The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (160 page)

Again in safety what thou would’st have done

To Samson, but shalt never see Gath more.

HAR. Thou durst not thus disparage glorious arms, 1130

Which greatest heroes have in battle worn,

Their ornament and safety, had not spells

And black enchantments, some magician’s art

Armed thee or charmed thee strong, which thou from Heav’n

Feignd’st at thy birth was giv’n thee in thy hair,

Where strength can least abide, though all thy hairs

Were bristles ranged like those that ridge the back

Of chafed
⁷⁸³⁵
wild boars or ruffled
⁷⁸³⁶
porcupines.

SAM. I know no spells, use no forbidden arts.

My trust is in the living God who gave me 1140

At my nativity this strength, diffused

No less through all my sinews, joints and bones,

Than thine, while
⁷⁸³⁷
I preserved these locks unshorn,

The pledge of my unviolated vow.

For proof hereof, if Dagon be thy god,

Go to his temple, invocate
⁷⁸³⁸
his aid

With solemnest devotion, spread before him

How highly it concerns his glory now

To frustrate and dissolve these magic spells,

Which I to be the power of Israel’s God 1150

Avow, and challenge Dagon to the test,

Offering to combat thee, his champion bold,

With th’ utmost of his godhead seconded:
⁷⁸³⁹

Then thou shalt see, or rather to thy sorrow

Soon feel, whose God is strongest, thine or mine.

HAR. Presume not on thy God, what e’er He be.

Thee He regards
⁷⁸⁴⁰
not, owns
⁷⁸⁴¹
not, hath cut off

Quite from his
⁷⁸⁴²
people and delivered up

Into thy enemies’ hand, permitted them

To put out both thine eyes, and fettered send thee 1160

Into the common prison, there to grind
⁷⁸⁴³

Among the slaves and asses, thy comrades,

As good for nothing else, no better service

With those thy boist’rous
⁷⁸⁴⁴
locks. No worthy match

For valor to assail, nor by the sword

Of noble warrior, so to stain his honor,

But by the barber’s razor best subdued.
⁷⁸⁴⁵

SAM. All these indignities, for such they are

From thine,
⁷⁸⁴⁶
these evils I deserve and more,

Acknowledge them from God inflicted on me 1170

Justly, yet despair not of His final pardon

Whose ear is ever open, and His eye

Gracious
⁷⁸⁴⁷
to re-admit the suppliant.

In confidence whereof I once again

Defy
⁷⁸⁴⁸
thee to the trial of mortal fight,

By combat to decide whose god is God,

Thine or whom I with Israel’s sons adore.

HAR. Fair honor that thou dost thy God, in trusting

He will accept thee to defend his cause—

A murderer, a revolter,
⁷⁸⁴⁹
and a robber. 1180

SAM. Tongue-doughty
⁷⁸⁵⁰
giant, how dost thou prove me these?

HAR. Is not thy nation subject to our lords?

Their magistrates confessed it, when they took thee

As a league
⁷⁸⁵¹
breaker and delivered, bound,

Into our hands—for hadst thou not committed

Notorious
⁷⁸⁵²
murder on those thirty men

At Askalon, who never did thee harm,

Then like a robber strip’dst them of their robes?
⁷⁸⁵³

The Philistines, when thou hadst broke the league,

Went up with armèd powers, thee only seeking, 1190

To others did no violence nor spoil.
⁷⁸⁵⁴

SAM. Among the daughters of the Philistines

I chose a wife, which argued
⁷⁸⁵⁵
me no foe,

And in your city held my nuptial feast.

But your ill-meaning politician
⁷⁸⁵⁶
lords,

Under pretence of bridal friends and guests,

Appointed to await me thirty spies,

Who threat’ning cruel death constrained
⁷⁸⁵⁷
the bride

To wring from me and tell to them my secret

That solved the riddle which I had proposed. 1200

When I perceived all set on enmity,

As
⁷⁸⁵⁸
on my enemies, wherever chanced,

I used
⁷⁸⁵⁹
hostility, and took their spoil

To pay my underminers
⁷⁸⁶⁰
in their coin.

My nation was subjected to your lords.

It was the force of conquest; force with force

Is well ejected when the conquered can.

But I a private
⁷⁸⁶¹
person, whom my country

As a league
⁷⁸⁶²
-breaker gave up,
⁷⁸⁶³
bound, presumed
⁷⁸⁶⁴

Single
⁷⁸⁶⁵
rebellion and did hostile acts? 1210

I was no private but a person raised

With strength sufficient, and command from Heav’n,

To free my country. If their servile minds

Me their deliverer sent would not receive,

But to their masters gave me up for nought,

Th’ unworthier they. Whence to this day they serve.

I was to do my part from Heav’n assigned,

And had performed it if my known
⁷⁸⁶⁶
offense

Had not disabled me
⁷⁸⁶⁷
—not all your force.

