Samf. All otherwife to me my thoughts portend,590 That these dark Orbs no more fhall treat with light, Nor th' other light of life continue long,

But yield to double darkness nigh at hand:
So much I feel my genial Spirits droop,
My hopes all flat, Nature within me feems
In all her functions weary of her felf;
My Race of Glory run, and race of shame,
And I shall shortly be with them that reft.

595

Man. Believe not these fuggeftions, which proceed
From anguish of the mind and humours black, 600
That mingle with thy fancy. I however
Muft not omit a Father's timely care

To profecute the means of thy deliverance
By ranfome, or how elfe: mean while be calm,
And healing words from these thy friends admit. 605

Samf. O that torment should not be confin'd
To the body's wounds and fores,

To th' inmoft mind,

These exercise all his fierce accidents,
And on her pureft fpirits prey,

As on entrails, joints and limbs

With answerable pains, but more intense,

Though void of corporal fenfe.

My griefs not only pain me

As a lingring disease,

But finding no redress, ferment and mage.

615

Nor lefs than wounds immedicable

Rankle, and fefter, and gangreen,

To black mortification.

Thoughts my Tormenters arm'd with deadly ftings Mangle my apprehensive tendereft parts,

Exafperate, exulcerate, and raise

Dire inflammation, which no cooling herb
Or medicinal liquor can affwage,

Nor breath of Vernal Air from nowy Alp.
Sleep liath forfook and giv'n me o'er

625

To death's benumming Opium as my only cure, 630 Thence faintings, fwoonings of despair,

And fenfe of Heav'ns desertion.

I was his nurfling once, and choice delight, His deftin'd from the womb,

Promis'd by Heav'nly meffage twice descending, 635 Under his special eye

Abftemious I grew up and thriv'd amain;

He led me on to mightiest deeds

Above the nerve of mortal arm

Against the uncircumcis'd, our enemies.
But now hath caft me off as never known,

640

And to thofe cruel enemies,

Whom I by his appointment had provok'd,
Left me all helpless with th' irreparable lofs
Of fight, referv'd alive to be repeated..
The fubject of their cruelty or fcorn.
Nor am I in the lift of them that hope;
Hopeless are all my evils, all remedilefs;
This one Prayer yet remains, might I be heard,

645

No long petition, speedy death,

The close of all my miferies, and the balm.

Chor. Many are the Sayings of the Wife In ancient and in modern books enroll'd; Extolling Patience as the trueft fortitude; And to the bearing well of all calamities, All chances incident to man's frail life. Confolatories writ

680

655

With ftudy'd argument, and much persuasion fought Lenient of grief and anxious thought,

But to th' afflicted in his pangs their found

Little prevails, or rather feems a tune,

660.

Harfh, and of dissonant mood from his complaint,

Unless he feel within

Some fource of confolation from above;

Secret refreshings, that repair his strength,
And fainting spirits uphold.

God of our Fathers, what is man!

That thou towards him with hand fo various,
Or might I fay contrarious,

665

Temper'ft thy providence through his fhort courfe,
Not ev'nly, as thou rul’st

Th' Angelick orders and inferior creatures mute,
Irrational and brute.

Nor do I name of men the common rout,
That wandring loose about,

Grow up and perish, as the fummer flie,
Heads without name no more remembred,
But fuch as thou haft folemnly elected,
With gifts and graces eminently adorn'd,

6784

675

To some great work, thy glory,

And peoples fafety, which in part they effect:
Yet toward these thus dignify'd, thou oft
Amidft their height of noon,

680

[gard

Changeft thy countenance, and thy hand with no reOf highest favours paft

685

From thee on them, or them to thee of fervice,
Nor only doft degrade them, or remit

To life obfcur'd, which were a fair difmiffion,
But throw'ft them lower than thou didst exalt them
Unfeemly falls in human eye,

Too grievous for the trefpafs or omiffion,
Oft leav'ft them to the hoftile fword

[high,

691

Of Heathen and prophane, their Carcaffes
To dogs and fowls a prey, or elfe captiv'd:
Orto th'unjust tribunals, under change of times,695
And condemnation of th' ingateful multitude.
If these they 'fcape, perhaps in poverty

With fickness and disease thou bow'ft them down.
Painful diseases and deform'd,

In crude old age:

Though not difordinate, yet caufeless suff'ring
The punishment of diffolute days, in fine,
Juft or unjust, alike feem miferable,

For oft alike, both come to evil end.

700

So deal not with this once thy glorious Champion, The Image of thy ftrength and mighty Minifter. 706. What do I beg? how haft thou dealt already? Behold him in his ftate calamitous, and turn His labours, for thou canft, to peaceful end.

But who is this, what thing of Sea or Land? 710

Female of fex it seems,

That so bedeckt, ornate, and gay,

Comes this way failing

Like a ftately Ship

of Tarfus, bound for th' Ifles

Of Javan or Gadier

With all her bravery on, and tackle trim,

Sails, fill'd, and ftreamers waving,

Courted by all the winds that hold them play,
An Amber scent of odorous perfume

Her harbinger, a damfel train behind;
Some rich Philiftian Matron she may seem,
And now at nearer view, no other certain
Than Dalila thy Wife.

715

720

[near me.

Samf. My Wife, my Trayt'ress, let her not come Chor. Yet on the moves,now stands and eyes thee fix'd. About t'have spoke, but now, with head declin'd, Like a fair flow's furcharg'd with dew, the weeps And words addrefs'd feem tears diffolv'd, Wetting the borders of her filk'n veil:

But now again the makes address to speak.

730

Dal. With doubtful feet and wavering refolution I came, still dreading thy displeasure, Samfon, Which to have merited, without excufe,

I cannot but acknowledge; yet if tears
May expiate (though the fact more evil drew
In the perverfe event than I forefaw)

735

My penance hath not flacken'd, though my pardon' No way affur'd, But conjugal affection