So dreaded once, may now exasperate them, Of Israel be thy guide [name To what may serve his glory best, and spread his Be efficacious in thee now at need. He seems; supposing here to find his son, [Enter] Manoah. Man. Peace with you, brethren; my induce- Was not at present here to find my son, To give ye part with me what hope I have Chor. That hope would much rejoice us to With thee; say, reverend sire, we thirst to hear. With supplication prone and father's tears, Chor. Doubtless the people shouting to behold them, Or at some proof of strength before them shown. And number'd down: much rather I shall choose And quit: not wanting him, I shall want no- Chor. Fathers are wont to lay up for their sons, Man. It shall be my delight to tend his eyes, [lost, [vain Chor. Thy hopes are not ill founded, nor seem Mercy of Heaven, what hideous noise was that Chor. Noise call you it, or universal groan, Man. Of ruin indeed methought I heard the Oh! it continues, they have slain my son. We unawares run into danger's mouth. Chor. Yet God hath wrought things as incre- 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, Chor. Of good or bad so great, of bad the sooner; For evil news rides post, while good news bates. [Enter] Messenger. Mess. O whither shall I run, or which way fly thee With rueful cry, yet what it was we hear not; And sense distract, to know well what I utter. All in a moment overwhelm'd and fall'n. Man. Sad, but thou know'st to Israelites not Man. Relate by whom. Mess. Man. Mess. Ah! Manoah, I refrain too suddenly out. Mess. Take then the worst in brief, Samson is dead. Man, The worst indeed, O all my hopes de feated To free him hence! but death, who sets all free, -Mess. Unwounded of his enemies he fell. Mess. By his own hands. Inevitable cause Mess. Man. Q lastly over-strong against thyself! More than enough we know; but while things yet Mess. Occasions drew me early to this city; Proof of his mighty strength in feats and games; When to their sports they turn'd. Immediately I mean to show you of my strength, yet greater, The whole roof after them, with burst of thunder Pull'd down the same destruction on himself; Chor. O dearly-bought revenge, yet glorious! Living or dying thou hast fulfill'd The work for which thou wast foretold Not willingly, but tangled in the fold Of dire necessity, whose law in death conjoin'd Thee with thy slaughter'd foes, in number more Than all thy life hath slain before. 1. Semichor. While their hearts were jocund Drunk with idolatry, drunk with wine, Among them he a spirit of phrenzy sent, And urg'd them on with mad desire Their own destruction to come speedy upon them. Fall'n into wrath divine. As their own ruin on themselves to invite, 2. Semichor. But he, though blind of sight, Despis'd and thought extinguish'd quite, With inward eyes illuminated, His fiery virtue rous'd From under ashes into sudden flame, And as an evening dragon came, Assailant on the perched roosts And nests in order rang'd Of tame villatic fowl; but as an eagle His cloudless thunder bolted on their heads. So virtue, given for lost, Depress'd, and overthrown, as seem'd, Like that so'f-begotten bird In the Arabian woods embost, That no second knows nor third, And lay ere while a holocaust, From out her ashy womb now teem'd, Revives, reflourishes, then vigorous most And, though her body die, her fame survives Man. Come, come; no time for lamentation now, Nor much more cause; Samson hath quit himself Fully reveng'd, hath left them years of mourning, Let us go find the body where it lies Will send for all my kindred, all my friends, Chor. All is best, though we oft doubt And to his faithful champion hath in place His uncontrollable intent; His servants he, with new acquist Of true experience, from this great event APPENDIX ΤΟ SAMSON AGONISTES, CONTAINING PLANS OF OTHER SUBJECTS, IN- SCRIPTURE SUBJECTS.' OTHER TRAGEDIES. i. The Flood. [See No. iii. below.] ii. Abram in Egypt. iii. The Deluge. iv. Sodom. v. Dinah, Vide Euseb. Præparat. Evangel. lib. ix. cap. xxii. These numerous scripture subjects justify a remark made by Mr. Warton, that Milton early leaned towards religious subjects for plays, and wished to turn the drama into the scriptural channel he accordingly, in his