These shifts
⁷⁸⁶⁸
refuted, answer thy appellant
⁷⁸⁶⁹
1220

(Though by his blindness maimed for high attempts)

Who now defies
⁷⁸⁷⁰
thee thrice
⁷⁸⁷¹
to single fight,

As a petty
⁷⁸⁷²
enterprise
⁷⁸⁷³
of small
⁷⁸⁷⁴
enforce.
⁷⁸⁷⁵

HAR. With thee, a man condemned, a slave enrolled,

Due by the law to capital punishment?

To fight with thee no man of arms will deign.

SAM. Cam’st thou for this, vain boaster, to survey
⁷⁸⁷⁶
me,

To descant
⁷⁸⁷⁷
on my strength, and give thy verdict?

Come nearer, part not hence so slight informed—

But take good heed my hand survey not thee. 1230

HAR. O Baal-zebub!
⁷⁸⁷⁸
Can my ears, unused,
⁷⁸⁷⁹

Hear these dishonors and not render
⁷⁸⁸⁰
death?

SAM. No man withholds thee, nothing from thy hand

Fear I incurable: bring up thy van!
⁷⁸⁸¹

My heels are fettered, but my fist is free.

HAR. This insolence
⁷⁸⁸²
other kind of answer fits.
⁷⁸⁸³

SAM. Go, baffled
⁷⁸⁸⁴
coward, lest I run upon thee,

Though in these chains—bulk
⁷⁸⁸⁵
without spirit vast!—
⁷⁸⁸⁶

And with one buffet
⁷⁸⁸⁷
lay thy structure
⁷⁸⁸⁸
low,

Or swing thee in the air, then dash thee down 1240

To th’ hazard
⁷⁸⁸⁹
of thy brains and shattered sides.

HAR. By Astaroth, ere long thou shalt lament

These braveries,
⁷⁸⁹⁰
in irons loaden on thee.

CHOR. His giantship is gone, somewhat crestfall’n,

Stalking
⁷⁸⁹¹
with less unconscionable
⁷⁸⁹²
strides

And lower looks, but in a sultry
⁷⁸⁹³
chafe.
⁷⁸⁹⁴

SAM. I dread him not, nor all his giant-brood,

Though fame
⁷⁸⁹⁵
divulge
⁷⁸⁹⁶
him father of five sons,

All of gigantic size, Goliath chief.
⁷⁸⁹⁷

CHOR. He will directly to the lords, I fear,

And with malicious counsel stir them up

Some way or other yet further to afflict thee.

SAM. He must allege some cause, and offered fight

Will not dare mention, lest a question rise

Whether he durst accept the offer or not,

And that he durst not plain enough appeared.

Much more affliction than already felt

They cannot well impose, nor I sustain,

If they intend advantage
⁷⁸⁹⁸
of my labors,

The work of many hands, which earns my keeping 1260

With no small profit daily to my owners.

But come what will, my deadliest foe will prove

My speediest friend, by death to rid me hence:

The worst that he can give, to me the best.

Yet so it may fall out, because their end

Is hate, not help to me, it may—with mine—
⁷⁸⁹⁹

Draw their own ruin who attempt the deed.

CHOR. Oh how comely
⁷⁹⁰⁰
it is, and how reviving

To the spirits of just men long oppressed,

When God into the hands of their deliverer 1270

Puts invincible might

To quell
⁷⁹⁰¹
the mighty of the earth, th’ oppressor,

The brute and boist’rous
⁷⁹⁰²
force of violent men,

Hardy
⁷⁹⁰³
and industrious
⁷⁹⁰⁴
to support

Tyrannic power, but raging
⁷⁹⁰⁵
to pursue

The righteous and all such as honor truth!

He
⁷⁹⁰⁶
all their ammunition
⁷⁹⁰⁷

And feats of war defeats

With plain heroic magnitude of mind

And celestial vigor armed,

Their armories and magazines contemns,
⁷⁹⁰⁸

Renders them useless, while

With wingèd expedition,
⁷⁹⁰⁹

Swift as the lightning glance,
⁷⁹¹⁰
he executes
⁷⁹¹¹

His errand on the wicked, who surprised

Lose their defence, distracted
⁷⁹¹²
and amazed.
⁷⁹¹³

But patience is more oft the exercise
⁷⁹¹⁴

Of Saints, the trial of their fortitude,
⁷⁹¹⁵

Making them each his own deliverer,

And victor over all
⁷⁹¹⁶

That tyranny or fortune can inflict.

Either of these is in thy lot,

Samson, with might endued
⁷⁹¹⁷

Above the sons of men. But sight bereaved
⁷⁹¹⁸

May chance to number thee with those

Whom patience finally must crown.

This idol’s day hath been to thee no day of rest, Laboring thy mind

More than the working day thy hands.

And yet perhaps more trouble is behind.
⁷⁹¹⁹

For I descry this way

Some other tending.
⁷⁹²⁰
In his hand

A scepter or quaint
⁷⁹²¹
staff he bears,

Comes on amain,
⁷⁹²²
speed in his look.

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 remark
⁷⁹²⁴
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.