by John Milton
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Exasperate, exulcerate, and raise
Dire inflammation which no cooling herb
Or medcinal liquor can asswage,
Nor breath of Vernal Air from snowy Alp.
Sleep hath forsook and giv’n me o’re
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To deaths benumming Opium as my only cure.
Thence faintings, swounings of despair,
And sense of Heav’ns desertion.
I was his nursling once and choice delight,
His destin’d from the womb,
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Promisd by Heav’nly message twice descending.
Under his special eie
Abstemious I grew up and thriv’d amain;
He led me on to mightiest deeds
Above the nerve of mortal arm
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Against th’ uncircumcis’d, our enemies.
But now hath cast me off as never known,
And to those cruel enemies,
Whom I by his appointment had provok’t,
Left me all helpless with th’ irreparable loss
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Of sight, reserv’d alive to be repeated
The subject of thir cruelty, or scorn.
Nor am I in the list of them that hope;
Hopeless are all my evils, all remediless;
This one prayer yet remains, might I be heard,
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No long petition, speedy death,
The close of all my miseries, and the balm.
Chorus. Many are the sayings of the wise
In antient and in modern books enroll’d;
Extolling Patience as the truest fortitude;
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And to the bearing well of all calamities,
All chances incident to mans frail life
Consolatories writ
With studied argument, and much perswasion sought
Lenient72 of grief and anxious thought,
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But with th’ afflicted in his pangs thir sound
Little prevails, or rather seems a tune,
Harsh, and of dissonant mood from his complaint,
Unless he feel within
Some sourse of consolation from above;
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Secret refreshings, that repair his strength,
And fainting spirits uphold.
God of our Fathers, what is man!
That thou towards him with hand so various,
Or might I say contrarious,
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Temperst thy providence through his short course,
Not ev’nly, as thou rul’st
Th’ Angelic orders and inferiour creatures mute,
Irrational and brute.
Nor do I name of men the common rout,
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That wandring loose about
Grow up and perish, as the summer flie,
Heads without name no more rememberd,
But such as thou hast solemnly elected,
With gifts and graces eminently adorn’d
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To some great work, thy glory,
And peoples safety, which in part they effect:
Yet toward these thus dignifi’d, thou oft
Amidst thir highth of noon,
Changest thy countenance, and thy hand with no regard
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Of highest favours past
From thee on them, or them to thee of service.
Nor only dost degrade them, or remit
To life obscur’d, which were a fair dismission,
But throw’st them lower then thou didst exalt them high,
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Unseemly falls in human eie,
Too grievous for the trespass or omission,
Oft leav’st them to the hostile sword
Of Heathen and prophane, thir carkasses
To dogs and fowls a prey, or else captiv’d:
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Or to th’ unjust tribunals, under change of times,
And condemnation of th’ ingrateful multitude.
If these they scape, perhaps in poverty
With sickness and disease thou bow’st them down,
Painful diseases and deform’d,
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In crude73 old age;
Though not disordinate, yet causless suffring
The punishment of dissolute days, in fine,
Just or unjust, alike seem miserable,
For oft alike, both come to evil end.
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So deal not with this once thy glorious Champion,
The Image of thy strength, and mighty minister.
What do I beg? how hast thou dealt already?
Behold him in this state calamitous, and turn
His labours, for thou canst, to peaceful end.
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But who is this, what thing of Sea or Land?
Femal of sex it seems,
That so bedeckt, ornate, and gay,
Comes this way sailing
Like a stately Ship
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Of Tarsus, bound for th’ Isles
Of Javan or Gadier74
With all her bravery on, and tackle trim,
Sails fill’d, and streamers waving,
Courted by all the winds that hold them play,
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An Amber75 scent of odorous perfume
Her harbinger, a damsel train behind;
Some rich Philistian Matron she may seem,
And now at nearer view, no other certain
Then Dalila thy wife.
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Samson. My Wife, my Traytress, let her not come near me.
Chorus. Yet on she moves, now stands and eies thee fixt,
About t’ have spoke, but now, with head declin’d
Like a fair flower surcharg’d with dew, she weeps
And words addrest seem into tears dissolv’d,
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Wetting the borders of her silk’n veil:
But now again she makes address to speak.
