O first created Beam, and thou great Word, And filent as the moon, When the deferts the night Hid in her vacant interlunar cave. Since light fo neceffary is to life, And almoft life itself, if it be true That light is in the foul, She all in every part; why was the fight 85 90 95 100 By privilege of death and burial From worst of other evils, pains and wrongs, 105 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 110 At At my affliction, and perhaps t' insult, CHOR. This, this is he; foftly a while, O change beyond report, thought, or belief! 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 mifreprefent? Can this be he, That heroic, that renown'd, Irrefiftible Samfon? whom unarm'd 115 120 125 No strength of man, or fierceft wild beast could withstand; Who tore the lion, as the lion tears the kid, Ran on imbattel'd armies clad in iron, And weaponless himself, Made arms ridiculous, useless the forgery Of brazen shield and spear, the hammer'd cuirass, Adamantean proof; But fafeft he who stood aloof, When infupportably his foot advanc'd, 130 135 In fcorn of their proud arms and warlike tools, Spurn'd them to death by troops. The bold Afcalonite Fled from his lion ramp, old warriors turn'd Their plated backs under his heel; 140 Or grov'ling foil'd their crested helmets in the duft. The The jaw of a dead afs, his fword of bone, A thousand fore-skins fell, the flower of Palestine, 145 Then by main force pull'd up, and on his shoulders bore The gates of Azza, post, and maffy bar, Up to the hill by Hebron, feat of giants old, No journey of a fabbath-day, and loaded fo; Like whom the Gentiles feign to bear up Heaven. 150 Which fhall I first bewail, Thy bondage or loft fight, Prifon within prifon Infeparably dark? Thou art become (O worst imprisonment!) The dungeon of thyself; thy foul 155 (Which men enjoying fight oft without cause complain) Imprifon'd now indeed, In real darkness of the body dwells, Shut up from outward light T' incorporate with gloomy night; For inward light alas Puts forth no vifual beam. O mirror of our fickle state, 160 165 The rarer thy example stands, By how much from the top of wondrous glory, Strongest of mortal men, To lowest pitch of abject fortune thou art fall'n. For him I reckon not in high estate 170 Whom long defcent of birth Or the sphere of fortune raises; But But thee whose strength, while virtue was her mate, Might have fubdued the earth, Univerfally crown'd with highest praises. 175 SAMS. I hear the found of words, their sense the air Diffolves unjointed ere it reach my ear. CHO. He speaks, let us draw nigh. The glory late of Ifrael, now the grief; Matchlefs in [might, We come thy friends and neighbours not unknown 180 To vifit or bewail thee, or if better, Salve to thy fores; apt words have pow'r to fwage And are as balm to fefter'd wounds. SAMS. Your coming, Friends, revives me, Now of my own experience, not by talk, How counterfeit a coin they are who friends Bear in their fuperscription (of the most 185 for I [learn 190 I would be understood); in profp'rous days Yet that which was the worst now least afflicts me, 195 Gloriously rigg'd; and for a word, a tear, 200 Am Am I not fung and proverb'd for a fool 205 210 215 220 CHO. Tax not divine disposal; wisest men Have err'd, and by bad women been deceiv'd; And shall again, pretend they ne'er so wife. Deject not then fo overmuch thyself, Who hast of sorrow thy full load besides; Yet truth to fay, I oft have heard men wonder Why thou shouldft wed Philiftian women rather Than of thine own tribe fairer, or as fair, At least of thy own nation, and as noble. SAMS. The first I saw at Timna, and the pleas'd Me, not my parents, that I fought to wed The daughter of an infidel: they knew not That what I motion'd was of God; I knew From intimate impulse, and therefore urg'd The marriage on; that by occafion hence I might begin Ifrael's deliverance, The work to which I was divinely call'd. She proving falfe, the next I took to wife (O that I never had! fond wish too late,) Was in the vale of Sorec, Dalila, That fpecious monster, my accomplish'd fnare. I thought it lawful from my former act, And the fame end; ftill watching to oppress 225 230 Ifrael's |