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THE PERSONS.

SAMSON.

MANOAH, the Father of Samfon.

DALILA, his Wife.

HARAPHA of Gath.

Public Officer.

Meffenger.

Chorus of Danites.

The SCENE before the Prison in Gaza.

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SAMSON AGONISTES.

A

SAMSON.

Little onward lend thy guiding hand

To thefe dark steps, a little further on;
For yonder bank hath choice of fun or fhade:
There I am wont to fit, when any chance
Relieves me from my task of fervile toil,
Daily' in the common prifon else injoin'd me,
Where I a prifoner chain'd, scarce freely draw
The air imprifon'd also, close and damp,
Unwholesome draught: but here I feel amends,

Samfon Agoniftes] The fubject but a very indifferent one for a dramatic fable. However he has made the best of it. He feems to have chofen it for the fake of the fatire on bad wives. Warburton.

Samfon Agoniftes] That is Samfon an allor, Samfon reprefented in a play. Aywins, ludio, hiftrio, actor fcenicus.

Samfon] Milton after the example of the Greek tragedians, whom he profeffes to imitate, opens his drama with introducing one of its principal perfonages explaining the story upon which it is founded. Thyer. 1. A little onward lend thy guiding

hand

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The

To thefe dark steps,] So Tirefias in Euripides, Phæniffæ ver. 841. Ηγε προπάροιθε θυγατερ, ὡς τυφλῳ ποδι &c. Richardfon.

3. For yonder bank] The fcene of this tragedy is much the fame as that of the Οιδίπες επι κολωνῳ in Sophocles, where blind Oedipus is conducted in like manner and reprefented fitting upon a little hill near Athens: but yet I think there is fcarcely a fingle thought the fame in the two pieces, and I am fure the Greek tragedy can have no pretence to be esteem'd better, but only because it is two thousand years older.

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I I

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The breath of Heav'n fresh blowing, pure and sweet,
With day-spring born; here leave me to refpire.
This day a folemn feast the people hold
To Dagon their fea-idol, and forbid
Laborious works; unwillingly this reft
Their fuperftition yields me; hence with leave
Retiring from the popular noife, I feek
This unfrequented place to find some ease,
Eafe to the body fome, none to the mind
From restless thoughts, that like a deadly swarm
Of hornets arm'd, no fooner found alone,
But rush upon me thronging, and present
Times paft, what once I was, and what am now.
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 ascended

13. To Dagon their fea-idol,] For Milton both here and in the Paradife Loft follows the opinion of thofe, who defcribe this idol as part man, part fish. I. 462. Dagon his name, fea monfter, upward man And downward fish.

24. Twice by an Angel,] Once to his mother, and again to his father Manoah and his mother both,

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25 From

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From off the altar, where an offering burn'd,
As in a fiery column charioting

His god-like prefence, and from fome

Or benefit reveal'd to Abraham's race?

great act

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

Defign'd for great exploits; if I muft die
Betray'd, captiv'd, and both my eyes put out,
Made of my enemies the scorn and gaze;

To grind in brazen fetters under task

Put to the labor of a beaft, debas'd

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With this Heav'n-gifted strength? O glorious strength

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,

ftood tho' not exprefs'd. As in a fiery column charioting &c, and as from fome great act Sc.

33. Betray'd, captiv'd,] It should be pronounced with the accent upon the last fyllable, as afterwards ver. 694.

To dogs and fowls a prey, or elfe captiv'd.

I think we commonly pronounce it with the accent upon the fat

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Himself in bonds under Philiftian yoke :

Yet ftay, let me not rafhly call in doubt
Divine prediction; what if all foretold
Had been fulfill'd but through mine own default,
Whom have I to complain of but myself?
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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 strong!
But what is ftrength without a double share
Of wisdom, vaft, unwieldly, burdenfome,
Proudly fecure, yet liable to fall

By weakest subtleties, not made to rule,

But to fubferve where wisdom bears command!
God, when he gave me ftrength, to show withal
How flight the gift was, hung it in my hair.
But peace, I must not quarrel with the will

53. But what is ftrength without
a double fhare

Of wisdom, &c] Ovid. Met. XIII. 363.

Tu vires fine mente geris-
tu tantum corpore prodes,

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69

Of

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