Of faithful soldiery, were not his purpose

To use him further yet in some great service;
Not to sit idle with so great a gift

Useless, and thence ridiculous about him.

[vain

And since his strength with cye-sight was not lost,
God will restore him eye-sight to his strength.
CHO. Thy hopes are not ill-founded, nor seem
Of his delivery, and thy joy thereon
Conceived, agreeable to a father's love,
In both which we, as next, participate. [noise!-
MAN. I know your friendly minds, and—O what
Mercy of Heaven! what hideous noise was that?
Horribly loud, unlike the former shout.

CHO. Noise call you it, or universal groan,
As if the whole inhabitation perish'd!

Blood, death, and deathless deeds, are in that noise, Ruin, destruction at the utmost point. [noise:

MAN. Of ruin' indeed methought I heard the Oh! it continues, they have slain my son.

CHO. Thy son is rather slaying them: that outcry From slaughter of one foe could not ascend.

MAN. Some dismal accident it needs must be; What shall we do, stay here or run and see? CHO. Best keep together here, lest, running thiWe e unawares run into danger's mouth. [ther, This evil on the Philistines is fallen;

From whom could else a general cry be heard:
The sufferers then will scarce molest us here;
From other hands we need not much to fear.
What if, his eye-sight (for to Israel's God
Nothing is hard), by miracle restored,
He now be dealing dole among his foes,
And over heaps of slaughter'd walk his way?
MAN. That were a joy presumptuous 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 subscribe, and tempts belief. A little stay will bring some notice hither.

CHO. Of good or bad so great, of bad the sooner; For evil news rides post, while good news bates. And to our wish I see one hither speeding, An Hebrew, as I guess, and of our tribe.

Enter Messenger.

MESS. O whither shall I run, or which way fly The sight of this so horrid spectacle,

Which erst my eyes beheld, and yet behold?
For dire imagination still pursues me.

But Providence or instinct of nature seems,
Or reason though disturb'd, and scarce consulted,
To' have guided me aright, I know not how,
To thee first, reverend Manoah! and to these
My countrymen, whom here I knew remaining,
As at some distance from the place of horror,
So in the sad event too much concern'd.

[thee

MAN. The accident was loud, and here before With rueful cry, yet what it was we hear not; No preface needs, thou seest we long to know.

MESS. It would burst forth, but I recover breath And sense distract, to know well what I utter. MAN. Tell us the sum, the circumstance defer. MESS. Gaza yet stands, but all her sons are fallen, All in a moment overwhelm'd and fallen.

MAN. Sad, but thou know'st to Israelites not The desolation of a hostile city. [saddest MESS. Feed on that first; there may in grief be MAN. Relate by whom. [surfeit. By Samson.

MESS.

MAN.

That still lessens

The sorrow, and converts it nigh to joy.

MESS. Ah! Manoah, I refrain too suddenly To utter what will come at last too soon; Lest evil tidings with too rude irruption Hitting thy aged ear should pierce too deep. MAN. Suspense in news is torture, speak them

out.

[dead. MESS. Take then the worst in brief, Samson is MAN. The worst indeed! O all my hopes defeated To free him hence! but death, who sets all free, Hath paid his ransom now and full discharge. What windy joy this day had I conceived Hopeful of his delivery, which now proves Abortive as the first-born bloom of spring Nipt with the lagging rear of winter's frost! Yet ere I give the reins to grief, say first, How died he death to life is crown or shame. All by him fell, thou say'st; by whom fell he? What glorious hand gave Samson his death's wound?

MESS. Unwounded of his enemies he fell.

MAN. Wearied with slaughter then, or how?
MESS. By his own hands.

MAN.

[explain.

Self-violence? what cause

Brought him so soon at variance with himself

Among his foes?

MESS.

Inevitable cause

At once both to destroy, and be destroy'd.
The edifice, where all were met to see him,
Upon their heads and on his own he pull'd.

MAN. O lastly over-strong against thyself!
A dreadful way thou took'st to thy revenge.
More than enough we know; but while things yet

Are in confusion, give us, if thou canst,
Eye-witness of what first or last was done,
Relation more particular and distinct.

MESS. Occasions drew me early to this city;
And, as the gates I enter'd with sun-rise,
The morning trumpets festival proclaim'd
Through each high street: little I had despatch'd,
When all abroad was rumor'd that this day
Samson should be brought forth, to show the people
Proof of his mighty strength in feats and games:
I sorrow'd at his captive state, but minded
Not to be absent at that spectacle.

The building was a spacious theatre
Half-round, on two main pillars vaulted high,
With seats where all the lords, and each degree
Of sort, might sit in order to behold:
The other side was open, where the throng
On banks and scaffolds under sky might stand;
I among these aloof obscurely stood.

The feast and noon grew high, and sacrifice
Had fill'd their hearts with mirth, high cheer, and
wine,

When to their sports they turn'd. Immediately
Was Samson as a public servant brought,
In their state livery clad: before him pipes
And timbrels, on each side went armed guards,
Both horse and foot, before him and behind
Archers, and slingers, cataphracts, and spears.
At sight of him the people with a shout

Rifted the air, clamoring their god with praise,
Who' had made their dreadful enemy their thrall.
He patient, but undaunted, where they led him,
Came to the place; and what was set before him,
Which without help of eye might be essay'd,

To heave, pull, draw, or break, he still perform'd
All with incredible, stupendous force,
None daring to appear antagonist.

At length for intermission sake they led him
Between the pillars: he his guide requested
(For so from such as nearer stood we heard),
As over-tired to let him lean awhile

With both his arms on those two massy pillars,
That to the arched roof gave main support.
He, unsuspicious, led him; which when Samson
Felt in his arms, with head awhile inclined,
And eyes fast fix'd he stood, as one who pray'd,
Or some great matter in his mind revolved:
At last with head erect thus cried aloud;
"Hitherto, Lords! what your commands imposed
I have perform'd, as reason was, obeying,
Not without wonder or delight beheld.
Now of my own accord such other trial
I mean to show you of my strength, yet greater,

As with amaze shall strike all who behold."
This utter'd, straining all his nerves he bow'd:
As with the force of winds and waters pent,
When mountains tremble, those two massy pillars
With horrible convulsion to and fro

He tugg'd, he shook, till down they came and drew
The whole roof after them with burst of thunder
Upon the heads of all who sat beneath,
Lords, ladies, captains, counsellors, or priests,
Their choice nobility and flower, not only
Of this but each Philistian city round,
Met from all parts to solemnize this feast.
Samson, with these immix'd, inevitably
Pull'd down the same destruction on himself;
The vulgar only 'scaped who stood without.