Fearless of danger, like a petty God

530

I walk'd about admir'd of all and dreaded
On hoftile ground, none daring my affront.
Then fwoll'n with pride into the fnare I fell
Of fair fallacious looks, venereal trains,
Soften'd with pleasure and voluptuous life;
At length to lay my head and hallow'd pledge 535
Of all my strength in the lascivious lap

Of a deceitful concubine, who shore me
Like a tame weather, all my precious fleece,
Then turn'd me out ridiculous, despoil'd,
Shav'n, and difarm'd among mine enemies.
CHORUS.

540

Defire of wine and all delicious drinks, Which many a famous warrior overturns, Thou couldst reprefs, nor did the dancing ruby Sparkling, out-pour'd, the flavor, or the smell, Or taste that chears the heart of Gods and men, 545 Allure

Allure thee from the cool cryftallin ftream.
SAMSON.

Wherever fountain or fresh current flow'd
Against the eastern ray, translucent, pure
With touch ethereal of Heav'n's fiery rod,
I drank, from the clear milky juice allaying
Thirst, and refresh'd; nor envy'd them the

grape

550

Whose heads that turbulent liquor fills with fumes.
CHORUS.

O madness, to think use of strongest wines
And strongest drinks our chief fupport of health,
When God with these forbidd'n made choice to rear
His mighty champion, strong above compare, 556
Whose drink was only from the liquid brook.

SAMSON.

But what avail'd this temp'rance, not complete
Against another object more enticing?

What boots it at one gate to make defense,
And at another to let in the foe,

Effeminately vanquish'd? by which means,

560

Now blind, difhearten'd, fham'd, difhonor'd, quell'd, To what can I be useful, wherein ferve

My nation, and the work from Heav'n impos'd,

But to fit idle on the houfhold hearth,
A burd'nous drone; to vifitants a gaze,
Or pity'd object, these redundant locks
Robuftious to no purpose cluftring down,
Vain monument of ftrength; till length of

years

566

And

O liquidi cristalli, onde s'eftin- fhave his head. See Numb. VI.

And fedentary numbnefs craze my limbs

To a contemptible old age obfcure?

Here rather let me drudge and earn my bread,
Till vermin or the draff of fervile food

Confume me, and oft-invok'd death

Haften the welcome end of all my pains.

MANOAH.

57I

575

580

Wilt thou then serve the Philistines with that gift Which was exprefly giv'n thee to annoy them? Better at home lie bed-rid, not only idle, Inglorious, unemploy'd, with age outworn But God who caus'd a fountain at thy prayer From the dry ground to spring, thy thirst t' allay After the brunt of battel, can as easy

571.. craze my limbs] He ufes the word craze much in the fame manner as in the Paradife Loft XII. 210. where see the note; and I would always recommend it to the reader, when an uncommon word especially occurs in two or more different places, to compare the places together for the better understanding of cur author. I cannot always refer to the particular places in these notes, but the indexes may be of ufe for this purpofe.

581. But God who caus'd a fountain at thy prayer

Caufe

From the dry ground to spring, &c.] Judg. XV. 18, 19. And he was fore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, Thou haft given this great deliverance into the hand of thy fervant, and now fhall I die for thirst, and fall into the band of the uncircumcifed? But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when be had drunk, his Spirit came again, and he revived. We fee that Milton differs from our tranflation. Our tranflation fays that God clave an bollow place that was in the jaw: But Milton

fays

Caufe light again within thy eyes to spring,
Wherewith to serve him better than thou haft;
And I perfuade me fo; why else this strength
Miraculous yet remaining in those locks?
His might continues in thee not for nought,
Nor shall his wondrous gifts be fruftrate thus.
SAMSON.

585

All otherwise to me my thoughts portend, 590 That these dark orbs no more shall treat with light, Nor th' other light of life continue long, But yield to double darkness nigh at hand: So much I feel my genial fpirits droop, My hopes all flat, nature within me seems In all her functions weary of herself,

fays that God caus'd a fountain from the dry ground to Spring, and herein he follows the Chaldee paraphraft and the best commentators, who understand it that God made a cleft in fome part of the ground or rock, in the place called Lehi, Lebi fignifying both a jaw and a place fo called.

588. His might continues &c] A fine preparative, which raises our expectation of fome great event to be produced by his ftrength.

Warburton. 594. So much I feel my genial fpirits droop, &c] Here Milton in

595

My

He could

the perfon of Samfon defcribes
exactly his own cafe, what he felt
and what he thought in fome of
his melancholy hours.
not have wrote fo well but from
his own feeling and experience,
and the very flow of the verfes is
melancholy, and excellently adapt-
ed to the subject. As Mr. Thyer
expreffes it, there is a remarkable
folemnity and air of melancholy in
the very found of thefe verfes, and
the reader will find it very difficult
to pronounce them without that
grave and ferious tone of voice
which is proper for the occafion.

600. and