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

Fast by thy side, who from thy father's field
Rode up in flames, after his message told
Of thy conception, and be now a shield

Of fire; that Spirit, that first rushed on thee
In the camp of Dan,

Be efficacious in thee now at need.

For never was from Heaven imparted

Measure of strength so great to mortal seed,
As in thy wondrous actions hath been seen.

But wherefore comes old Manoah in such haste

With youthful steps? much livelier than ere while

He seems; supposing here to find his son,
Or of him bringing to us some glad news?

MANOAH.

Peace with you, brethren. My inducement hither

Was not at present here to find my son,

By order of the lords new parted hence

1440

τὰ μάλιστ ̓ αὐτοῦ κῦδος ἀέξειν
τοῖσι παροίκοις ἀμφιβόητον.
καὶ μὴν ἅγγελος ὅς σε γενέθλιος
ἀμφιβέβηκεν, παρὰ νῦν σταίη,
σάκος ἀμφιβαλων φλογοειδές,
σὴν ὃς γένεσιν πάλαι ἀγγείλας
σῆς πατρίας ἀπὸ γῆς ἐπανῆλθεν,
τέρας ἀμφαίνων πυριφεγγές.
καίριον ἔλθοι τό ποθ ̓ ὁπλοφόρῳ
πνεῦμά σοι ἔμφυτον· ὡς οὐπώποτε
θνητῶν ὁπόσοι θεοποίητον

ῥώμην ἔπρεπον, ἠρίστευσαν

θαύμασιν ἔργων

οἷά σε δράσαντ ̓ ἐσορῶμεν.

1490

1500

ἀλλὰ πῶς; Μάνως γεραιός ἔρχεται σπουδῇ ποδῶν, παρὰ δὲ τὸν χρόνον γε τὸν πρὶν κοῦρος ὡς ἀγάλλεται· υἱὸν, ὡς ἐπεικάσαι γέ μ', ἐνθάδ' ἐλπίζων κιχεῖν, εἴτ ̓ ἄρ ̓ οὖν εὐάγγελος μάλ ̓ ἧσπερ εἴληχεν τύχης.

ΜΑΝΩΣ.

εὐδαιμονοίητ ̓, ὦ φίλοι· τὸν υἱὸν οὐχ
ἥκω ματεύων, ὃς κελευσάντων ἔβη

τῶν κοιράνων, ὡς παιγνίαν αὐτοῖς πόροι

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,

1450

Lest I should see him forced to things unseemly.

But that which moved my coming now was chiefly

To give ye part with me what hope I have

With good success to work his liberty.

CHORUS,

That hope would much rejoice us to partake

With thee. Say, reverend Sire; we thirst to hear.

MANOAH.

I have attempted one by one the lords,

Either at home, or through the high-street passing,
With supplication prone and father's tears,

To accept of ransom for my son their prisoner.
Some much averse I found, and wondrous harsh,
Contemptuous, proud, set on revenge and spite;
That part most reverenced Dagon and his priests :
Others more moderate seeming, but their aim

1460

ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς· πάντα δ ̓ ἦν ἐμοὶ μαθεῖν
ἕρποντι, τὴν πρέπουσαν ἐν πόλει βοὴν,
ὄχλων τ ̓ ἀθροίσματ ̓· οὐδ ̓ ἐγὼ ξυνεσπόμην,
μή πού νιν εἰσίδοιμι τῶν ἐχθρῶν βία
ἀσχημονοῦντα· τοῦτο δ ̓ ἐννοούμενος,
πῶς ἂν νιν, ἐλπίδος γε τῆσδε μὴ σφαλείς,
ἐλεύθερον στήσαιμι, κοινωνοὺς δ ̓ ἔχειν
ὑμᾶς θέλων προσῆλθον ὧν αὐτὸς φρονῶ.

ΧΟΡΟΣ.

λέγ ̓, ὡς προθύμοις, ἡδέως τ ̓ ἂν ἐλπίδος σοὶ τῆσδε συλλαβοῦσιν, αἰδοῖον κάρα.

ΜΑΝΩΣ.

ἐγὼ κατ ̓ ἄνδρ ̓ ἄνακτας, εἴτ ̓ οἴκοι τυχών,

εἴτ' αὖ κατ ̓ ἄστυ, γονυπετῶν κλαυθμῷ λιτῶν

συχνὸν μάλ ̓ ἱκέτευσα, δεσμίου πατὴρ

παιδὸς φέρων ἄποινα· τῶν δ ̓ εὑρόν τινας,
τοὺς καὶ Δάγωνα χοὺς ἔχει θυοσκόους
μάλιστα προσκυνοῦντας, εἰς πικρὰν χολὴν
τετραμμένους, κακοῖσιν ἀντιδρᾶν κακὰ,
ὑπερφρονοῦντας, ὥστε θαυμάζειν ἐμέ.
ἄλλοι δ ̓ ἔδοξαν τουπιεικὲς ἀμφέπειν,
ἔργῳ δὲ πᾶς τις κέρδος ἴδιον, οὗ χάριν

1510

1520

Private reward, for which both God and State
They easily would set to sale; a third

More generous far and civil, who confessed

They had enough revenged, having reduced

Their foe to misery beneath their fears,

The rest was magnanimity to remit,

If some convenient ransom were proposed.

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

CHORUS.

Doubtless the people shouting to behold

1470

Their once great dread, captive and blind before them; Or at some proof of strength before them shewn.

MANOAH.

His ransom, if my whole inheritance

May compass it, shall willingly be paid

And numbered down. Much rather I shall choose

To live the poorest in my tribe, than richest,
And he in that calamitous prison left.

1480

No, I am fixed not to part hence without him.

For his redemption all my patrimony,

If need be, I am ready to forego