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None off'ring fight; who fingle combatant
Duell'd their Armies rank'd in proud array,
Himself an Army; now unequal match
To fave himself against a coward arm'd
At one fpear's length? O ever-failing truft
In mortal ftrength! and oh! what not in man
Deceivable and vain? Nay, what thing good
Pray'd for, but often proves our woe, our bane?
I pray'd for Children, and thought barrenness
In wedlock a reproach; I gain'd a Son,
Such a Son, as all men hail'd me happy ;
Who would be now a Father in my stead?
O wherefore did God grant me my request,
And as a bleffing with fuch pomp adorn'd?
Why are his gifts defirable, to tempt

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Our earnest Pray'rs, then giv'n with folemn hand
As Graces, draw a Scorpion's tail behind?

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For this did th' Angel twice defcend? for this
Ordain'd thy nurture holy, as of a Plant;
Select and Sacred, Glorious for a while,
The miracle of men; then in an hour
Enfnar'd, affaulted, overcome, led bound,
Thy Foes derifion, Captive, Poor and Blind,
Into a Dungeon thruft, to work with Slaves?
Alas! methinks whom God hath chofen once
To worthiest deeds, if he through frailty err,
He should not fo o'erwhelm, and as a thrall
Subject him to fo foul indignities,

Be it but for honour's fake of former deeds.

Samf. Appoint not heav'nly disposition, Father;
Nothing of all these evils hath befall'n me
But justly I my felf have brought them on,
Sole Author I, fole caufe: if aught feem vile,
As vile hath been my folly, who have profan'd
The mystery of God, giv'n me under pledge

Of vow, and have betray'd it to a woman,

A Canaanite, my faithlefs enemy.

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This well I knew, nor was at all furpriz'd,
But warn'd by oft experience; did not fhe
Of Timna first betray me, and reveal
The fecret wrefted from me in her height
Of Nuptial love profeft, carrying it streight
To them who had corrupted her, my Spies,
And Rivals? In this other was there found
More Faith? who alfo in her prime of love,
Spoufal embraces, vitiated with Gold,
Though offer'd only, by the scent conceiv'd
Her fpurious first born, Treafon against me?
Thrice fhe affay'd with flatt'ring pray'rs and fighs,
And amorous reproaches to win from me

My capital fecret, in what part my strength

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Lay ftor'd, in what part fumm'd, that the might know; Thrice I deluded her, and turn'd to sport

Her importunity, each time perceiving

How openly, and with what impudence

She purpos'd to betray me, and (which was worse
Than undiffembled hate) with what contempt
She thought to make me Traitor to my self;
Yet the fourth time, when muftring all her wiles,
With blandifht parleys, feminine affaults,
Tongue-batteries, fhe furceas'd not day nor night
To storm me over-watch'd, and weary'd out.
At times when men feek moft repose and reft,
I yielded, and unlock'd her all my heart;
Who, with a grain of manhood well refolv'd,
Might eafily have fhook off all her fnares:
But foul effeminacy held me yok'd
Her bond-flave; O indignity! O blot
To Honour and Religion! fervile mind
Rewarded well with fervile punishment!
The base degree to which I now am fall'n,
These rags, this grinding, is not yet fo base
As was my former fervitude, ignoble,
Unmanly, ignominious, infamous,

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True flavery, and that blindness worse than this,

That

That faw not how degen'rately I ferv'd.

Man. I cannot praife thy Marriage-choices, Son, 420 Rather approv'd them not; but thou didst plead Divine impulfion prompting how thou might'ft Find fome occafion to infeft our Foes.