Reason of Ch. Gov. against Prelacy, written in 1641, tempers his praise of Sophocles and Euripides with recommending Solomon's Song; and adds, that "the vi. Thamar Cuophorusa. vii. The golden Calfe, or The Massacre in viii. The Quails. Num. xi. ix.. The Murmurers. Num. xiv. x. Corah, Dathan, &c. Num. xvi, xvii. xii. Achan. Joshue vii and viii. xiii., Josuah in Gibeon. Josh. x. xiv. Gideon Idoloclastes. Judg. vi, vii. xv. Gideon pursuing. Judg. viii. xvi. Abimelech the Usurper. Judg. ix. xvii. SAMSON MARRIING, or in Ramach Lechi. Judg. xv. xviii. SAMSON PURSOPHORUS, or Hybristes, or Dagonalia. Judg. xvi. xix. Comazontes, or The Benjaminites, or The Rioters. Judg. xix, xx, xxi. xx. Theristria, a Pastoral, out of Ruth. xxi. Eliade, Hophni and Phinehas. I Sam. i, ii, iii, iv. Beginning with the first overthrow of Israel by the Philistines; interlac't with Samuel's vision concerning Elie's family. xxii. Jonathan rescued. I Sam. xiv. xxiii, Doeg slandering. I Sam. xxii. xxiv. The sheep-shearers in Carmel, a Pastoral. I Sam. xxv. xv. Saul in Gilboa. I Sam. xxviii, xxxi. xxvi. David revolted. I Sam. from the xxvii chap. to the xxxi. xxvii. David adulterous. II Sam. c. xi, xii. xxviii. Tamar, II Sam. xiii. xxix. Achitophel. II Sam. xv, xvi, xvii, xviii. XXX. Adoniah. I Reg. ii. xxxi. Solomon Gynææcocratumenus, or Idolo margus, aut Thysiazusa. I Reg. xi. xxxii. Rehoboam. 1 Reg. xii. Wher is disputed of a politic religion. xxxiii. Abias Thersæus, IReg, xiv. The queen, after much dispute, as the last refuge, sent to the profet Ahias of Shilo; receavs the message. The Epitasis, in that shee, hearing the child shall die, as she comes home, refuses to return, thinking thereby to elude the oracle. Apocalypse of Saint John is the majestic image of a high and stately tragedy, shutting up and intermingling her solemn scenes and acts with a seven-fold chorus of hallelujahs and harping symphonies." Prose-Works, edit, 1698, vol. i. 61. TODD. 2 So they are termed in Milton's MS. Those, which relate to Paradise Lost, have been given at the end of that poem. TODD. The former part is spent in bringing the sick prince forth as it were desirous to shift his chamber and couch, as dying men use; his father telling him what sacrifize he had sent for his health to Bethel and Dan; his fearlessnesse of death, and putting his father in mind to set [send] to Ahiah. The Chorus of the Elders of Israel bemoning his virtues bereft them, and at another time wondring why Jeroboam, being bad himself, should so grieve for his son that was good, &c. xxxiv. Imbres, or The Showers. I Reg. xviii, xix. xxxv. Naboth unvpartéμevoç. I Reg. xxi. xxxvi. Ahab. I Reg. xxii. Beginning at the synod of fals profets: ending with relation of Ahab's death: his bodie brought. Zedechiah slain by Ahab's friends for his seducing. (See Lavater, II Chron. xviii.) xxxvii. Elias in the mount. II Reg. i. 'Opußáτng. Or, better, Elias Polemistes. xxxviii. Elisaus Hudrochóos. II Reg. iii. Hudrophantes. Aquator. xxxix. Elisaus Adorodocétas. xl. Elisaus Minutes, sive in Dothaimis. II xli. Samaria Liberala. II Reg. vii. The Scene, Jesrael. Beginning, from xlvi. Hezechias modiognμecos. II Reg. xviii, xlvii. Josiah Alalomenos. II Reg. xxiii. xlix. Salymay Halosis. Which may begin 1. Asa, or Ethiopes. II Chron. xiv. with li. The three children. Dan. iii.' lii. Abram from Morea, or Isaac redeem- course of Abraham's strange voiage, thire mistresse sorrow and perplexity, accompanied with frightfull dreams; and tell the manner of his rising by night, taking his servants and his son with him. Next may come forth Sarah herself. After the Chorus, or Ismael, or Agar. Next some shepheard or companie of merchants, passing through the mount in the time that Abram was in the mid-work, relate to Sarah what they saw. Hence lamen tations, fears, wonders. The matter in the mean while divulg'd, Aner, or Eschol, or Mamre, Abram's confederats, come to the house of Abram to be more certaine, or to bring news; in the mean while discoursing, as the world would, of such an action, divers ways; bewayling the fate of so noble a man faln from his reputation, either through divin justice or superstition, or covering to doe some notable act through zeal. At length a servant, sent