By his habit I discern him now
A public officer, and now at hand.
His message will be short and voluble.7923
OFF. Hebrews, the pris’ner Samson here I seek.
CHOR. His manacles remark7924 him. There he sits.
OFF. Samson, to thee our lords thus bid me say:
This day to Dagon is a solemn feast,
With sacrifices, triumph, pomp,7925 and games.
Thy strength they know surpassing human rate,7926
And now some public proof7927 thereof require
To honor this great feast and great assembly.
Rise therefore with all speed and come along,
Where I will see thee heartn’d7928 and fresh clad
To appear as fits before th’ illustrious lords.
SAM. Thou know’st I am an Hebrew. Therefore tell them
Our Law forbids at their religious rites 1320
My presence. For that cause I cannot come.
OFF. This answer, be assured, will not content them.
SAM. Have they not sword-players, and every sort
Of gymnic artists, wrestlers, riders, runners,
Jugglers and dancers, antics,7929 mummers,7930 mimics,7931
But they must pick me out, with shackles tired
And over-labored at their public mill,
To make7932 them sport7933 with blind activity?
Do they not seek occasion of new quarrels
On my refusal to distress7934 me more, 1330
Or make a game of my calamities?
Return the way thou cam’st. I will not come.
OFF. Regard7935 thyself: this will offend them highly.
SAM. Myself? My conscience and internal peace!
Can they think me so broken, so debased
With corporal servitude, that my mind ever
Will condescend to such absurd commands?
Although their drudge,7936 to be their fool or jester,
And in my midst of sorrow and heart-grief
To show them feats, and play7937 before their god, 1340
The worst of all indignities, yet on me
Joined7938 with extreme contempt? I will not come.
OFF. My message was imposed on me with speed,
Brooks no delay: is this thy resolution?7939
SAM. So take it, with what speed thy message needs.
OFF. I am sorry7940 what this stoutness7941 will produce.
SAM. Perhaps thou shalt have cause to sorrow indeed.
CHOR. Consider, Samson. Matters now are strained
Up to the height, whether to hold or break.
He’s gone, and who knows how he may report 1350
Thy words by adding fuel to the flame?
Expect another message more imperious,
More lordly thund’ring than thou well wilt bear.
SAM. Shall I abuse this consecrated gift
Of strength, again returning with my hair
After my great transgression? So requite7942
Favor7943 renewed, and add a greater sin
By prostituting holy things to idols?
A Nazarite7944 in place abominable
Vaunting7945 my strength in honor to their Dagon? 1360
Besides, how vile, contemptible, ridiculous,
What act more execrably unclean, profane?
CHOR. Yet with this strength thou serv’st the Philistines,
Idolatrous, uncircumcised, unclean.
SAM. Not in their idol-worship, but by labor
Honest and lawful to deserve my food
Of those who have me in their civil7946 power.
CHOR. Where the heart joins not, outward acts defile not.
SAM. Where outward force constrains,7947 the sentence7948 holds.
But who constrains me to the temple of Dagon,
Not dragging? The Philistian lords command!
Commands are no constraints. If I obey them,
I do it freely, venturing to displease
God for the fear of man, and man prefer,
Set God behind—which in His jealousy7949
Shall never, unrepented, find forgiveness.
Yet that He may dispense7950 with me or thee,
Present in temples at idolatrous rites
For some important cause, thou need’st not doubt.
CHOR. How thou wilt here come off surmounts my reach. 1380
SAM. Be of good courage. I begin to feel
Some rousing7951 motions in me which dispose7952
To something extraordinary my thoughts.
I with this messenger will go along—
Nothing to do, be sure, that may dishonor
Our Law, or stain my vow of Nazarite.
If there be aught of presage7953 in the mind,
This day will be remarkable in my life
By some great act, or of my days the last.
CHOR. In time thou hast resolved: the man returns. 1390
OFF. Samson, this second message from our lords
To thee I am bid say. Art thou our slave,
Our captive, at the public mill our drudge,
And dar’st thou at our sending and command
Dispute thy coming? Come without delay,
Or we shall find7954 such engines7955 to assail7956
And hamper7957 thee, as thou shalt come of force,
Though thou wert firmlier fast’ned than a rock.
SAM. I could be well content to try7958 their art,7959
Which to no few of them would prove pernicious.7960 1400
Yet knowing their advantages too many,
Because they shall7961 not trail7962 me through their streets
Like a wild beast, I am content to go.
