The mark of fool set on his front?
But I God's counsel have not kept, his holy secret Presumptuously have publish'd, impiously,
Weakly at least, and shamefully; a sin
That Gentiles in their parables condemn
To their abyss and horrid pains confin'd.
MAN. Be penitent and for thy fault contrite,
But act not in thy own affliction, son;
Repent the sin, but if the punishment
Thou canst avoid, self-preservation bids;
Or th' execution leave to high disposal,
And let another hand, not thine, exact
Thy penal forfeit from thyself; perhaps
God will relent, and quit thee all his debt,
Who evermore approves and more accepts,
Best pleas'd with humble and filial submission,
Him who imploring mercy sues for life,
Than who self-rigorous chooses death as due,
Which argues over-just, and self-displeas'd
For self-offence, more than for God offended. 515
Reject not then what offer'd means: who knows
But God hath set before us, to return thee
Home to thy country and his sacred house,
Where thou may'st bring thy off'rings, to avert
His further ire, with prayers and vows renew'd?
SAMS. His pardon I implore; but as for life, To what end should I seek it? when in strength All mortals I excell'd, and great in hopes With youthful courage and magnanimous thoughts Of birth from heav'n foretold, and high exploits,
Full of divine instinct, after some proof
Of acts indeed heroic, far beyond
The sons of Anack, famous now and blaz'd,
Fearless of danger, like a petty God
I walk'd about, admir'd of all and dreaded, 530
On hostile ground, none daring my affront.
Then swoll'n with pride into the snare I fell
Of fair fallacious looks, venereal trains,
Soften'd with pleasure and voluptuous life;
At length to lay my head and hallow'd pledge 535
Of all my strength in the lascivious lap
Of a deceitful concubine, who shore me,
Like a tame wether, all my precious fleece,
Then turn'd me out ridiculous, despoil'd,
Shav'n, and disarm'd, among mine enemies.
CHOR. Desire of wine and all delicious drinks, Which many a famous warrior overturns, Thou could'st repress, nor did the dancing ruby Sparkling, out-pour'd, the flavour, or the smell, Or taste that cheers the hearts of gods and men, Allure thee from the cool crystalline stream.
SAMS. Wherever fountain or fresh current flow'd Against the eastern ray, translucent, pure, With touch etherial of heav'n's fiery rod,
535 lay my head] Spens. F. Q. ii. vi. 14.
549 touch] Lucr. iv. 409. Contingens fervidus igne.' Hor. Od. iii. xiii. 9. 'Aura caniculæ nescit tangere.' Sid. Apoll. xxiii. 94. 'fulminei tactus.'
I drank, from the clear milky juice allaying 550 Thirst, and refresh'd; nor envied them the grape, Whose heads that turbulent liquor fills with fumes. CHOR. O madness, to think use of strongest
And strongest drinks our chief support of health,
When God with these forbidden made choice to rear
His mighty champion, strong above compare,
Whose drink was only from the liquid brook.
SAMS. But what avail'd this temperance, not
complete
Against another object more enticing?
What boots it at one gate to make defence,
And at another to let in the foe,
Effeminately vanquish'd? by which means,
Now blind, dishearten'd, sham'd, dishonour'd, To what can I be useful, wherein serve
My nation, and the work from heav'n impos'd, 565
But to sit idle on the household hearth,
A burd'nous drone; to visitants a gaze,
Or pitied object, these redundant locks
Robustious to no purpose clust'ring down,
Vain monument of strength, till length of years 570
And sedentary numbness craze my limbs
To a contemptible old age obscure?
Here rather let me drudge and earn my bread,
Till vermin or the draff of servile food
569 Robustious] Drayton's Baron's Warrs, 1627. c. v. st. 85.
Cast from my seat, in some robustious course.' Todd.
Consume me, and oft invocated death
Hasten the welcome end of all my pains. [that gift
MAN. Wilt thou then serve the Philistines with
Which was expressly giv'n thee to annoy them?
Better at home lie bedrid, not only idle,
Inglorious, unemploy'd, with age outworn.
But God, who caus'd a fountain at thy prayer
From the dry ground to spring, thy thirst to allay
After the brunt of battle, can as easy
Cause light again within thy eyes to spring,
Wherewith to serve him better than thou hast; 585
And I persuade me so; why else this strength
Miraculous yet remaining in those locks?
His might continues in thee not for nought,
Nor shall his wondrous gifts be frustrate thus.
SAMS. All otherwise to me my thoughts portend,
That these dark orbs no more shall 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 seems
In all her functions weary of herself,
My race of glory run, and race of shame,
And I shall shortly be with them that rest.
MAN. Believe not these suggestions, which
proceed
From anguish of the mind and humours black, 600
597 race] May's Cleopatra, p. 48.
My race of life, and glory is not run.'
That mingle with thy fancy. I however
Must not omit a father's timely care
To prosecute the means of thy deliverance
By ransom or how else: mean while be calm,
And healing words from these thy friends admit.
SAMS. O that torment should not be confin'd
To the body's wounds and sores,
With maladies innumerable
In heart, head, breast, and reins;
But must secret passage find
To th' inmost mind,
There exercise all his fierce accidents,
And on her purest spirits prey,
As on entrails, joints, and limbs,
With answerable pains, but more intense,
Though void of corporal sense.
My griefs not only pain me
As a ling'ring disease,
But, finding no redress, ferment and rage,
Nor less than wounds immedicable
Rankle, and fester, and gangrene,
To black mortification.
Thoughts my tormentors, arm'd with deadly
Mangle my apprehensive tenderest parts,
Exasperate, exulcerate, and raise
Dire inflammation, which no cooling herb,
Or medicinal liquor can asswage,
605 healing] Eurip. Hippol. v. 478.
Εἰσὶν δ ̓ ἐπώδαι, καὶ λόγοι θελκτήριοι.
627 Medicinal] Milton always spells this word Medcinal.'
|