the Chorus, who seek to comfort him what they can; then by his old father Manoah, who endeavours the like, and withal tells him his purpose to procure his liberty by ransom; lastly, that this feast was proclaimed by the Philistines as a day of thanksgiving for their deliverance from the hands of Samson, which yet more troubles him. Manoah then departs to prosecute his endeavour with the Philistine lords for Samson's redemption; who in the mean while is visited by other persons; and lastly by a publick officer to require his coming to the feast before the lords and people, to play or show his strength in their presence; he at first refuses, dismissing the publick officer with absolute denial to come; at length, persuaded inwardly that this was from God, he yields to go along with him, who came now the second time with great threatenings to fetch him: The Chorus yet remaining on the place, Manoah returns full of joyful hope, to procure ere long his son's deliverance: in the midst of which discourse an Hebrew comes in haste, confusedly at first, and afterward more distinctly, relating the catastrophe, what Samson had done to the Philistines, and by accident to himself; wherewith the tragedy ends.

THE PERSONS.

SAMSON.

MANOAH, the Father of Samson.

DALILA, his Wife.

HARAPHA of Gath.

Publick Officer.

Messenger.

Chorus of Danites.

The Scene before the Prison in Gaza.

SAMSON AGONISTES*.

Samson, [Attendant leading him.]

A LITTLE Onward lend thy guiding hand
To these dark steps, a little further on;

*

Samson Agonistes] That is, Samson an actor; Samson, being represented in a play. 'Aywvorns, ludio, histrio, actor, scenicus. NEWTON.

'Aywviors is here rather athleta. The subject of the drama is Samson brought forth to exhibit his athletick powers. See ver. 1314. That such was Milton's intended sense of Agonistes, may further be collected from his use of the word antagonist, ver. 1628. Besides, as Milton entitled his Samson a tragedy, he certainly never adjoined the word Agonistes to signify Samson represented in a play. But this distinguishing title of Agonistes is, in fact, applied in conformity to the ancient usage of the tragick poets, who often, in the titles of their pieces, limited their hero to the immediate situation in which they found him. Among the remaining tragedies of Eschylus we have the ПIPOMнOEY AEEMOTHE, Prometheus CHAINED, in a state of punishment ; which title of AE】MOTHΣ was intended to distinguish it from a preceding drama, on the subject of his offence, entitled ПIPOMHΘΕΥΣ ΠΥΡΦΟΡΟΣ; and from a subsequent one, ΠΡΟΜΗΘΕΥΣ ΛΥΟΜΕΝΟΣ, which completed the subject in representing his release. The ancients had very commonly a series of plays on the progressive parts of the same subject. Milton had also designed a previous part of Samson's story as a tragedy, under the title of Samson Πυρσοφορος οι Υβριστης, Samson after his first marriage revenging himself on the Philistines. So that Ago

For yonder bank hath choice of sun or shade:
There I am wont to sit, when any chance
Relieves me from my task of servile toil,
Daily in the common prison else enjoin'd me,
Where I, a prisoner, chain'd, scarce freely draw
The air imprison'd also, close and damp,
Unwholesome draught: but here I feel amends,

5

9

nistes, when first adopted by Milton as a title, was most probably meant to distinguish it from the preceding drama on a previous part of Samson's story. DUNSTER.

In the application of Agonistes to Samson, Milton might be thought to have followed the authority of Hieronymus Zieglerus, if credit could be given to Lauder, who pretends that Ziegler wrote a tragedy, with this characteristick title, printed at Augsburg, in 1547. I find Ziegler's tragedy of Samson, published indeed in the first volume of Dramata Sacra, Aug. 1547, but not with the title of Agonistes, nor even with a single admission of the word into it! TODD.

Ver. 1. A little onward &c.] Milton, after the example of the Greek tragedians, whom he professes to imitate, opens his drama with introducing one of its principal personages explaining the story upon which it is founded. THYER.

Ibid. A little onward lead thy guiding hand

To these dark steps,] So Tiresias in Euripides, Phœnissæ, ver. 841.

Ἠγοῦ πάροιθε, θύγατερ, ὡς ΤΥΦΛΩ ΠΟΔΙ κ. τ. λ.
RICHARDSON.

Ver. 3. For yonder bank] The scene of this tragedy is much the same as that of Oidínovs inì Koλwvy in Sophocles, where blind Oedipus is conducted in like manner, and represented sitting upon a little hill near Athens: but yet I think there is scarcely a single thought the same in the two pieces, and I am sure the Greek tragedy can have no pretence to be esteemed better, but only because it is two thousand years older. NEWTON.