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Our God, our Law, my Nation, or myself,
The laft of me or no I cannot warrant.

CHO. Go, and the holy One

Of Ifrael be thy guide

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

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Send thee the Angel of thy birth, to stand

Faft by thy fide, 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

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Be efficacious in thee now at need:

For never was from Heav'n imparted
Measure of strength fo great to mortal feed,
As in thy wondrous actions hath been seen !
But wherefore comes old Manoah in fuch hafte
With youthful steps? much livelier than ere-while
He feems: fupposing here to find his son,

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Or of him bringing to us fome glad news?

[hither

MAN. Peace with you, Brethren; my inducement

Was not at present here to find my son,

By order of the lords new parted hence

To come and play before them at their feast.
I heard all as I came, the city rings,

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And numbers thither flock, I had no will,
Left I should see him forc'd to things unfeemly.
But that which mov'd my coming now was chiefly
To give you part with me what hope I have
With good fuccefs to work his liberty.

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CHO. That hope would much rejoice us to partake With thee; fay, reverend Sire, we thirst to hear.

MAN. I have attempted one by one the lords,
Either at home, or through the high ftreet paffing,
With fupplication prone and father's tears,
T' accept of ransom for my fon their pris'ner.
Some much averfe I found and wondrous harsh,
Contemptuous, proud, fet on revenge and spite;
That part most reverenc'd Dagon and his priests:
Others more moderate feeming, but their aim
Private reward, for which both God and State
They eafily would fet to fale: a third
More generous far and civil, who confefs'd
They had enough reveng'd, having reduc'd
Their foe to mifery beneath their fears,
The reft was magnanimity to remit,

If fome convenient ranfom were propos'

s'd.

What noise or shout was that? it tore the sky.

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CHO. Doubtless the people shouting to behold Their once great dread, captive, and blind before them, Or at fome proof of strength before them shown. 1475 MAN. His ranfom, if my whole inheritance May compass it, fhall willingly be paid

And number'd down: much rather I fhall choofe

To live the pooreft in my tribe, than richeft,

And he in that calamitous prison left.

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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.

Сно.

CHO. Fathers are wont to lay up for their fons, 1485 Thou for thy fon art bent to lay out all:

Sons wont to nurfe their parents in old age,

Thou in old age car'ft how to nurse thy fon
Made older than thy age through eye-fight loft.
MAN. It shall be my delight to tend his eyes, 1490
And view him sitting in the house, ennobled
With all thofe high exploits by him achiev'd,
And on his shoulders waving down thofe locks
That of a nation arm'd the ftrength contain'd:
And, I perfuade me, God had not permitted
His ftrength again to grow up with his hair
Garrison'd round about him like a camp
Of faithful foldiery, were not his purpose
To use him further yet in fome great service,
Not to fit idle with fo great a gift

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Ufelefs, and thence ridiculous about him.

And fince his ftrength with eye-fight was not loft,
God will restore him eye-fight to his ftrength.

CHо. Thy hopes are not ill founded nor feem vain
Of his delivery, and thy joy thereon
Conceiv'd, agreeable to a father's love,

In both which we, as next, participate.

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[noife!

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

CHO. Noife call you it, or univerfal groan,

As if the whole inhabitation perish'd!

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

MAN.

MAN. Of ruin indeed methought I heard the noise : Oh it continues, they have flain my fon.

CHO. Thy fon is rather flaying them, that outcry From flaughter of one foe could not ascend.

MAN. Some difmal accident it needs must be; What shall we do? ftay here, or run and fee?

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CHO. Beft keep together here, left running thither We unawares run into danger's mouth.

This evil on the Philiftines is fall'n;

From whom could elfe a general cry be heard?
The fufferers then will fcarce moleft us here,

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From other hands we need not much to fear.

What if, his eye-fight (for to Ifrael's God
Nothing is hard) by miracle restor'd,

He now be dealing dole among his foes,
And over heaps of flaughter'd walk his way?

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MAN. That were a joy prefumptuous to be thought. CHO. Yet God hath wrought things as incredible

For his people of old; what hinders now?

MAN. He can I know, but doubt to think he will; Yet hope would fain fubfcribe, and tempts belief. 1535 A little stay will bring fome notice hither.

CHO. Of good or bad fo great, of bad the sooner; For evil news rides poft, while good news baits. And to our wish I fee one hither speeding,

An Hebrew, as I guefs, and of our tribe.

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MESS. O whither fhall I run, or which way fly

The fight of this fo horrid fpectacle,

Which erft my eyes beheld, and yet behold?
For dire imagination ftill purfues me.

But

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But providence or instinct of nature seems,
Or reafon though disturb'd, and scarce confulted,
To' have guided me aright, I know not how,
To thee first, reverend Manoah, and to these
My countrymen, whom here I knew remaining,
As at fome distance from the place of horror,
So in the fad event too much concern'd.

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MAN. The accident was loud, and here before thee
With rueful cry, yet what it was we hear not;
No preface needs, thou feeft we long to know.
MESS. It would burft forth, but I recover breath
And fenfe diftract, to know well what I utter.

MAN. Tell us the fum, the circumftance defer.
MESS. Gaza yet stands, but all her fons are fall'n,
All in a moment overwhelm'd and fall'n.

MAN. Sad, but thou know'ft to Ifraelites not faddeft,
The defolation of a hostile city.
[furfeit.
MESS. Feed on that firft, there may in grief be
MAN. Relate by whom.

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The forrow, and converts it nigh to joy.

MESS. Ah Manoah, I refrain too fuddenly 1565

To utter what will come at last too soon;
Left evil tidings with too rude irruption
Hitting thy aged ear should pierce too deep.

MAN. Sufpenfe in news is torture, speak them out.
MESS. Take then the worst in brief, Samfon is dead.
MAN. The worst indeed, O all my hopes defeated
To free him hence! but death who fets all free

Hath

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