Masters’ commands come with a power resistless
To such as owe them absolute subjection,
And for a life who will not change his purpose?
(So mutable are all the ways of men)
Yet this be sure, in nothing to comply
Scandalous or forbidden in our Law.
OFF. I praise thy resolution. Doff 7963 these links:7964 1410
By this compliance thou wilt win the lords
To favor, and perhaps to set thee free.
SAM. Brethren, farewell. Your company along
I will not wish, lest it perhaps offend them
To see me girt7965 with friends. And how the sight
Of me as of a common enemy,
So dreaded once, may now exasperate7966 them
I know not. Lords are lordliest in their wine,
And the well-feasted priest then soonest fired
With zeal, if aught religion seem concerned. 1420
No less the people on their holy-days
Impetuous,7967 insolent,7968 unquenchable.
Happ’n what may, of me expect to hear
Nothing dishonorable, impure, unworthy
Our God, our Law, my nation, or myself.
The last of me or no, I cannot warrant.7969
CHOR. Go, and the Holy One
Of Israel be thy guide
To what may serve
His glory best, and spread His name
Great among the heathen round—7970 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 Heav’n imparted
Measure7971 of strength so great to mortal seed,
As in thy wond’rous actions hath been seen. 1440
But wherefore comes old Manoa in such haste,
With youthful steps? Much livelier than erewhile
He seems: supposing here to find his son,
Or of him bringing to us some glad news?
MAN.
Peace with you, brethren. My inducement7972 hither
Was not at present here to find my son,
By order of the lords new parted hence
To come and play7973 before them at their feast.
I heard all as I came, the city rings
And numbers thither flock. I had no will,7974 1450
Lest I should see him forced to things unseemly.
But that which moved my coming, now, was chiefly
To give ye part7975 with me what hope I have
With good success to work his liberty.
CHOR. That hope would much rejoice us to partake7976
With thee. Say reverend Sire, we thirst to hear.
MAN. I have attempted7977 one by one the lords,
Either at home, or through the high street passing,
With supplication prone and father’s tears,
T’ accept of ransom for my son, their pris’ner. 1460
Some much averse7978 I found, and wondrous harsh,
Contemptuous, proud, set on revenge and spite;
That part most reverenc’d Dagon and his priests.
Others more moderate seeming, but their aim
Private reward, for which both god and state
They easily would set to sale. A third
More generous7979 far and civil,7980 who confessed
They had enough revenged, having reduced
Their foe to misery beneath their fears.
The rest7981 was7982 magnanimity7983 to remit,7984 1470
If some convenient7985 ransom were proposed.
What noise or shout was that? It tore the sky.
CHOR. Doubtless the people shouting, to behold
Their once great dread, captive and blind before them,
Or at some proof of strength before them shown.
MAN. His ransom, if my whole inheritance7986
May compass7987 it, shall willingly be paid
And numbered down.7988 Much rather I shall choose
To live the poorest in my tribe, than richest,
And he in that calamitous7989 prison left. 1480
No, I am fixed7990 not to part hence without him.
For his redemption all my patrimony,
If need be, I am ready to forego
And quit: not wanting7991 him, I shall want nothing.
CHOR. Fathers are wont7992 to lay up7993 for their sons:
Thou for thy son art bent to lay out all.
Sons wont to nurse their parents in old age:
Thou in old age car’st how to nurse thy son,
Made older than thy age, through eye-sight lost.
MAN. It shall be my delight to tend his eyes, 1490
And view him sitting in the house, enobled7994
With all those high exploits by him achieved,
And on his shoulders waving down those locks,
That of a nation armed7995 the strength contained.
And I persuade me God had not permitted
His strength again to grow up, with his hair
Garrisoned7996 round about him like a camp7997
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 1500
Useless, and thence ridiculous7998 about him.
And since his strength with eye-sight was not lost,
God will restore him eye-sight to his strength.
CHOR. Thy hopes are not ill founded nor seem vain7999
Of His delivery,8000 and thy joy thereon
Conceived,8001 agreeable8002 to a father’s love,
In both which we, as next,8003 participate.
MAN. I know your friendly minds and—O what noise!
Mercy of Heav’n, what hideous noise was that!
Horribly loud, unlike the former shout. 1510
CHOR. Noise call you it? or universal groan,
As if the whole inhabitation8004 perished.
Blood, death, and deathful deeds are in that noise,
Ruin, destruction at the utmost point.
