n

Gyves and the mill had tamed thee. O, that fortune
Had brought me to the field, where thou art famed
To have wrought such wonders with an ass's jaw !
I should have forced thee soon wish other arms,
Or left thy carcase where the ass lay thrown:
So had the glory of prowess been recover'd
To Palestine, won by a Philistine

From the unforeskinn'd race of whom thou bear'st
The highest name for valiant acts: that honour,
Certain to have won by mortal duel from thee,
I lose, prevented by thy eyes put out.

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Sam. Boast not of what thou wouldst have done, but do

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What then thou wouldst; thou seest it in thy hand.
Har. To combat with a blind man I disdain ;

And thou hast need much washing to be touch'd.
Sam. Such usage as your honourable lords
Afford me, assassinated and betray'd,
Who durst not with their whole united powers
In fight withstand me single and unarm❜d,
Nor in the house with chamber-ambushes
Close-banded durst attack me, no, not sleeping,
Till they had hired a woman with their gold,
Breaking her marriage faith to circumvent me.
Therefore, without feign'd shifts let be assign'd
Some narrow place enclosed, where sight may give thee,
Or rather flight, no great advantage on me;

Then put on all thy gorgeous arms, thy helmet

And brigandine of brass P, thy broad habergeon,

Must I repent?

I cannot do it better than in gyves.

And in Fairfax's "Tasso," b. v. st. 42:

These hands were made to shake sharp spears and swords,
Not to be tied in gyves, &c.-NEWTON.

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• Sight may give thee,

Or rather flight.

This play on words is beneath Milton.

P And brigandine of brass, &c.

"Brigandine,” a coat of mail. Jer. xlvi. 4:—“Furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines." See also li. 3. "Habergeon," a coat of mail for the neck and shoulders.

"Faer. Qu." II. vi. 29:—

Their mighty strokes their habergeons dismail'd,
And naked made each others manly spalles :

"Spalles," that is, shoulders. And see Fairfax, b. i. st. 72.

"Vant-brace," avant

bras, armour for the arms. So, in "Troil. and Cres," a. i. s. 6. Nestor speaks:

I'll hide my silver beard in a gold beaver,
And in my vant-brace put this wither'd brawn.

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And see Fairfax, b. xx. st. 139:-"Greves," armour for the legs. 1 Sam. xvii. 6:"And he had greves of brass upon his legs." Gauntlet," an iron glove. "Hen. IV." p. II. a. i. s. 3. old Northumberland speaks:

Hence therefore, thou nice crutch;
A scaly gauntlet now, with joints of steel,
Must glove this hand.-NEWTON.

Vant-brace, and greves, and gauntlet; add thy spear,
A weaver's beam 9, and seven-times-folded shieldTM:
I only with an oaken staff will meet thee,
And raise such outcries on thy clatter'd iron,
Which long shall not withhold me from thy head,
That in a little time, while breath remains thee,
Thou oft shall wish thyself at Gath, to boast
Again in safety what thou wouldst have done
To Samson, but shalt never see Gath more.

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Har. Thou durst not thus disparage glorious arms,

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Which greatest heroes have in battle worn,

Their ornament and safety, had not spells

And black enchantments, some magician's art,

Arm'd thee or charm'd thee strong, which thou from Heaven
Feign'dst at thy birth was given thee in thy hair,
Where strength can least abide, though all thy hairs
Were bristles ranged like those that ridge the back
Of chafed wild boars, or ruffled porcupines t.

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Sam. I know no spells, use no forbidden arts:
My trust is in the Living God, who gave me
At my nativity this strength, diffused

No less through all my sinews, joints, and bones,
Than thine, while I preserved these locks unshorn,
The pledge of my unviolated vow.

For proof hereof, if Dagon be thy god,

A weaver's beam.

As the spear of Goliath was.-T. Warton.

And seven-times-folded shield.

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As was Ajax's Ovid. "Met." xiii. 2:-"Clypei dominus septemplicis."-NEWTON.

