No journey of a fabbath-day, and loaded foo Thy bondage or loft fight, 1512 2 Thou art become (O worst imprisonment!) 155 In real darkness of the body dwells, 160 and went away with them, bar and all: and posts is certainly better on this account, but perhaps Miltons might prefer post as somewhat of a fofter found. 148. Hebron, Jeat of giants? old,] For Hebron was the city of Arba, the father of Anak, and the feat of the Anakims. Joh. XV. 13, 14. And the Anakims were giants, which come of the giants. Numb. XIII. 33. MHP 157- oft without caufe com plain] So Milton himself corrected it, but all the editions con-f tinue the old erratum complain'd. I 162. For For inward light alas. Puts forth no visual beam. U O mirror of our fickle ftate, The rarer thy example stands, By how much from the top of wondrous glory, To lowest pitch of abject fortune thou art fall'n, For him I reckon not in high estate Whom long descent of birth Or the sphere of fortune raises; L 165 But thee whose strength, while virtue was her mate, Might have fubdued the earth, Univerfally 172. Or the Sphere of fortune raifes;] Fortune is painted on a globe, which by her influence is in a perpetual rotation on its axis. Warburton. 178. He speaks] We have folof the others have it He fpake. T low'd Milton's own edition; moft 181. From Efbtool and Zora's fruitful vale] Thefe were two towns of the tribe of Dan. Joh. XIX. 41. the latter the birth-place of Samfon. Judg. XIII. 2. and they were near one another. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan be tween Zorah and Ejbtaol, Judg. XIII. 25. And they were both fituated in the valley, Josh. XV. 33.. and 1 Univerfally crown'd with highest praises. SAMSON. I hear the found of words, their fenfe the air Diffolves unjointed ere it reach my ear. CHORUS. He fpeaks, let us draw nigh. Matchless in might, T 181 The glory late of Ifrael, now the grief; Salve to thy fores; apt words have pow'r to fwage The tumors of a troubled mind, and thefore the poet with great exactnefs fays Efbtaol and Zora's fruitful vale. 182. To vifit or bewail thee,] The poet dictated To vifit and bewail thee: The purpose of their vifit was to bewail him; or if better, (that is if they found it more proper) to addife or comfort him. Veniebat autem ad Eumenem utrumque genus hominum, et qui propter odium fructum oculis ex ejus cafu capere vellent, [See above ver. 112. to ftare at my affliction] et qui propter veterem amicitiam colloqui confolarique cuperent. Corn. Nepos in vita Eumenis. Calton. f 184. 185 And apt words have pow'r to fwage &c] Alluding to thefe lines in fchylus. Prom. Vinct. 377 Ουκον Προμηθά το το γινώσκεις, ότι Οργής νόσησης εισιν ιατροι λε yu. Or to this paffage in Menander. Λογα γαρ εσι λυπης φαρμα και μονον. Thyer. Or perhaps to Horace, Epift. I. I. 34. Sunt verba et voces, quibus hunc And are as balm to fefter'd wounds. SAMSON. 190 Your coming, Friends, revives me, for I learn Now of my own experience, not by talk, How counterfeit a coin they are who friends Bear in their fuperfcription, (of the most I would be understood) in profp'rous days They swarm, but in adverse withdraw their head, Not to be found, though fought. Ye fee, O Friends, How many evils have inclos'd me round; 194 Yet that which was the worst now leaft afflicts me, Blindness, for had I fight, confus'd with shame, How could I once look up, or heave the head, Who like a foolish pilot have shipwrack'd 195. Yet that which was the worst now leaft afflicts me,] There is no inconfiftence in this with what he had faid before ver. 66. but chief of all, Olofs of fight, of thee I moft complain. When he was by himself, he confider'd his blindness as the worst of evils; but now, upon his friends coming in and feeing him in this wretched condition, it leaft afflicts me, fays he, as being fome cover to his fhame and confufion. 210. Tax not divine difpofal; &c] As this whole play, fo particularly My the part of the Chorus is written Actoris partes Chorus, officium Quod non propofito conducat et Ille bonis faveatque, et concilietur amicis ; Et regat iratos, et amet pacare tumentes: Ille 200 My veffel trusted to me from above, CHORUS. Tax not divine difpofal; wifeft men Have err'd, and by bad women been deceiv'd; 205 210 And The laws and justice of well-govern'd states, And peace triumphant with her open gates. Intrufted fecrets let them ne'er betray, But to the righteous Gods with That fortune with returning Yet let their fongs with apt co Promote the plot and aid the main defign. Francis. Such |