When infupportably his foot advanc'd, In fcorn of their proud arms and warlike tools, 140 Or grov'ling foil'd their crested helmets in the duft. Then with what trivial weapon came to hand, The jaw of a dead ass, his sword of bone, A thousand fore-fkins fell, the flow'r of Palestine, 144 In Ramath-lechi famous to this day. [bore Then by main force pull'd up, and on his fhoulders The gates of Azza, poft, and maffy bar, Up to the hill by Hebron, feat of giants old, That when the knight he spy'd, he 'gan advance With huge force, and infupportable main. Tbyer. 138. The bold Afcalonite] The inhabitant of Afcalon, one of the five principal cities of the Philiftines, mention'd 1 Sam. VI. 17. 145. In Ramath-lechi famous to this day: Judges XV. 17.- I can't help remarking the great difference No journey of a fabbath-day, and loaded fo; Like whom the Gentiles feign to bear up Heaven. Which shall I first bewail, Thy bondage or loft fight, Prifon within prison Infeparably dark? Thou art become (O worst imprisonment!) The dungeon of thyfelf; thy foul 151 155 [plain) (Which men enjoying fight oft without caufe com Imprifon'd now indeed, In real darkness of the body dwells, Shut up from outward light difference there is betwixt Ben Johnfon's Choruses, and our author's. Old Ben's are of a poor fimilar regular contexture; our author's truly Grecian, and noble, diverfified with all the measures our language and poetry are capable of, and I am afraid not to be read in the manner Milton defign'd them. Sympfon. 147. poft, and maffy bar,] Mr. Meadowcourt propofes to read pofts, as being more conformable to Scripture, Judg. XVI. 3. And Samfon lay till midnight, and arofe at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two pofts, 160 For and went away with them, bar and all and pofts is certainly better on this account, but perhaps Milton might prefer poft as fomewhat of a fofter found. 148. -Hebron, feat of giants old,] For Hebron was the city of Arba, the father of Anak, and the feat of the Anakims. Jofh. XV. 13, 14. And the Anakims were giants, which come of the giants. Numb. XIII. 33. 157. oft without caufe com plain] So Milton himself corrected it, but all the editions continue the old erratum complain’d. 162. For For inward light alas Puts forth no visual beam. O mirror of our fickle ftate, The rarer thy example stands, 165 By how much from the top of wondrous glory, To lowest pitch of abject fortune thou art fall'n. Whom long descent of birth Or the sphere of fortune raises; 170 But thee whose strength, while virtue was her mate, Might have fubdued the earth, 162. For inward light alas He from thick films fhall purge Either he mistook his original, and Warburton. 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 follow'd Milton's own edition; most of the others have it He pake. 181. From Efhtaol and Zora's fruitful vale] These were two towns of the tribe of Dan. Josh. 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 between Zorah and Ehtaol, Judg. XIII. 25. And they were both fituated in the valley, Josh. XV. 33. and Univerfally crown'd with highest praises. SAMSON. I hear the found of words, their fenfe the air Diffolves unjointed ere it reach CHORUS. my ear. 175 He speaks, let us draw nigh. Matchless in might, The glory late of Ifrael, now the grief; We come thy friends and neighbours not unknown To vifit or bewail thee, or if better, Salve to thy fores; apt words have pow'r to fwage and therefore the poet with great exactnefs fays Efhraol 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 advife 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 cuperunt. Corn. Nepos in vita Eumenis. Calton. 181 185 And And are as balm to fefter'd wounds. SAM SO N. 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 fwarm, 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, O lofs 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 least afflicts me, fays he, as being fome cover to his fhame and confufion. 210. Tax not divine disposal; &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: |