And shall again, pretend they ne'er fo wife.
Deject not then so overmuch thyself,
Who haft of forrow thy full load besides;

Yet truth to fay, I oft have heard men wonder
Why thou fhouldft wed Philiftian women rather
Than of thine own tribe fairer, or as fair,
At least of thy own nation, and as noble.
SAMSON.

The first I faw at Timna, and she pleas'd
Me, not my parents, that I fought to wed
The daughter of an infidel: they knew not
That what I motion'd was of God; I knew
From intimate impulfe, and therefore urg'd
The marriage on; that by occafion hence
I might begin Ifrael's deliverance,

The work to which I was divinely call'd.
She proving falfe, the next I took to wife
(O that I never had! fond wish too late,)

Such is the character and office of the Chorus as prefcrib'd by this great critic and poet, and it was never exemplified more fully than in the Chorus of Milton.

216.--Philiflian women rather] So it is printed in Milton's own edition, and woman is a mistake of the other editions; for more than one are mention'd afterwards. The

215

220

225

Was

firft 1 faw at Timna &c. ver. 219. the next I took to wife &c. ver. 227.

219. The first I saw at Timna,] Judg. XIV. 1. And Samfon went down to Timnath, and faw a woman in Timnath, of the daughters of the Philistines. &c.

222. That what I motion'd was

of God;] It was printed mention'd which is fenfe indeed, but

Was in the vale of Sorec, Dalila,

That fpecious monfter, my accomplish'd fnare. 230
I thought it lawful from my former act,
And the fame end; ftill watching to opprefs
Ifrael's oppreffors: of what now I suffer
She was not the prime cause, but I myself,

Who vanquish'd with a peal of words (O weakness!) up my fort of filence to a woman.

Gave up my

CHORUS.

In feeking juft occafion to provoke

236

The Philiftine, thy country's enemy,

Thou never waft remifs, I bear thee witness:

Yet Ifraël ftill ferves with all his fons.

240

SAMSON.

That fault I take not on me, but transfer

On Ifrael's governors, and heads of tribes,

Who seeing thofe great acts, which God had done Singly by me against their conquerors,

Milton himself in the table of Errata substituted motion'd which is better: but the first error hath ftill prevailed in all the editions.

229. Was in the vale of Sorec, Dalila,] Judg. XVI. 4. And it came to pass afterward, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Dalilah. &c.

230. my accomplish'd fnare.]

Acknow

There feems to be a quibble in the ufe of this epithet. Warburton.

241. That fault &c] Milton certainly intended to reproach his countrymen indirectly, and as plainly as he dared, with the Refloration of Charles II, which he accounted the restoration of flavery, and with the execution of the Regicides. He purfues the fame fubQ2

ject

Acknowledg'd not, or not at all confider'd 245

Deliverance offer'd: I on th' other fide

Us'd no ambition to commend my deeds,

[doer;

The deeds themselves, though mute, fpoke loud the But they perfifted deaf, and would not seem

249

To count them things worth notice, till at length
Their lords the Philiftines with gather'd pow'rs
Enter'd Judea feeking me, who then
Safe to the rock of Etham was retir'd,
Not flying, but fore-cafting in what place
To fet upon them, what advantag'd beft:
Mean while the men of Judah, to prevent
The harrafs of their land, befet me round
I willingly on fome conditions came
Into their hands, and they as gladly yield me
To the uncircumcis'd a welcome prey,

;

255

260

Bound with two cords; but cords to me were threds Touch'd with the flame: on their whole hoft I flew

Unarm'd, and with a trivial weapon fell'd

Their choiceft youth; they only liv'd who fled.
Had Judah that day join'd, or one whole tribe, 265
They had by this poffefs'd the tow'rs of Gath,
And lorded over them whom now they ferve:
But what more oft in nations grown corrupt,
And by their vices brought to fervitude,
Than to love bondage more than liberty,
Bondage with ease than strenuous liberty';

And to defpife, or envy, or fufpect

1

1

270

@reeM

275

Whom God hath of his fpecial favor rais'd T
As their deliverer; if he ought begin,
How frequent to defert him, and at laft
To heap ingratitude on worthiest deeds?

CHORUS.

Thy words to my remembrance bring a mi eT How Succoth and the fort of Penuele dr bl Their great deliverer contemn'd, cut dow bichuk £

of it to vice and corruption of morals: but in this paffage he very probably intended alfo a fecret fatir upon the English nation, which ac cording to his republican politics had by reftoring the King chofen bondage with eafe rather than firenuous liberty. And let me add that the fentiment is very like that of Emilius Lepidus the conful in his

The oration to the Roman people againft Sulla, preferved among the fragments of Salluft annuite legibus impofitis; accipite otium cum fervitio; but for myself -potior vifa eft periculofa libertas, quieto fervitio.

-

278. How Succoth and the fort of Penuel &c] The men of Succoth and of the tower of Penuel reQ 3

fufed

The matchlefs Gideon in purfuit

Of Madian and her vanquifh'd kings:
And how ingrateful Ephraim

Had dealt with Jephtha, who by argument,
Not worse than by his fhield and spear,
Defended Ifrael from the Ammonite,
Had not his prowefs quell'd their pride
In that fore battel, when fo many dy'd
Without reprieve adjudg’d to death,
For want of well pronouncing Shibboleth.
SAMSON.

Of such examples add me to the roll,
Me eafily indeed mine may neglect,
But God's propos'd deliverance not so.
CHORUS.

Juft are the ways of God, And justifiable to men;

fufed to give loaves of bread to Gideon and his three hundred men purfuing after Zebah and Zalmunna kings of Midian. See Judg. VIII. 4-9.

282. And how ingrateful Ephraim &c] Jephthah fubdued the children of Ammon; and he is faid to have defended Ifrael by argument not worfe than by arms on account of the mef fage which he fent unto the king

280

285

299

Unless

of the children of Ammon. Judg. XI. 15--27. For his victory over the Ammonites the Ephraimites envied and quarrel'd with him; and threaten'd to burn his houfe with fire: but Jephthah and the men of Gilead fmote Ephraim, and took the paffages of Jordan before the Ephraimites, and there flew thofe of them who could not rightly pronounce the word Shibboleth, and there fell at

that