If need be, I am ready to forgo CHORUS. MANO A H. It shall be my delight to tend his eyes, , And view him fitting in the house, ennobled With all those high exploits by him'achiev'd, And on his shoulders waving down those locks That of a nation arm'd the strength contain'd: And I persuade me God had not permitted 1495 His strength again to grow up with his hair Garrison'd round about him like a camp Of faithful soldiery, were not his purpose To use him further yet in some great service, Not 1490 mous exploits is vastly expreslive hopes of God's restoring his eyes of the doating fondness of an old again. Hope as naturally arises father. Nor is the poet less to be in the mind in such a situation, admir’d for his making Manoah as doubts and fears do when it is under the influence of this pleaf- overclouded with gloominess and ing imagination go on still further, melancholy. Thyer. and flatter himself even with the VOL. I. X 1504. The Not to fit idle with so great a gift 1500 CHORUS: 1505 Conceiv'd, agreeable to a father's love, In both which we, as next, participate. MANO A H. I know your friendly minds and what noise!, Mercy of Heav'n, what hideous noise was that! Horribly loud, unlike the former shout. 1510 CHORUS. Noise call you it or universal groan, As if the whole inhabitation perish'd ! Blood, 1504. Thy hopes are not ill founded and how fudden is the change from nor seem vain good to bad! The one renders * Of his delivery,] This is very the other more triking and afproper and becoming the gravity fecting. of the Chorus, as much as to intimate that his other hopes were 1508. -and nie o what noise! fond and extravagant. And the &c.] It must be very pleasing to art of the poet cannot be suffici- the reader to observe with what ently admired in raising the hopes art and judgment Milton prepares and expectations of his persons to him for the relation of the catathe highest pitch just before the strophe of this tragedy. This abdreadful catastrophe. How great rupt start of Manoah upon hear Blood, death, and deathful deeds are in that noise, Μ Α Ν Ο Α Η. my fon. 1516 MANO A H. CHORUS The ing the hideous noise, and the de- what had happen'd. What gives scription of it by the Chorus in it the greater strength and beauty their answer, in terms so full of is the sudden transition from that dread and terror, naturally fill the foothing and flattering prospect mind with a presaging horror pro- with which Manoah was enterper for the occasion. This is still taining his thoughts to a scene so kept up by their suspense and rea- totally opposit. Tbyer. soning about it, and at last raised 1512. -- inhabitation Oixemeno to a proper pitch by the frighted Richardson. and distracted manner of the Mer 1514. at the utmost point.] senger's coming in, and his hesita- Al último segno. Richardson. tion and backwardness in telling 1529. - be X 2 way? The sufferers then will scarce moleft us here, 1525 MANO A H. CHORUS. MANOAH. 1536 1529.- be dealing dole] Distri- before encourag'd. the same hope buting his gifts and portions a in himself, now defponds and mong his enemies, from a Saxon reckons it presumptuous in another. word says Skinner, but Mr. Up- Such changes of our thoughts are ton in his Remarks upon Ben. natural and common, efpecially Jonson's three plays p. 31. de- in any change of our situation and rives the word dole from the Greek circumstances. Fear and hope ATO TU dienti, distributers. By the fually fucceed each other like ague way we may observe, that the and fever. And it was not a night Chorus here entertains the same observation of mankind, that could pleasing hope of Samson's eye-light have enabled Milton to have onbeing by miracle restored, which he derstood and describ’d the human had before tacitly reproved in paflions fo exactly. Manoah, and Manoah who had 1536. A way fly CHORUS. Of good or bad so great, of bad the sooner ; For evil news rides post, while good news baits. And to our wish I fee one hither speeding, An Hebrew, as I guess, and of our tribe. 1540 MESSENGER, my eyes yet behold ! For dire imagination still pursues me. But providence or instinct of nature seems, 1545 Or reason though disturb’d, and scarce consulted, To’have guided me aright, I know not how, To thee first reverend Manoah, and to these My countrymen, whom here I knew remaining, As 1536. A little stay will bring the Errata and in all the editions Some notice hither.] The text since given to the Chorus, but of the first edition wants the nine the poet certainly intended both lines preceding this, and the line them and Manoah a share in it. that follows it: but they are sup CHOR. A little stay will bring plied in the Errata. This line in fome notice hither that edition is in the part of the Of good or bad so great. Man. Chorus, as I think it ought to be: Of bad the sooner; and fo is the next but one, in that For evil news rides post, while and all the editions ; though it good news baits. seems to belong rather to Manoah. CHOR. And to our wish I fee one The line between them, which is hither speeding, wanting (as I just now observed) An Hebrew, as I guess, and of our in the text of the first edition, in tribe. Caltan. X 3 1552. ---- and |