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CHORUS.

Look now for no inchanting voice, nor fear 1065 The bait of honied words; a rougher tongue Draws hitherward, I know him by his stride, The giant Harapha of Gath, his look Haughty as is his pile high-built and proud. Comes he in peace? what wind hath blown him hither I lefs conjecture than when first I faw

The fumptuous Dalila floting this way:

His habit carries peace, his brow defiance.

SAMSON.

Or peace or not, alike to me he comes.

CHORUS.

1071

His fraught we foon shall know, he now arrives. HARAPH Ạ.

I come not, Samfon, to condole thy chance, 1076 As these perhaps, yet with it had not been,

1075. His fraught] For fraught read fraight. Meadowcourt. 1079. Men call me Harapha, &c.] This character is fictitious, but is properly introduced by the poet, and not without fome foundation in Scripture. Arapha or rather Rapha (fays Calmet) was father of the giants of Rephaim. The word

Though

Rapha may likewife fignify fimply a giant. Of flock renown'd as Og, for Og the king of Bafhan was of the race of the Rephaim, whose bed was nine cubits long, and four broad. Deut. III. 11. Or Anak, the father of the Anakims, and the Emims old, Deut. II. 1c, 11. a people great, and many, and tall as the

Anakims

Though for no friendly intent. I am of Gath,
Men call me Harapha, of stock renown'd

As Og or Anak and the Emims old

1080

That Kiriathaim held, thou know'ft me now
If thou at all art known. Much I have heard
Of thy prodigious might and feats perform'd
Incredible to me, in this difpleas'd,
That I was never prefent on the place

1085

Of those encounters, where we might have try'd
Each other's force in camp or lifted field;
And now am come to fee of whom fuch noise
Hath walk'd about, and each limb to survey,
If thy appearance anfwer loud report.

SAMSON.

The way to know were not to fee but taste.
HARAPH A.

Doft thou already fingle me? I thought

and

Anakims; which also were account-
ed giants or Rephaim, as the Ana-
kims, but the Moabites call them
Emims. That Kiriathaim held, for
Gen. XIV. Chedorlaomer,
5.
the kings that were with him, fmote
the Rephaims in Afhteroth Karnaim,
and the Zuzims in Ham, and the
Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, or

the plain of Kiriathaim.

1090

Gyves

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Gyves and the mill had tam'd thee. O that fortune
Had brought me to the field, where thou art fam'd
To' have wrought fuch wonders with an affes jaw;
I should have forc'd thee foon with other arms, 1096
Or left thy carcass where the ass lay thrown :
So had the glory' of prowess been recover'd
To Palestine, won by a Philiftine,

1099

From the unforeskin'd race, of whom thou bear'st
The highest name for valiant acts; that honor
Certain to' have won by mortal duel from thee,
I lose, prevented by thy eyes put out.

SAMSON.

Boast not of what thou would'ft have done, but do What then thou would'st, thou seest it in thy hand.

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Romeo and Juliet. A&t 2. Sc. 2.
Juliet to Romeo.

Like a poor prifoner in his

twisted

gyves,

And with a filk thred plucks it

back again,

So loving jealous of his liberty,

"Tis almoft morning. I would Fairfax. Cant. 5. St. 42.

have thee

gone, And yet no farther than a wanton's bird,

Thefe hands were made to fhake

fharp fpears and fwords,

Not

And thou haft need much washing to be touch'd.

SAMSON.

Such ufage as your honorable lords

Afford me' affaffinated and betray'd,

Who durft not with their whole united powers 1110
In fight withstand me fingle and unarm'd,
Nor in the houfe with chamber ambushes
Close-banded durft attack me, no not fleeping
Till they had hir'd a woman with their gold
Breaking her marriage faith to circumvent me. 1115
Therefore without feign'd fhifts let be affign'd

Some narrow place inclos'd, where fight may give thee,

Or rather flight, no great advantage on me;
Then put on all thy gorgeous arms, thy helmet
And brigandine of brass, thy broad habergeon, 1120

Vant

Not to be ty'd in gyves and XLI. 26. The Sword of him that twifted cords.

1120. And brigandine of brafs, &c.] Brigandine, a coat of mail. Jer. XLVI. 4.—furbish the Spears, and put on the brigandines. LI. 3. Against him that bendeth, let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine. Habergeon, a coat of mail for the neck and fhoulders. Job

layeth at him cannot hold, the Spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. Spenfer Faery Queen. B. 2. Cant, 6. St. 29.

Their mighty ftrokes their babergeons difmail'd,

And naked made each others
manly fpalles.

Spalles that is fhoulders, Fairfax
Cant. 1, St. 72,

Some

Vant-brass and greves, and gauntlet, add thy fpear,
A weaver's beam, and fev'n-times-folded fhield,
I only with an oaken staff will meet thee,

And raise such outcries on thy clatter'd iron, 1124
Which long shall not withhold me from thy head,
That in a little time while breath remains thee,
Thou oft fhalt with thyfelf at Gath to boast
Again in fafety what thou wouldst have done
To Samfon, but fhalt never see Gath more.

HARAPH A.

Thou durft not thus difparage glorious arms,
Which greatest heroes have in battle worn,

Their ornament and safety, had not spells
And black inchantments, fome magician's art,

Some fhirts of mail, fome coats of plate put on,

and fome a babergeon.

Vant-brafs or Vanthrace, avantbras, armour for the arms. Troilus and Creffida. Act 1. Sc. 6. Neftor fpeaks.

I'll hide my filver beard in a gold beaver,

And in my vantbrace put this wither'd brawn.

Fairfax. Cant. 20. St. 139.

His left arm wounded had the knight of France,

1131

Arm'd

His fhield was pierc'd, his vant-
brace cleft and fplit.

Greves, armour for the legs. 1 Sam.
XVII. 6. And he had greves of brass
upon his legs. Gauntlet, an iron
glove. 2 Henry IV. A&t 1. Sc. 3.
old Northumberland speaks.

-Hence therefore, thou nice
crutch;

A fcaly gauntlet now with joints
of steel

Muft glove this hand.

1121. add thy Spear, &c] This is Milton's own reading: the

othe

H

1

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