1395

Difpute thy coming? come without delay;
Or we shall find fuch engins to affail

And hamper thee, as thou shalt come of force,
Though thou wert firmlier fasten'd than a rock.

SAMS. I could be well content to try their art,
Which to no few of them would prove pernicious. 1400
Yet, knowing their advantages too many,
Because they shall not trail me through their streets
Like a wild beast, I am content to go.

Mafters' commands come with a power refiftlefs

To fuch as owe them abfolute fubjection; mofe?

a

(So mutable are all the ways of men!) Yet this be fure, in nothing to comply Scandalous or forbidden in our Law.

1405

OFF. I praise thy resolution: doff these links: 1410 By this compliance thou wilt win the lords

To favor, and perhaps to fet thee free.

SAMS. Brethren, farewel; your company along

I will not wifh, left it perhaps offend them

To fee me girt with friends; and how the fight 1415
Of me as of a common enemy,

So dreaded once, may now exafperate them,
I know not: lords are lordlieft in their wine;
And the well-feafted priest then fooneft fir'd
With zeal, if ought religion feem concern'd;
No lefs the people on their holy-days
Impetuous, infolent, unquenchable:.
Happen what may, of me expect to hear
Nothing dishonorable, impure, unworthy

1420

Our

Our God, our Law, my Nation, or myself,

The laft of me or no I cannot warrant.

CHO. Go, and the holy One

Of Ifrael be thy guide

1425

To what may serve his glory best, and spread his name

Great among the Heathen round;

1430

Send thee the Angel of thy birth, to stand

Faft by thy fide, who from thy father's field

Rode up in flames after his message told

Of thy conception, and be now a fhield

Of fire; that Spirit that first rush'd on thee
In the camp of Dan

1435

Be efficacious in thee now at need:

For never was from Heav'n imparted

Measure of ftrength fo great to mortal feed,
As in thy wondrous actions hath been seen!
But wherefore comes old Manoah in fuch hafte
With youthful steps? much livelier than ere-while
He seems supposing here to find his fon,

1440

Or of him bringing to us fome glad news?

[hither

MAN. Peace with you, Brethren; my inducement

Was not at present here to find my son,

By order of the lords new parted hence

To come and play before them at their feast.

I heard all as I came, the city rings,
And numbers thither flock, I had no will,
Lest I should see him forc'd to things unfeemly.
But that which mov'd my coming now was chiefly
To give you part with me what hope I have
With good success to work his liberty.

E 4

1450

Сно,

CHO. That hope would much rejoice us to partake' With thee; fay, reverend Sire, we thirst to hear.

1460

MAN. I have attempted one by one the lords,
Either at home, or through the high street paffing,
With fupplication prone and father's tears,
T' accept of ransom for my son their pris'ner.
Some much averfe I found and wondrous harsh,
Contemptuous, proud, set on revenge and spite;
That part most reverenc'd Dagon and his priests:
Others more moderate feeming, but their aim
Private reward, for which both God and State
They easily would fet to fale: a third
More generous far and civil, who confefs'd
They had enough reveng'd, having reduc'd
Their foe to misery beneath their fears,
The reft was magnanimity to remit,

If fome convenient ransom were propos'd.

What noise or shout was that? it tore the sky.

1465

1470

CHO. Doubtless the people shouting to behold Their once great dread, captivé, and blind before them, Or at fome proof of strength before them shown. 1475 MAN. His ranfom, if my whole inheritance May compafs it, fhall willingly be paid.

And number'd down: much rather I fhall choose

To live the poorest in my tribe, than richest,

And he in that calamitous prison left.

1480

No, I am fix'd not to part hence without him.

For his redemption all my patrimony,

If need be, I am ready to forego

And quit: not wanting him I fhall want nothing.

Сно.

CHO. Fathers are wont to lay up for their fons, 1485

Thou for thy fon art bent to lay out all:

Sons wont to nurfe their parents in old age,

Thou in old age car'ft how to nurse thy fon
Made older than thy age through eye-fight loft.
MAN. It shall be my delight to tend his eyes, 1490
And view him fitting in the house, ennobled
With all thofe high exploits by him achiev'd,
And on his shoulders waving down those locks
That of a nation arm'd the ftrength contain`d:
And, I perfuade me, God had not permitted
His ftrength again to grow up with his hair
Garrifon'd round about him like a camp
Of faithful foldiery, were not his purpose
To ufe him further yet in fome great fervice,
Not to fit idle with fo great a gift

1495

1500

Ufelefs, and thence ridiculous about him.

And fince his ftrength with eye-fight was not loft,
God will restore him eye-fight to his ftrength.

CHо. Thy hopes are not ill founded nor feem vain
Of his delivery, and thy joy thereon

Conceiv'd, agreeable to a father's love,

In both which we, as next, participate.

1505

[noife!

MAN. I know your friendly minds, and---O what Mercy of Heaven, what hideous noife was that!

Horribly loud, unlike the former shout.

CHO. Noife call you it, or univerfal groan,

As if the whole inhabitation perifh'd!

1510

Blood, death, and deathful deeds are in that noife,
Ruin, deftruction at the utmost point.

MAN.

MAN. Of ruin indeed methought I heard the noife: Oh it continues, they have flain my fon.

CHO. Thy fon is rather flaying them, that outcry From flaughter of one foe could not afcend.

MAN. Some difmal accident it needs must be; What shall we do? stay here, or run and see ?

1520

CHO. Beft keep together here, left running thither

We unawares run into danger's mouth.

This evil on the Philiftines is fall'n;

From whom could elfe a general cry be heard?
The fufferers then will fcarce moleft us here,
From other hands we need not much to fear.
What if, his eye-fight (for to Ifrael's God
Nothing is hard) by miracle reftor'd,
He now be dealing dole among his foes,
And over heaps of flaughter'd walk his way?

1525

1530

MAN. That were a joy prefumptuous to be thought. CHO. Yet God hath wrought things as incredible For his people of old; what hinders now?

MAN. He can I know, but doubt to think he will; Yet hope would fain fubfcribe, and tempts belief. 1535 A little stay will bring fome notice hither.

CHO. Of good or bad so great, of bad the fooner; For evil news rides poft, while good news baits. And to our wish I fee one hither speeding,

1540

An Hebrew, as I guess, and of our tribe.
MESS. O whither fhall I run, or which way fly
The fight of this fo horrid spectacle,

Which erft my eyes beheld, and yet behold?
For dire imagination ftill purfues me.

But