So dreaded once, may now exasperate them, Of Israel be thy guide [name To what may serve his glory best, and spread his Be efficacious in thee now at need. He seems; supposing here to find his son, [Enter] Manoah. Man. Peace with you, brethren; my induce- Was not at present here to find my son, To give ye part with me what hope I have Chor. That hope would much rejoice us to With thee; say, reverend sire, we thirst to hear. Man. I have attempted one by one the lords Either at home, or through the high street passing, With supplication prone and father's tears, Chor. Doubtless the people shouting to behold them, Or at some proof of strength before them shown. And number'd down: much rather I shall choose If need be, I am ready to forego And quit: not wanting him, I shall want no- Chor. Fathers are wont to lay up for their sons, Man. It shall be my delight to tend his eyes, [vain Chor. Thy hopes are not ill founded, nor seem Mercy of Heaven, what hideous noise was that Chor. Noise call you it, or universal groan, Man. Of ruin indeed methought I heard the Oh! it continues, they have slain my son. outcry From slaughter of one foe could not ascend. Man. Some dismal accident it needs must be; We unawares run into danger's mouth. Chor. Yet God hath wrought things as incre dible For evil news rides post, while good news bates. [Enter] Messenger. Mess. O whither shall I run, or which way fly thee With rueful cry, yet what it was we hear not; And sense distract, to know well what I utter. All in a moment overwhelm'd and fall'n. be surfeit. Mess. Take then the worst in brief, Samson is dead. Man. The worst indeed, O all my hopes defeated More than enough we know; but while things yet Mess. Occasions drew me early to this city; To free him hence! but death, who sets all free, Mess. Unwounded of his enemies he fell. Mess. By his own hands. Mess. Inevitable cause At once both to destroy, and be destroy'd; Man. O lastly over-strong against thyself! Proof of his mighty strength in feats and games; When to their sports they turn'd. Immediately I mean to show you of my strength, yet greater, The whole roof after them, with burst of thunder 6 Pull'd down the same destruction on himself; Chor. O dearly-bought revenge, yet glorious! Not willingly, but tangled in the fold Of dire necessity, whose law in death conjoin'd Let us go find the body where it lies 1. Semichor. While their hearts were jocund With all his trophies hung, and acts inroll'd and sublime, Drunk with idolatry, drunk with wine, Among them he a spirit of phrenzy sent, And urg'd them on with mad desire To call in haste for their destroyer; In copious legend, or sweet lyric song. Chor. All is best, though we oft doubt Their own destruction to come speedy upon them. Oft he seems to hide his face, So fond are mortal men, Fall'n into wrath divine. As their own ruin on themselves to invite, 2. Semichor. But he, though blind of sight, His fiery virtue rous'd From under ashes into sudden flame, And as an evening dragon came, Assailant on the perched roosts And nests in order rang'd Of tame villatic fowl; but as an eagle His cloudless thunder bolted on their heads. So virtue, given for lost, Depress'd, and overthrown, as seem'd, Like that self-begotten bird In the Arabian woods embost, That no second knows nor third, And lay ere while a holocaust, From out her ashy womb now teem'd, Revives, reflourishes, then vigorous most When most unactive deem'd; And, though her body die, her fame survives Man. Come, come; no time for lamentation now, Nor much more cause; Samson hath quit himself Fully reveng'd, hath left them years of mourning, But unexpectedly returns, And to his faithful champion hath in place Bore witness gloriously; whence Gaza mouras, His uncontrollable intent; His servants he, with new acquist Of true experience, from this great event APPENDIX TO' SAMSON AGONISTES, CONTAINING PLANS OF OTHER SUBJECTS, IN- SCRIPTURE SUBJECTS. OTHER TRAGEDIES. i. The Flood. [See No. iii. below.] ii. Abram in Egypt. iii. The Deluge. iv. Sodom. v. Dinah, Vide Euseb. Præparat. Evangel, lib. ix. cap. xxii. 