MAN. Of ruin indeed methought I heard the noise.
Oh it continues, they have slain my son!
CHOR. Thy son is rather slaying them: that outcry
From slaughter of one foe could not ascend.
MAN. Some dismal8005 accident8006 it needs must be.
What shall we do, stay here or run and see? 1520
CHOR. Best keep together here, lest running thither
We unawares run into danger’s mouth.
This evil on the Philistines is fall’n:
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 dole8007 among his foes,
And over heaps of slaughtered walk his way?
MAN. That were a joy presumptuous to be thought.
CHOR. 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,8008 and tempts belief.
A little stay8009 will bring some notice hither.
CHOR. Of good or bad so great, of bad the sooner,
For evil news rides post,8010 while good news baits.8011
And to our wish I see one hither speeding,
An Hebrew, as I guess, and of our tribe.
MESS. O whither shall I run, or which way fly8012
The sight of this so horrid spectacle
Which erst my eyes beheld and yet behold,
For dire8013 imagination still pursues me?
But providence or instinct of nature seems,
Or reason (though disturbed, and scarce consulted)
To have guided me aright, I know not how,
To thee first, reverend Manoa, 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 concerned.
MAN. The accident8014 was loud, and here before thee,
With rueful cry, yet what it was we hear not.
No preface needs: thou see’st we long to know.
MESS. It would burst forth, but I recover breath
And sense distract,8015 to know well what I utter.
MAN. Tell us the sum,8016 the circumstance8017 defer.
MESS. Gaza yet stands, but all her sons are fall’n,
All in a moment overwhelmed and fall’n.
MAN. Sad, but thou know’st to Israelites not saddest, 1560
The desolation of a hostile city.
MESS. Feed on that first, there may in grief be surfeit.8018
MAN. Relate by whom.
MESS. By Samson.
MAN. That still lessens
The sorrow, and converts it nigh to joy.
MESS. Ah Manoa, I refrain too suddenly8019
To utter what will come at last too soon,8020
Lest evil tidings with too rude eruption8021
Hitting thy agèd ear should pierce too deep.
MAN. Suspense in news is torture: speak them out.
MESS. Then take the worst in brief: Samson is dead. 1570
MAN. The worst indeed. O all my hope’s defeated
To free him hence! But death who sets all free
Hath paid his ransom now and full discharge.
What windy8022 joy this day had I conceived,
Hopeful of his delivery, which now proves
Abortive as the first-born bloom of spring
Nipped 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? 1580
What
glorious hand gave Samson his death’s wound?
MESS. Unwounded of his enemies he fell.
MAN. Wearied with slaughter, then, or how? Explain.
MESS. By his own hands.
MAN. Self-violence? What cause
Brought him so soon at variance8023 with himself,
Among his foes?
MESS. Inevitable cause
At once both to destroy and be destroyed.
The edifice where all were met to see him
Upon their heads and on his own he pulled.
MAN. O lastly8024 over-strong against thyself! 1590
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,
Relation8025 more particular and distinct.
MESS. Occasions8026 drew me early to this city,
And as the gates I entered with sun-rise,
The morning trumpets festival proclaimed
Through each high street.8027 Little I had dispatched8028
When all abroad8029 was rumored that this day 1600
Samson should be brought forth to show the people
Proof of his mighty strength in feats and games.
I sorrowed at his captive state, but minded8030
Not to be absent at that spectacle.
The building was a spacious theater8031
Half round on two main pillars vaulted high,
With seats where all the lords and each degree
Of sort8032 might sit in order to behold.
The other side was open, where the throng
On banks8033 and scaffolds under sky might stand.
I among these aloof 8034 obscurely8035 stood.
The feast and noon grew high, and sacrifice
Had filled their hearts with mirth, high cheer, and wine,
When to their sports8036 they turned. Immediately
Was Samson as a public servant brought,
In their state livery8037 clad. Before him pipes8038
And timbrels,8039 on each side went armèd guards,
Both horse and foot before him, and behind
Archers, and slingers, cataphracts8040 and spears.
At sight of him the people with a shout
Rifted8041 the air, clamoring8042 their god with praise,
Who had made their dreadful8043 enemy their thrall.8044
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 assayed,
To heave, pull, draw, or break, he still performed
All with incredible, stupendous force,
None daring to appear antagonist.8045
At length for intermission sake they led him
Between the pillars. He his guide requested
The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Page 74
