Chaunting thir Idol, and preferring
Before our living Dread who dwells
In Silo his bright Sanctuary:
Among them he a spirit of phrenzie sent,
Who hurt thir minds,
And urg'd them on with mad defire
To call in haft for thir destroyer;
They only fet on sport and play
Unweetingly importun'd
Thir own destruction to come speedy upon them.
So fond are mortal men
Fall'n into wrath divine,
As thir own ruin on themselves to invite,
Infenfate left, or to fenfe reprobate,
And with blindness internal struck.
Semichor. But he though blind of fight,
Defpis'd and thought extinguish't quite,
With inward eyes illuminated
His fierie vertue rouz'd
From under afhes into fudden flame,
And as an ev'ning Dragon came,
Affailant on the perched roofts,
And nefts in order rang'd
Of tame villatic Fowl; but as an Eagle
His cloudlefs thunder bolted on thir heads.
So vertue giv'n for loft,
Depreft, and overthrown, as feem'd,
Like that felf-begott❜n bird
In the Arabian woods embost,
That no fecond knows nor third,
And lay e're while a Holocauft,
From out her ashie womb now teem'd,
Revives, reflourishes, then vigorous most
When most unactive deem'd,
And though her body die, her fame survives,
A fecular bird ages of lives.
Man. Come, come, no time for lamentation now, Nor much more cause, Samfon hath quit himself Like Samson, and heroicly hath finish'd
A life Heroic, on his Enemies
Fully reveng'd, hath left them years of mourning,
And lamentation to the Sons of Caphtor
Through all Philiftian bounds. To Ifrael
Honour hath left, and freedom, let but them
Find courage to lay hold on this occafion,
To himself and Fathers house eternal fame;
And which is best and happiest yet, all this
With God not parted from him, as was feard,
But favouring and affifting to the end.
Nothing is here for tears, nothing to wail
Or knock the breast, no weakness, no contempt,
Difpraise, or blame, nothing but well and fair,
And what may quiet us in a death so noble.
Let us go find the body where it lies
Sok't in his enemies blood, and from the stream
With lavers pure and cleansing herbs wash off
The clotted gore. I with what speed the while
(Gaza is not in plight to fay us nay)
Will fend for all my kindred, all my
To fetch him hence and folemnly attend
With filent obfequie and funeral train
Home to his Fathers houfe: there will I build him A Monument, and plant it round with shade
Of Laurel ever green, and branching Palm,
With all his Trophies hung, and Acts enroll❜d
In copious Legend, or fweet Lyric Song.
Thither fhall all the valiant youth refort,
And from his memory inflame thir breasts
To matchless valour, and adventures high:
The Virgins also shall on feastful days
Vifit his Tomb with flowers, only bewailing
His lot unfortunate in nuptial choice,
From whence captivity and loss of eyes.
Chor. All is beft, though we oft doubt,
What th' unfearchable dispose
Of highest wisdom brings about,
And ever best found in the close.
Oft he seems to hide his face,
But unexpectedly returns
And to his faithful Champion hath in place
Bore witness gloriously; whence Gaza mourns And all that band them to resist
His uncontroulable intent,
His fervants he with new acquist
Of true experience from this great event
With peace and confolation hath dismist,
And calm of mind all paffion spent.
Prefented at Ludlow-Castle, 1634, before
John Earl of Bridgewater, then
Prefident of Wales.
The attendant Spirit afterwards in the habit of Thyrfis. Comus with his crew.
The Lady.
1. Brother.
2. Brother.
Sabrina the Nymph.
The cheif perfons which prefented, were
The Lord Bracly,
Mr. Thomas Egerton his Brother,
The Lady Alice Egerton.
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