Dalila. With doubtful feet and wavering resolution
I came, still dreading thy displeasure, Samson,
Which to have merited, without excuse,
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I cannot but acknowledge; yet if tears
May expiate (though the fact more evil drew
In the perverse event then I foresaw)
My penance hath not slack’n’d, though my pardon
No way assur’d. But conjugal affection
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Prevailing over fear, and timerous doubt
Hath led me on desirous to behold
Once more thy face, and know of thy estate,
If aught in my ability may serve
To light’n what thou suffer’st, and appease
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Thy mind with what amends is in my power,
Though late, yet in some part to recompense
My rash but more unfortunate misdeed.
Samson. Out, out Hyæna;76 these are thy wonted arts,
And arts of every woman false like thee,
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To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray,
Then as repentant to submit, beseech,
And reconcilement move77 with feign’d remorse,
Confess, and promise wonders in her change,
Not truly penitent, but chief to try
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Her husband, how far urg’d his patience bears,
His vertue or weakness which way t’ assail:
Then with more cautious and instructed skill
Again transgresses, and again submits;
That wisest and best men full oft beguil’d">760
With goodness principl’d not to reject
The penitent, but ever to forgive,
Are drawn to wear out miserable days,
Entangl’d with a poysnous bosom snake,
If not by quick destruction soon cut off
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As I by thee, to Ages an ex
ample.
Dalila. Yet hear me Samson; not that I endeavour
To lessen or extenuate my offence,
But that on th’ other side if it be weigh’d
By it self, with aggravations not surcharg’d,
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Or else with just allowance counterpois’d,
I may, if possible, thy pardon find
The easier towards me, or thy hatred less.
First granting, as I do, it was a weakness
In me, but incident to all our sex,
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Curiosity, inquisitive, importune
Of secrets, then with like infirmity
To publish them, both common female faults:
Was it not weakness also to make known
For importunity, that is for naught,
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Wherein consisted all thy strength and safety?
To what I did thou shewdst me first the way.
But I to enemies reveal’d, and should not.
Nor shouldst thou have trusted that to womans frailty:
E’re I to thee, thou to thy self wast cruel.
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Let weakness then with weakness come to parl
So near related, or the same of kind,
Thine forgive mine; that men may censure thine
The gentler, if severely thou exact not
More strength from me, then in thy self was found.
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And what if Love, which thou interpret’st hate,
The jealousie of Love, powerful of sway
In human hearts, nor less in mine towards thee,
Caus’d what I did? I saw thee mutable
Of fancy, feard lest one day thou wouldst leave me
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As her at Timna, sought by all means therefore
How to endear, and hold thee to me firmest:
No better way I saw then by importuning
To learn thy secrets, get into my power
Thy key of strength and safety: thou wilt say,
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Why then reveal’d? I was assur’d by those
Who tempted me, that nothing was design’d
Against thee but safe custody, and hold:
That made for me, I knew that liberty
Would draw thee forth to perilous enterprises,
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While I at home sate full of cares and fears
Wailing thy absence in my widow’d bed;
Here I should still enjoy thee day and night
Mine and Loves prisoner, not the Philistines,
Whole to my self, unhazarded abroad,
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Fearless at home of partners in my love.
These reasons in Loves law have past for good,
Though fond and reasonless to some perhaps;
And Love hath oft, well meaning, wrought much wo,
Yet always pity or pardon hath obtain’d.
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Be not unlike all others, not austere
As thou art strong, inflexible as steel.
If thou in strength all mortals dost exceed,
In uncompassionate anger do not so.
Samson. How cunningly the sorceress displays
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Her own transgressions, to upbraid me mine!
That malice not repentance brought thee hither,
By this appears: I gave, thou say’st, th’ example,
I led the way; bitter reproach, but true,
I to my self was false e’re thou to me;
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Such pardon therefore as I give my folly,
Take to thy wicked deed: which when thou seest
Impartial, self-severe, inexorable,
Thou wilt renounce thy seeking, and much rather
Confess it feign’d, weakness is thy excuse,
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And I believe it. Weakness to resist
Philistian gold: if weakness may excuse,
What Murtherer, what Traytor, Parricide,
Incestuous, Sacrilegious, but may plead it?
All wickedness is weakness: that plea therefore
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With God or Man will gain thee no remission.