• Arm'd thee or charm'd thee strong.

Mr. Thyer here observes, it is very probable that Milton adopted this notion from the Italian epics, who are very full of enchanted arms, and sometimes represent their heroes invulnerable by this art. But, as Mr. Warton remarks, the poet's idea is immediately and particularly taken from the ritual of the combat in chivalry. See "Comus," v. 647. Samson replies,

I know no spells, use no forbidden arts;

My trust is in the living God.

Here, it must be observed, is a direct allusion to the oath taken before the judges of the combat by the champions :-"I do swear, that I have not upon me, nor on any of the arms I shall use, words, charms, or enchantments, to which I trust for help to conquer my enemy; but that I do only trust in God, in my right, and in the strength of my body and arms. Cockburn's "Hist. of Duels," p. 115, The poet here says "black enchantments," in like manner as Machin, introducing the same ancient oath in his "Dumb Knight," 1633.

"Here you shall swear," &c.

That here you stand not arm'd with any guile

Of philters, charms, of night-spells, characters,
And other black infernal vantages.

Milton's Harapha, as Mr. Warton observes, is as much a Gothic giant as any in Amadis de Gaul; and, like a Gothic giant, engages in a just cause against a virtuous champion. -TODD.

Or ruffled porcupines.

Who can doubt that Milton here had Shakspeare in mind? "Hamlet," a. i. s. 8:

And each particular hair to stand on end,
Like quills upon the fretful porcupine.-NEWTON.

Go to his temple, invocate his aid
With solemnest devotion, spread before him
How highly it concerns his glory now

To frustrate and dissolve these magick spells,
Which I to be the power of Israel's God
Avow, and challenge Dagon to the test,
Offering to combat thee his champion bold,
With the utmost of his godhead seconded:
Then thou shalt see, or rather, to thy sorrow,
Soon feel whose God is strongest, thine or mine.
Har. Presume not on thy God, whate'er he be;
Thee he regards not, owns not, hath cut off
Quite from his people, and deliver'd up
Into thy enemies' hand, permitted them

To put out both thine eyes, and fetter'd send thee
Into the common prison, there to grind
Among the slaves and asses, thy comrades ",
As good for nothing else; no better service
With those thy boisterous locks, no worthy match
For valour to assail, nor by the sword.
Of noble warriour, so to stain his honour,
But by the barber's razor best subdued.

Sam. All these indignities, for such they are
From thine, these evils I deserve, and more,
Acknowledge them from God inflicted on me
Justly, yet despair not of his final pardon,
Whose ear is ever open, and his eye
Gracious to re-admit the suppliant:
In confidence whereof I once again
Defy 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 honour that thou dost thy God, in trusting

He will accept thee to defend his cause,

A murderer, a revolter, and a robber!

Sam. Tongue-doughty giant, how dost thou prove me these?
Har. Is not thy nation subject to our lords?

Their magistrates confess'd it when they took thee

As a league-breaker, and deliver❜d bound

Into our hands: for hadst thou not committed
Notorious murder on those thirty men

At Ascalon, who never did thee harm,

Then like a robber stripp'dst them of their robes ?
The Philistines, when thou hadst broke the league,

There to grind

Among the slaves and asses, thy comrades.

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There can be no doubt that Milton had here Apuleius's description of a pistrinum in his mind. See "Met." ix. ad init., where the ass, who is the speaker, says,"Jam de meo jumentaric contubernio quid, vel ad quem modum, memorem ?"-DUNSTER.

Went up with armed powers thee only seeking,
To others did no violence nor spoil.

Sam. Among the daughters of the Philistines
I chose a wife, which argued me no foe;
And in your city held my nuptial feast :
But your ill-meaning politician lords,

Under pretence of bridal friends and guests,
Appointed to await me thirty spies,

Who, threatening cruel death, constrain❜d the bride

To wring from me, and tell to them, my secret,

That solved the riddle which I had proposed.

