Samfon Agonistes. Samf. Little onward lend thy guiding hand There I am wont to fit, when any Relieves me from my task of fervile toil 5 The breath of Heav'n fresh blowing, pure and fweet, 10 To Dagon their Sea-Idol, and forbid Their Superftition yields me: hence with leave 15 Retiring from the pop'lar noife, I feek This unfrequented Place to find fome eafe, 20 Times paft, what once I was, and what am now. As in a fiery column charioting His God-like presence, and from some great act As of a perfon separate to God, 25 Why was my breeding order'd and prescrib'd, 30 Defign'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, 35 With this Heav'n-gifted strength? O glorious ftrength Put to the labour of a beaft, debas'd Lower than bondflave! Promife was that I Should Ifrael from Philiftian yoke deliver; Afk for this great deliv'rer now, and find him 40 Had been fulfill'd but thro' mine own default, 45 Who this high gift of ftrength committed to me, In what part lodg'd, how eafily bereft me, 59 55 By weakeft fubtleties, not made to rule, But to fubferve where wifdom bears command. God, when he gave me ftrength, to fhew withal But But Peace, I muft not quarrel with the will Light, the prime work of God, to me is extinct, Annull'd, which might in part my grief have eas'd, Of man or worm; the vileft here excel me: They creep, yet fee; I dark in light expos'd 60 65 70 75 Scarce half I feem to live, dead more than half. 80 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 necessary is to life, And almost life itfelf, if it be true That light is in the Soul, She all in ev'ry part; why was the fight 3 G Then had I not been thus exil'd from light, By privilege of death and burial From worlt of other evils, pains and wrongs, To all the miseries of Life, Life in captivity Among inhumane foes. But who are these? for with joint pace I hear Chor. This, this is he; foftly a while, upon him. O change beyond report, thought or belief! See how he lies at random, carelefly diffus'd, 'With languish'd head unpropt, As one paft hope, abandon'd, And by himself given over; In flavish habit, ill-fitted weeds Or do my eyes mifreprefent? Can this be he, Irrefiftible Samfon; whom unarm'd [itand; No ftrength of man, or fiercest wild beaft could with Who tore the Lion, as the Lion tears the Kid, Ran on imbattl'd Armies clad in Iron, And weaponlefs himself, Made Arms ridiculous, ufelefs the forgery Of brazen Shield and Spear, the hammer'd Cuirass, Adamantean Proof? 130 But But fafelt he who stood aloof, When infupportably his foot advanc'd, 135 In fcorn of their proud arms and warlike tools, Or grov'ling foil'd their crefted helmets in the duft. A thoufand fore-skins fell, the flow'r of Paleftin, In Ramath-lechi, famous to this day: 145 Then by main force pull'd up, and on his fhoulders bore The Gates of Azza, Poft and maffie Bar, Up to the Hill by Hebron, feat of Giants old, No journey of a Sabbath-day, and loaded fo; Like whom the Gentiles feign to bear up heav'n. 150 Thou art become (O worst imprisonment!) 155 The Dungeon of thyfelf; thy Soul (Which Men enjoying fight oft without caufe complain'd) Imprifon'd now indeed, In real darkness of the body dwells, from outward light Shut up T'incorporate with gloomy night; For inward light, alas! Puts forth no visual beam. 160 O mirror of our fickle state, Since man on earth unparallel'd! 165 The rarer thy example stands, By how much from the top of wond'rous 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 descent of birth, Or the fphere of fortune raises; G 2 But |