But Love constrain’d thee; call it furious rage
To satisfie thy lust: Love seeks to have Love;
My love how couldst thou hope, who tookst the way
To raise in me inexpiable hate,
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Knowing, as needs I must, by thee betray’d?
In vain thou striv’st to cover shame with shame,
Or by evasions thy crime uncoverst more.
Dalila. Since thou determinst weakness for no plea
In man or woman, though to thy own condemning,
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Hear what assaults I had, what snares besides,
What sieges girt me round, e’re I consented;
Which might have aw’d the best resolv’d of men,
The constantest t’ have yielded without blame.
It was not gold, as to my charge thou lay’st,
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That wrought with me: thou know’st the Magistrates
And Princes of my countrey came in person,
Sollicited, commanded, threat’n’d, urg’d,
Adjur’d by all the bonds of civil Duty
And of Religion, press’d how just it was,
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How honourable, how glorious to entrap
A common enemy, who had destroy’d
Such numbers of our Nation: and the Priest
Was not behind, but ever at my ear,
Preaching how meritorious with the gods
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It would be to ensnare an irreligious
Dishonourer of Dagon: what had I
T’ oppose against such powerful arguments?
Only my love of thee held long debate;
And combated in silence all these reasons
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With hard contest: at length that grounded maxim
So rife and celebrated in the mouths
Of wisest men; that to the public good
Private respects must yield; with grave authority
Took full possession of me and prevail’d;
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Vertue, as I thought, truth, duty so enjoyning.
Samson. I thought where all thy circling wiles would end;
In feign’d Religion, smooth hypocrisie.
But had thy love, still odiously pretended,
Bin, as it ought, sincere, it would have taught thee
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Far other reasonings, brought forth other deeds.
I before all the daughters of my Tribe
And of my Nation chose thee from among
My enemies, lov’d thee, as too well thou knew’st,
Too well, unbosom’d all my secrets to thee,
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Not only of levity, but over-power’d
By thy request, who could deny thee nothing;
Yet now am judg’d an enemy. Why then
Didst thou at first receive me for thy husband?
Then, as since then, thy countries foe profest:
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Being once a wife, for me thou wast to leave
Parents and countrey; nor was I their subject,
Nor under their protection but my own,
Thou mine, not theirs: if aught against my life
Thy countrey sought of thee, it sought unjustly,
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Against the law of nature, law of nations,
No more thy countrey, but an impious crew
Of men conspiring to uphold thir state
By worse then hostile deeds, violating th’ ends
For which our countrey is a name so dear;
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Not therefore to be obey’d. But zeal mov’d thee;
To please thy gods thou didst it; gods unable
To acquit themselves and prosecute their foes
But by ungodly deeds, the contradiction
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Of their own deity, Gods cannot be:
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Less therefore to be pleas’d, obey’d, or fear’d;
These false pretexts and varnish’d colours failing,
Bare in thy guilt how foul must thou appear!
Dalila. In argument with men a woman ever
Goes by the worse, whatever be her cause.
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Samson, For want of words no doubt, or lack of breath,
Witness when I was worried with thy peals.78
Dalila. I was a fool, too rash, and quite mistaken
In what I thought would have succeeded best.
Let me obtain forgiveness of thee, Samson,
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Afford me place to shew what recompence
Towards thee I intend for what I have misdone,
Misguided; only what remains past cure
Bear not too sensibly,79 nor still insist
T’ afflict thy self in vain: though sight be lost,
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Life yet hath many solaces, enjoy’d
Where other senses want80 not their delights
At home in leisure and domestic ease,
Exempt from many a care and chance to which
Eye-sight exposes daily men abroad.
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I to the Lords will intercede, not doubting
Thir favourable ear, that I may fetch thee
From forth this loathsom prison-house, t’ abide
With me, where my redoubl’d love and care
With nursing diligence, to me glad office,
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May ever tend about thee to old age
With all things grateful chear’d, and so suppli’d,
That what by me thou hast lost thou least shalt miss.
Samson. No, no, of my condition take no care;
It fits not; thou and I long since are twain;
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Nor think me so unwary or accurst
To bring my feet again into the snare
Where once I have been caught; I know thy trains
Though dearly to my cost, thy ginns, and toyls;81
Thy fair enchanted cup, and warbling charms
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No more on me have power, their force is null’d,