I ftate not that; this I am fure, our Foes

Found foon occafion thereby to make thee

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Their Captive, and their Triumph; thou the fooner

Temptation found'ft, or over-potent charms

To violate the facred truft of filence

Depofited within thee; which to have kept

Tacit, was in thy pow'r: true, and thou bear'ft
Enough, and more the burthen of that fault;
Bitterly haft thou paid, and ftill art paying
That rigid score. A worse thing yet remains
This day the Philiftins a pop'lar Feaft
Here celebrate in Gaza; and proclaim

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Great Pomp, and Sacrifice, and Praises loud

To Dagon, as their God, who hath deliver'd

Thee, Samfon, bound and blind into their hands,

Them out of thine, who flew'ft them many a flain.
So Dagon fhall be magnify'd, and God,

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Befides whom is no God, compar'd with Idols,
Difglorify'd, blafphem'd, and had in scorn
By the Idolatrous rout amidst their wine;

Which to have come to pass by means of thee,
Samfon, of all thy fufferings think the heaviest,
Of all reproach the most with shame, that ever
Could have befall'n thee, and thy Father's house.

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Samf. Father, I do acknowledge and confefs
That I this honour, I this pomp have brought
To Dagon, and advanc'd his praifes high
Among the Heathen round; to God have brought
Difhonour, obloquy, and op'd the mouths
Of Idolifts, and Atheists; have brought scandal
To Ifrael, diffidence of God, and doubt

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In feeble hearts propenfe enough before

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To waver, or fall off and join with Idols;
Which is my chief affliction, fhame and forrow,
The anguish of my Soul, that suffers not

Mine eye to harbour fleep, or thoughts to reft.
This only hope relieves me, that the ftrife
With me hath end; all the contest is now
"Twixt God and Dagon: Dagon hath prefum'd,
Me overthrown, to enter lifts with God,
His Deity comparing and preferring
Before the God of Abraham. He, be sure,
Will not connive, or linger, thus provok'd;
But will arife and his great name affert :
Dagon must stoop, and fhall ere long receive
Such a discomfit as fhall quite defpoil him
Of all these boafted Trophies won on me,
And with confufion blank his Worshippers.

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Man. With caufe this hope relieves thee, and thefe I as a Prophecy receive; for God,

Nothing more certain, will not long defer

To vindicate the glory of his Name
Against all competition; nor will long
Endure it doubtful, whether God be Lord,
Or Dagon. But for thee what fhall be done?
Thou must not in the mean while here forgot
Lie in this miferable loathfome plight
Neglected. I already have made way
To fome Philiftian Lords, with whom to treat
About thy ranfom: well they may by this
Have fatisfy'd their utmost of revenge

(words

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By pains and flav'ries, worse than death, inflicted
On thee, who now no more canít do them harm.

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Samf. Spare that proposal, Father, fpare the trouble
Of that follicitation; let me here,

As I deferve, pay on my punishment;
And expiate, if poffible, my crime,

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490 Shame

M

Shameful garrulity.

To have reveal'd

Secrets of men, the fecrets of a friend,
How heinous had the fact been, how deferving
Contempt and fcorn of all, to be excluded
All friendship, and avoided as a blab,
The mark of fool fet on his front? But I
God's counsel have not kept, his holy fecret
Prefumptuously have publifh'd, impioufly,
Weakly at least, and fhamefully: A Sin
That Gentiles in their Parables condemn,
To their abyfs and horrid pains confin'd.

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Man. Be penitent, and for thy fault contrite, But act not in thy own affliction, Son;

Repent the fin, but if the punishment

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Thou canst avoid, felf-prefervation bids:
Or th' execution leave to high disposal,
And let another hand, not thine, exact
Thy penal forfeit from thy felf. Perhaps
God will relent, and quit thee all his debt;
Who ever more approves, and more accepts
(Beft pleas'd with humble and filial fubmiffion)
Him, who imploring mercy fues for life,
Than who felf-rigorous chufes death as due;
Which argues over-juft, and felf difpleas'd
For felf-offence, more than for God offended.
Reject not then what offer'd means; who knows
But God hath fet before us, to return thee
Home to thy Country and his facred House,
Where thou may'ft bring thy offrings, to avert
His farther ire, with pray'rs and vows renew'd?

Samf. His pardon I implore; but as for life,
To what end fhould I feek it? when in ftrength
All mortals I excell'd, and great in hopes,
With youthful courage, and magnanimous thoughts
Of birth from Heav'n foretold and high exploits,
Full of divine inftinct, after fome proof
H

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