift of flrength committed to me,
In what part lodg'd, how cafily bereft me,
Under the feal of filence could not keep,

But

But weakly to a woman muft reveal it,
O'ercome with importunity and tears.
O impotence of mind, in body strong!
But what is ftrength without a double share
Of wisdom, vaft, unwieldy, burdenfome,
Proudly fecure, yet liable to fall

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By weakeft fubtleties, not made to rule,

But to fubferve where wifdom 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 highest difpenfation, which herein
Haply had ends above my reach to know:
Suffices that to me ftrength is my bane,
And proves the source of all my miferies;
So many, and fo huge, that each
apart
Would ask a life to wail, but chief of all,
O lofs of fight, of thee I most complain!
Blind among enemies, O worse than chains,
Dungeon, or beggary, or decrepit age!

бо

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Light the prime work of God to me' is extinct, 70 And all her various objects of delight

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, ftill as a fool,

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