From out her ashy womb now teem'd,
Revives, reflorifhes, then vigorous most

When moft unactive deem'd,

And though her body die, her fame furvives

A fecular bird ages of lives.

MANOAH.

1705

Come, come, no time for lamentation now, Nor much more caufe; Samfon hath quit himself Like Samfon, and heroicly hath finish'd

A life heroic, on his enemies

1710

Fully

out her afhy womb, revives, re florishes, and though her body die which was the cafe of Samfon, yet her fame furvives a phoenix many ages for the comma after furvives in all the editions fhould be omitted, as Mr. Calton has obferved as well as myfelf. The phoenix, fays he, liv'd a thousand years ac Hierozoicon. Pars fecunda, p. 817.] cording to fome [See Bochart's and hence it is called here a fecu tar bird. Ergo quoniam fex die bus cuncta Dei opera perfecta funt; per fecula fex, id eft annorum fex millia, manere hoc ftatu mundum neceffe eft. Lactantius Div. Inft. Lib. 7. c. 14. The fame of vir. tue (the Semichorus faith) fur vives, outlives this fecular bird many ages. The comma, which is in all the editions after survives, breaks the conftruction.

Fully reveng'd, hath left them years of mourning,
And lamentation to the fons of Caphtor

Through all Philiftian bounds; to Ifrael
Honor hath left, and freedom, let but them
Find courage to lay hold on this occafion;
To' himself and father's houfe eternal fame;
And which is best and happiest yet, all this
With God not parted from him, as was fear'd,
But favoring and affifting to the end.

Nothing is here for tears, nothing to wail

Or knock the breaft, no weakness, no contempt,
Difpraise, or blame, nothing but well and fair,
And what may quiet us in a death so noble.
Let us go find the body where it lies

1715

1720

1725

Sok'd in his enemies blood, and from the ftream
With lavers pure and cleanfing herbs wafh off
The clotted gore. I with what speed the while
(Gaza is not in plight to say us nay)

1713. to the fons of Caphtor] Caphtor it fhould be, and not Chaptor as in feveral editions: and the fons of Caphtor are Philiftines, originally of the iland Caphtor or Crete. The people were called Caphtorim, Cherethim, Ceretim, and afterwards Cretians. A colony

Will

of them fettled in Paleftine, and there went by the name of Philiftim. Meadowcourt.

1730. Will fend for all my kin

dred, all my friends, &c] This is founded upon what the Scripture faith, Judg. XVI. 81. which the poet has finely improv'd. Then

Will fend for all my kindred, all my friends, 1730 To fetch him hence, and folemnly attend

With filent obfequy and funeral train

Home to his father's houfe: there will I build him

A monument, and plant it round with shade
Of laurel ever green, and branching palm,
With all his trophies hung, and acts inroll'd
In copious legend, or fweet lyric fong.
Thither shall all the valiant youth refort,
And from his memory inflame their breasts
To matchlefs valor, and adventures high:
The virgins also shall on feaftful days

Vifit his tomb with flow'rs, only bewailing
His lot unfortunate in nuptial choice,

From whence captivity and lofs of eyes.

CHORUS.

All is beft, though we oft doubt,

What th' unfearchable difpofe

his brethren, and all the house of
his father, came down and took him,
and brought him up, and buried
bim between Zorah and Efhtaol in
the burying-place of Manoah his fa-
ther.

1745. All is beft, though we oft
doubt, &c] There is a great

1735

1740.

1745

Of

And to his faithful champion hath in place
Bore witness gloriously; whence Gaza mourns
And all that band them to refift
His uncontrollable intent;

His fervants he with new acquist

4

1

ར༔

1750

Of true experience from this great event
With peace and confolation hath dismist,
And calm of mind all paffion fpent.

1755. His fervants he with new acquift] It is bis fervant in moft of the editions, but the first edition has it rightly bis fervants, meaning the Chorus and other perfons prefent. Acquift, the fame as acquifition, a word that may be found in Skinner, but I do not remember to have met with it elfewhere.

of which he hath expreffed in the preface, that "tragedy is of power " by raifing pity and fear, or ter"ror, to purge the mind of thofe "and fuch like paffions, &c." and he exemplifies it here in Manoah and the Chorus, after their various agitations of paffion, acquiefcing in the divine difpenfations, and thereby inculcating a moft inftructive leffon to the reader. this work was not intended for the ftage, it is not divided into acts, And calm of mind all paffion spent.] but if any critic fhould be disposed This moral leffon in the conclufion fo to divide it, he may eafily do is very fine, and excellently fuited it by beginning the fecond act at to the beginning. For Milton had the entrance of Manoah, the third chofen for the motto to this piece at the entrance of Dalila, the a paffage out of Ariftotle, which fourth at the entrance of Haramay show what was his defign in pha, and the fifth at the entrance writing this tragedy, and the fenfe of the public Officer: but the stage

1757. With peace and confolation bath difmift,

As

66

is never empty or without perfons," or other, I wifh you would re according to the model of the beft" view, and polish that piece. If written tragedies among the An- " upon a new perufal of it (which cients. I have faid in the life of "I defire you to make) you Milton, that "Bishop Atterbury" as I do, that it is written in the I is written thing "had an intention of getting very spirit of the Ancients; it "Mr. Pope to divide the Samfon" deferves your care, and is capa Agoniftes into acts and scenes, "ble of being improved, with "and of having it acted by the "little trouble, into a perfect moKing's Scholars at Westminster:" "del and standard of tragic poetry And fee what he fays to that pur always allowing for its be purc pose in one of his letters to Mr. Pope. ing a ftory taken out of the "I hope you won't utterly forget Bible, which is an objection that "what pass'd in the coach about "at this time of day, I know is "Samfon Agoniftes. I shan't prefs not to be got over." you as to time, but fome time