from Abram, relates the truth; and last he himselfe comes in with a great traine of Melchizedec's, whose shepheards, beeing secretlye witnesses of all passages, had related to their master, and he conducted his friend Abraham home with joy. iii. Baptistes. The Scene, the Court. Beginning, From the morning of Hero'ds birth-day. * In the margin of the MS. Or els the queen Herod, by some counsel er persuaded on his birthmay plot, under day to release John Bappræ.enseof begging for his li- tist, purposes it, causes berty, to seek him to be sent for to court to draw him in to a snare by from prison. The queen his freedom of hears of it, takes occaspeech. sion to passe wher he is, on purpose, that, under prætense of reconsiling to him, or seeking to draw a kind retractation from him of the censure on the marriage; to which end she sends a courtier before, to sound whether he might be persuaded to mitigate his sentence; which not finding, she herself craftily assays; and on his constancie, founds an accusation to Herod of a contumacious affront, on such a day, before many peers; præpares the king to some passion, and at last by her daughter's dancing, effects it. There may prologize the spirit of Philip, Herod's brother. It may also be thought that Herod had well bedew'd himself with wine, which made him grant the easier to his wive's daughter. Some of his disciples also, as to congratulate his liberty, may be brought in; with whom, after certain command of his death, many compassionating words of his disciples, bewayling his youth cut off in his glorious cours; he telling them his work is don, and wishing them to follow Christ his mais ter. liv. Sodom. The title, Cupid's funeral pile: Sodom burning. The Scene before Lot's gate. The Chorus, consisting of Lot's shepherds come to the citty about some affairs, await in the evening thire maister's return from his evening walk toward the citty gates. He brings with him two young men, or youths, of noble form. After likely discourses, præpares for thire entertainment. By then supper is ended, the gallantry of the towne passe by in procession, with music and song, to the temple of Venus Urania or Peor; and, understanding of tow noble strangers arriv'd, they send 2 of thire choysest youth, with the priest, to invite them to thire citty solemnities; it beeing an honour that thire citty had decreed to all fair personages, as beeing sacred to their goddess. The angels being ask't by the priest whence they are, say they are of Salem; the priest inveighs against the strict reign of Melchisedec. Lot, that knows thire drift, answers thwartly at last. Of which notice given to the whole assembly, they hasten thither, taxe him of præsumption, singularity, breach of city-customs; in fine, offer violence. The Chorus of shepheards præpare resistance in thire maister's defence; calling the rest of the serviture: but, being forc❜t to give back, the angels open the dore, rescue Lot, discover themselves, wame him to gether his friends and sons in law out of the city. He goes, and returns; as having met with some incredulous. Some other freind or son in law (out of the way when Lot came to his house) overtakes him to know his buisnes. Heer is disputed of incredulity of divine judgements, and such like matters. At last is described the parting from the citty. The Chorus depart with their maister. The angels doe the deed with all dreadful execution. The king and nobles of the citty may come forth, and serve to set out the terror. A Chorus of angels concluding, and the angels relating the event of Lot's journey, and of his wife. The first Chorus, beginning, may relate the course of the citty; each evening every one, with mistresse or Ganymed, gitterning along the streets, or solacing on the banks of Jordan, or down the stream. At the priests' inviting the angels to the solemnity, the angels, pittying their beauty, may dispute of love, and how it differs from lust; seeking to win them, In the last scene, to the king and nobles, when the fierce thunder begins aloft, the angel appeares all girt with flames, which, he saith, are the flames of true love, and tells the king, who falls down with terrour, his just suffering, as also Athane's, that is, Gener, Lot's son |