When I perceived all set on enmity,

As on my enemies, wherever chanced,

I used hostility and took their spoil,
To pay my underminers in their coin.
My nation was subjected to your lords;

It was the force of conquest: force with force
Is well ejected when the conquer'd can.
But I, a private person, whom my country

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As a league-breaker gave up bound, presumed
Single rebellion, and did hostile acts.

I was no private, but a person raised

With strength sufficient, and command from Heaven,

To free my country if their servile minds

Me, their deliverer sent, would not receive,
But to their masters gave me up for naught,

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The unworthier they; whence to this day they serve.
I was to do my part from Heaven assign'd,
And had perform'd it, if my known offence
Had not disabled me, not all your force:
These shifts refuted, answer thy appellant
Though by his blindness maim'd for high attempts,
Who now defies thee thrice to single fight,

As a petty enterprise of small enforce.

W
>

Har. With thee? a man condemn'd, a slave inroll'd,

Due by the law to capital punishment ?

To fight with thee, no man of arms will deign.

▾ Under pretence of bridal friends.

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The attendant young men at Samson's marriage are said to have belonged to his wife's family, and not to have been, as was usual, his own relations or acquaintance. Josephus relates that under the pretence of honour, they sent these thirty companions to watch over him, lest he should commit any disturbance.-TODD.

w Answer thy appellant.

Thy challenger. The defendant, in like manner, signifies the person challenged. Thus, in Shakspeare's "King Henry VI." p. II. a. ii. s. 3 :

This is the day appointed for the combat;

And ready are the appellant and defendant,
The armourer and his man.-TODD.

* Who now defies thee thrice.

This was the custom and the law of arms, to give the challenge and to sound the trumpet thrice. In allusion to the same practice, Edgar appears, to fight with the Bastard, by the sound of the third trumpet," King Lear, a. v. s. 7.-NEWTON.

Sam. Camest thou for this, vain boaster, to survey me,
To descant on my strength, and give thy verdict?
Come nearer; part not hence so slight inform'd;
But take good heed my hand survey not thee.
Har. O Baal-zebub ! can my ears unused
Hear these dishonours, and not render death?

Sam. No man withholds thee, nothing from thy hand
Fear I incurable; bring up thy van:

My heels are fetter'd, but my fist is free.

Har. This insolence other kind of answer fits.
Sam. Go, baffled coward! lest I run upon thee,
Though in these chains, bulk without spirit vast,
And with one buffet lay thy structure low,
Or swing thee in the air, then dash thee down
To the hazard of thy brains and shatter'd sides.
Har. By Astaroth, ere long thou shalt lament
These braveries 2, in irons loaden on thee.

Cho. His giantship is gone somewhat crest-fallen,
Stalking with less unconscionable strides,
And lower looks, but in a sultry chafe.

Sam. I dread him not, nor all his giant brood,
Though Fame divulge him father of five sons a,
All of gigantick size, Goliath chief.

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

And with malicious counsel stir them up

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[Exit.

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Some way or other, yet farther to afflict thee.

Sam. He must allege some cause, and offer'd fight

They cannot well impose, nor I sustain ;
If they intend advantage of my labours,

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prove

The work of many hands, which earns my keeping
With no small profit daily to my owners.
But come what will, my deadliest foe will
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

y O Baal-zebub.

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He is properly made to invoke Baal-zebub, as afterwards to swear by Astaroth; that is, the deities of the Philistines and neighbouring nations.-NEWTON.

Ere long thou shalt lament

These braveries, &c.

This connects Harapha with the business of the drama, by making his revenge for the threatening and contemptuous language of Samson the cause, why the latter is to be brought before the public assembly to make sport for them.—DUNSTER.

a Father of five sons, &c.

The story of Goliath of Gath is very well known; and the other four are mentioned 2 Sam. xxi. 15-22 :-"These four were born to the giant [or to Herapha] in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants."-NEWTON.