'These numerous scripture subjects justify s remark made by Mr. Warton, that Milton early leaned towards religious subjects for plays, and wished to turn the drama into the scriptural channel: he accordingly, in his Reason of Ch. Gov. against Prelacy, written in 1641, tempers his praise of Sophocles and Euripides with recommending Solomon's Song; and adds, that "the vi. Thamar Cuophorusa. Where Juda is found to have been the author of that crime, which he condemned in Tamar : Tamar excus'd in what she attempted.. vii. The golden Calfe, or The Massacre in Horeb. viii. The Quails. Num. xi. ix. The Murmurers. Num. xiv. Num. xvi, xvii. xxv. [See No. lv. xii. Achan. Joshue vii and viii. xiii. Josuah in Gibeon. Josh. x. xiv. Gideon Idoloclastes. Judg. vi, vii. xv. Gideon pursuing. Judg. viii. xvi. Abimelech the Usurper. Judg. ix. xvii. SAMSON MARRIING, or in Ramach Lechi. Judg. xv. xviii. SAMSON PURSOPHORUS, or Hybristes, or Dagonalia. Judg. xvi. xix. Comazontes, or The Benjaminites, or The Rioters. Judg. xix, xx, xxi. xx. Theristria, a Pastoral, out of Ruth. xxi. Eliade, Hophni and Phinehas. I Sam. i, ii, iii, iv. Beginning with the first overthrow of Israel by the Philistines; interlac't with Samuel's vision concerning Elie's family. xxii. Jonathan rescued. I Sam. xiv. xxiii. Doeg slandering. I Sam. xxii. xxiv. The sheep-shearers in Carmel, a Pastoral. I Sam. xxv. xv. Saul in Gilboa. I Sam. xxviii, xxxi. xxvi. David revolted. I Sam, from the xxvii chap. to the xxxi. xxvii. David adulterous. II Sam. c. xi, xii. xxviii. Tamar. II Sam. xiii. xxix. Achitophel. II Sam. xv, xvi, xvii, xviii. xxx. Adoniah. I Reg. ii. xxxi. Solomon Gynecocratumenus, or Idolomargus, aut Thysiazusæ. I Reg. xi. xxxii. Rehoboam. I Reg. xii. Wher is disputed of a politic religion. xxxiii. Abias Thersæus. IReg. xiv. The queen, after much dispute, as the last refuge, sent to the profet Ahias of Shilo; receavs the message. The Epitasis, in that shee, hearing the child shall die, as she comes home, refuses to return, thinking thereby to elude the oracle. Apocalypse of Saint John is the majestic image of a high and stately tragedy, shutting up and intermingling her solemn scenes and acts with a seven-fold chorus of hallelujahs and harping symphonies," Prose-Works, edit. 1698, vol. i. 61. TODD. So they are termed in Milton's MS. Those, which relate to Paradise Lost, have been given at TODD. the end of that poem. The former part is spent in bringing the sick prince forth as it were desirous to shift his chamber and couch, as dying men use; his father telling him what sacrifize he had sent for his health to Bethel and Dan; his fearlessnesse of death, and putting his father in mind to set [send] to Ahiah. The Chorus of the Elders of Israel bemoning his virtues bereft them, and at another time wondring why Jeroboam, being bad himself, should so grieve for his son that was good, &c. xxxiv. Imbres, or The Showers. I Reg. xviii, xix. XXXV. Naboth cunvpavréμevoç. I Reg. xxi. xxxvi. Ahab. I Reg. xxii. Beginning at the synod of fals profets: ending with relation of Ahab's death: his bodie brought. Zedechiah slain by Ahab's friends for his seducing. (See Lavater, II Chron. xviii.) xxxvii. Elias in the mount. II Reg. i. 'Opußárng. Or, better, Elias Polemistes. xxxviii. Elisaus Hudrochóos. II Reg. iii. Hudrophantes. Aquator. xxxix. Elisæus Adorodocétas. xl.. Elisaus Minutes, sive in Dothaimis. II Reg. vi. xli. Samaria Liberata. II Reg. vii. xlii. Achabæi Cunoboromeni. II Reg. ix. The Scene, Jesrael. Beginning, from the watchman's discovery of Jehu, till he go out. In the mean while, message of things passing brought to Jesebel, &c. Lastly, the 70 heads of Ahab's sons brought in, and message brought of Ahaziah's brethren slain on the way. Chap. x. xliii. Jehu Belicola. II Reg. x. xliv. Athaliah. II Reg. xi. xlv. Amaziah Doryalotus. II Reg. xiv. II Chron. xxv. xlvi. Hezechias moλignéμscoç. II Reg. xviii, xix. Hesechia beseiged. The wicked hypocrisy of Shebna, (spoken of in the xi. or thereabout of Isaiah,) and the commendation of Eliakim, will afford a póguas λóy,together with a faction that sought help from Egypt. xlvii. Josiah Asalomenos. II Reg. xxiii. xlviii. Zedechia VEOTEREV. II Reg. But the story is larger in Jeremiah. xlix. Salymay Halosis. Which may begin from a message brought to the city, of the judgement upon Zedechiah and his children in Ribla: and so seconded with the burning and destruction of city and temple by Nebuzaradan; lamented by Jeremiah. 1. Asa, or Ethiopes. II Chron. xiv. with the deposing his mother, and burning her idol. li. The three children. Dan. iii. lii. Abram from Morea, or Isaac redeemThe The oiconomie may be thus. fift or sixt day after Abraham's depar ture. Eleazar (Abram's steward) first alone, and then with the Chorus, dis course of Abraham's strange voiage, thire mistresse sorrow and perplexity, accompanied with frightfull dreams; and tell the manner of his rising by night, taking his servants and his son with him. Next may come forth Sarah herself. After the Chorus, or Ismael, or Agar. Next some shepheard or companie of merchants, passing through the mount in the time that Abram was in the mid-work, relate to Sarah what they saw. Hence lainentations, fears, wonders. The