Come, come, no time for lamentation now,
Nor much more cause, Samson hath quit himself
Like Samson, and heroicly hath finish'd
A life heroic, on his enemies
Fully reveng'd, hath left them years of mourning,
And lamentation to the sons of Caphtor
Through all Philistian bounds. To Israel
Honour hath left, and freedom, let but them
Find courage to lay hold on this occasion,
To himself and father's house eternal fame;
And which is best and happiest yet, all this
With God not parted from him, as was feared,
But favouring and assisting to the end.

chorus: But see here comes thy reverend Sire
With careful step, Locks white as doune,
Old Manoah: advise
Forthwith how thou oughtst to receive him.
samson:Ay me, another inward grief awak't,
With mention of that name renews th' assault.
manoah:Brethren and men of Dan, for such ye seem,
Though in this uncouth place; if old respect,
As I suppose, towards your once gloried friend,
My Son now Captive, hither hath inform'd
Your younger feet, while mine cast back with age
Came lagging after; say if he be here.

O loss of sight, of thee I most complain!
Blind among enemies, O worse than chains,
Dungeon, or beggary, or decrepit age!
Light, the prime work of God, to me is extinct,
And all her various objects of delight
Annulled, which might in part my grief have eased,
Inferior to the vilest now become
Of man or worm; the vilest here excel me,
They creep, yet see, I dark in light exposed
To daily fraud, contempt, abuse and wrong,
Within doors, or without, still as a fool,
In power of others, never in my own;

All is best, though we oft doubt,
What th' unsearchable dispose
Of highest wisdom brings about,
And ever best found in the close.
Oft he seems to hide his face,
But unexpectedly returns

And to his faithful Champion hath in place
Bore witness gloriously; whence Gaza mourns
And all that band them to resist
His uncontrollable intent;
His servants he with new acquist
Of true experience from this great event
With peace and consolation hath dismissed,
And calm of mind all passion spent.

Weep balm and myrrh, you sweet Arabian trees,
With purest gems perfume and pearl your rine;
Shed on your honey drops, you busy bees.
I, barren plant, must weep unpleasant brine.
Hornets I hive, salt drops their labour plies
Sucked out of sin and shed by show'ring eyes.

With easy loss sharp wrecks did he eschew
That sindonless aside did naked slip:
Once naked Grace no outward garment knew;
Rich are his robes, whom sin did never strip,
I that in vaunts displayed Pride's fairest flags
Disrobed of Grace, am wrapped in Adam's rags.

I.

Launch forth, my soule, into a maine of teares,
Full fraught with griefe, the trafficke of thy mind;
Torn sailes will serue, thoughts rent with guilty feares:
Giue Care the sterne, vse sighs in lieu of wind:
Remorse, thy pilot; thy misdeede thy card;
Torment thy hauen, shipwrack thy best reward.

II.

Shun not the shelfe of most deserued shame;

All we have is God's, and yet
Caesar challenges a debt,
Nor hath God a thinner share,
What ever Caesar's payments are;
All is God's; and yet 'tis true
All wee have is Caesar's too;
All is Caesar's; and what ods
So long as Caesar's self is Gods?

Thou spak'st the word (thy word's a Law)
Thou spak'st and streight the blind man saw.

To speake and make the blind man see,
Was never man Lord spake like Thee.

To speake thus, was to speake (say I)
Not to his Eare, but to his Eye.

Christ bids the dumbe tongue speake, it speakes; the sound
Hee charges to be quiet, it runs round:
If in the first he us'd his fingers Touch,
His hands whole strength here, could not be too much.

As if the storme meant him;
Or, 'cause Heavens face is dim,
His needs a cloud.
Was ever froward wind
That could be so unkind,
Or wave so proud?
The Wind had need be angry, and the Water black,
That to the mighty Neptune's self dare threaten wrack.

There is no storme but this