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THE ARGUMENT.

Samfon made captive, blind, and now in the prifon at Gaza, there to labor as in a common workhouse, 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 last purpose to procure his liberty by ranfom; laftly, that this feast was proclam'd by the Philistines as a day of thankfgiving for their deliverance from the hands of Samfon, which yet more troubles him. Manoah then departs to profecute his endevor with the Philistine lords for Samfon's redemption; who in the mean while is vifited by other perfons; and laftly by a public officer to require his coming to the feast before the lords and people, to play or fhow his ftrength in their presence; he at first refuses, 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 firft, and afterward more diftinctly relating the catastrophe, what Samfon had done to the Philistines, and by accident to himself; wherewith the tragedy ends.

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THE PERSON S.

SAMSON.

MANOAH, the Father of Samfon.

DALILA, his Wife.

HARAPHA of Gath.

Public Officer.

Meflenger.

Chorus of Danites.

The SCENE before the Prifon in Gaza.

SAMSON

AGONISTES.

C..

A

SAMSON.

Little onward lend thy guiding hand
To these dark steps, a little further on;
For yonder bank hath choice of fun or shade:
There I am wont to fit, when any chance
Relieves me from my task of fervile toil,
Daily' in the common prifon elfe injoin'd me,
Where I, a prifoner chain'd, scarce freely draw
The air imprison'd also, close and damp,
Unwholesome draught: but here I feel amends,
The breath of Heav'n fresh blowing, pure and sweet,
With day-fpring born; here leave me to respire.
This day a folemn feast the people hold

To Dagon their fea-idol, and forbid
Laborious works; unwillingly this reft

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Their fuperftition yields me; hence with leave
Retiring from the popular noife, I seek

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This unfrequented place to find fome ease,
Eafe to the body fome, none to the mind

From reftless thoughts, that, like a deadly swarm
Of hornets arm'd, no fooner found alone,

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But rush upon me thronging, and presen

Times paft, what once I was, and what am now.

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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

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

Why was my breeding order'd and prescrib'd
As of a perfon separate to God,

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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 strength? O glorious strength Put to the labor of a beast, debas'd

Lower than bond-flave! Promife was that I
Should Ifrael from Philiftian yoke deliver;

Ask for this great deliverer now, and find him
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

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Had been fulfill'd but through mine own default, 45
Whom have I to complain of but myself ?

Who this high gift of strength committed to me,
In what part lodg'd, how easily bereft me,
Under the feal of filence could not keep,

But weakly to a woman must reveal it,
O'ercome with importunity and tears.
O impotence of mind, in body ftrong!

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But

But what is ftrength without a double share
Of wisdom, vaft, unwieldy, burdenfome,
Proudly fecure, yet liable to fall

By weakest subtleties, not made to rule,

But to fubferve where wifdom bears command!
God, when he gave me ftrength, to fhow 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 fource of all my miseries;
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 worfe than chains,
Dungeon, or beggary, or decrepit age!

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

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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, still as a fool,
In pow'r of others, never in my own ;
Scarce half I feem to live, dead more than half.
dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon,
Irrecoverably dark, total eclipse

Without all hope of day!

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O first

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