matter in the mean while divulg'd, Aner, or Eschol, or Mamre, Abram's confederats, come to the house of Abram to be more certaine, or to bring news; in the mean while discoursing, as the world would, of such an action, divers ways bewayling the fate of so noble a man faln from his reputation, either through divin justice or superstition, or coveting to doe some notable act through zeal. At length a servant, sent from Abram, relates the truth; and last he himselfe comes in with a great traine of Melchizedec's, whose shepheards, beeing secretlye witnesses of all passages, had related to their master, and be conducted his friend Abraham home with joy. iii. Baptistes. The Scene, the Court. Beginning, From the morning of Hero'ds birth day. In the mar gin of the MS. Or els the queen Herod, by some counsel er persuaded on his birthmay plot, under day to release John Bappræsenseofbegging for his li- tist, purposes it, causes berty, to seek him to be sent for to court to draw him in to a snare by from prison. The queen his freedom of hears of it, takes occaspeech. sion to passe wher he is, on purpose, that, under prætense of reconsiling to him, or seeking to draw a kind retractation from him of the censure on the marriage; to which end she sends a courtier before, to sound whether he might be persuaded to mitigate his sentence; which not finding, she herself craftily assays; and on his constancie, founds an accusation to Herod of a contumacious affront, on such a day, before many peers; præpares the king to some passion, and at last by her daughter's dancing, effects it. There may prologize the spirit of Philip, Herod's brother. It may also be thought that Herod had well bedew'd himself with wine, which made him grant the easier to his wive's daughter. Some of his disciples also, as to congratulate his liberty, may be brought in; with whom, after certain command of his death, many compassionating words of his disciples, bewayling his youth cut off in his glorious cours; he telling them his work is don, and wishing them to follow Christ his mais ter. liv, Sodom. The title, Cupid's funeral pile : Sodom burning. The Scene before Lot's gate. The Chorus, consisting of Lot's shepherds come to the citty about some affairs, await in the evening thire maister's return from his evening walk toward the citty gates. He brings with him two young men, or youths, of noble form. After likely discourses, præpares for thire entertainment. By then supper is ended, the gallantry of the towne passe by in procession, with music and song, to the temple of Venus Urania or Peor; and, understanding of tow noble strangers arriv'd, they send 2 of thire choy sest youth, with the priest, to invite them to thire citty solemnities; it beeing an honour that thire citty had decreed to all fair personages, as beeing sacred to their goddess. The angels being ask't by the priest whence they are, say they are of Salem; the priest inveighs against the strict reign of Melchisedec. Lot, that knows thire drift, answers thwartly at last. Of which notice given to the whole assembly, they hasten thither, taxe him of præsumption, singularity, breach of city-customs; in fine, offer violence. The Chorus of shepheards præpare resistance in thire master's defence; calling the rest of the serviture: but, being forc't to give back, the angels open the dore, rescue Lot, discover themselves, warne him to gether his friends and sons in law out of the city. He goes, and returns; as having met with some incredulous. Some other freind or son in law (out of the way when Lot came to his house) overtakes him to know his buisnes. Heer is disputed of incredulity of divine judgements, and such like inatters. At last is described the parting from the citty. The Chorus depart with their maister. The angels doe the deed with all dreadful execution. The king and nobles of the citty may come forth, and serve to set out the terror. A Chorus of angels concluding, and the angels relating the event of Lot's jour ney, and of his wife. The first Chorus, beginning, may relate the course of the citty; each evening every one, with mistresse or Ganymed, gitterning along the streets, or solacing on the banks of Jordan, or down the stream. At the priests' inviting the angels to the solemnity, the angels, pittying their beauty, may dispute of love, and how it differs from lust; seeking to win them. In the last scene, to the king and nobles, when the fierce thunder begins aloft, the angel appeares all girt with flames, which, he saith, are the flames of true love, and tells the king, who falls down with terrour, his just suffering, as also Athane's, that is,Gener, Lot's sou |