Who seeing those great acts, which God had done
Singly by me against their conquerors,
Acknowledg'd not, or not at all consider'd
Deliverance offer'd: I on th' other side
Us'd no ambition to commend my deeds,

245

The deeds themselves, though mute, spoke loud the doer; But they persisted deaf, and would not seem

To count them things worth notice, till at length

250

Their lords the Philistines with gather'd pow'rs
Enter'd Judea seeking me, who then
Safe to the rock of Etham was retir'd,
Not flying, but forecasting in what place

To set upon them, what advantag'd best;

255

Mean while the men of Judah, to prevent

The harass of their land, beset me round;
I willingly on some conditions came

Into their hands, and they as gladly yield me

To the uncircumcis'd a welcome prey,

260

Bound with two cords; but cords to me were threads
Touch'd with the flame: on their whole host I flew
Unarm'd, and with a trivial weapon fell'd
Their choicest youth; they only liv'd who fled.
Had Judah that day join'd, or one whole tribe,
They had by this possess'd the tow'rs of Gath,
And lorded over them whom now they serve:

247. Us'd no ambition] Going about with studiousness and affectation to gain praise, as Mr. Richardson says, alluding to the origin of the word in Latin.

253. Safe to the rock of Etham was retir'd, &c.] Judg. xv. 8. And he went down, and dwelt in

265

the top of the rock Etam. Then the Philistines went up, and pitched in Judah, &c.

254. forecasting] The same word as to cast, to consider, devise means, &c. See Par. Lost, iii. 634. T. Warton.

But what more oft in nations grown corrupt,
And by their vices brought to servitude,
Than to love bondage more than liberty,
Bondage with ease than strenuous liberty;
And to despise, or envy, or suspect

Whom God hath of his special favour rais'd
As their deliverer; if he ought begin,
How frequent to desert him, and at last
To heap ingratitude on worthiest deeds?

CHORUS.

Thy words to my remembrance bring
How Succoth and the fort of Penuel
Their great deliverer contemn'd,
The matchless Gideon in pursuit
Of Madian and her vanquish'd kings:
And how ingrateful Ephraim

268. But what more oft in nations grown corrupt, &c.] Here Mr. Thyer has anticipated me by observing, that Milton is very uniform, as well as just, in his notions of liberty, always attributing the loss of it to vice and corruption of morals: but in this passage he very probably intended also a secret satire upon the English nation, which according to his republican politics had, by restoring the King, chosen bondage with ease rather than strenuous liberty. And let me add, that the sentiment is very like that of Æmilius Lepidus the consul, in his oration to the Roman people against Sulla, preserved among the fragments of Sallust -annuite legibus impositis; accipite otium cum servitio;- but for my

self

270

275

280

-potior visa est periculosa libertas, quieto servitio.

278. How Succoth and the fort of Penuel &c.] The men of Succoth and of the tower of Penuel refused to give loaves of bread to Gideon and his three hundred men pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian. See Judg. viii. 4-9.

282. And how ingrateful Ephraim &c.] Jephtha subdued the children of Ammon; and he is said to have defended Israel by argument not worse than by arms, on account of the message which he sent unto the king of the children of Ammon, Judg. xi. 1527. For his victory over the Ammonites the Ephraimites envied and quarrelled with him; and threatened to burn his house with fire: but Jephthah and the

Had dealt with Jephtha, who by argument,
Not worse than by his shield and spear,
Defended Israel from the Ammonite,
Had not his prowess quell'd their pride
In that sore battle, when so many died
Without reprieve adjudg'd to death,
For want of well pronouncing Shibboleth.
SAMSON.

Of such examples add me to the roll,
Me easily indeed mine may neglect,
But God's propos'd deliverance not so.

CHORUS.

Just are the ways of God,

285

290

And justifiable to men;

Unless there be who think not God at all:

295

If any be, they walk obscure;

For of such doctrine never was there school,

But the heart of the fool,

And no man therein doctor but himself.

Yet more there be who doubt his ways not just, 300 As to his own edicts found contradicting,

Then give the reins to wand'ring thought,

men of Gilead smote Ephraim, and took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites, and there slew those of them who could not rightly pronounce the word Shibboleth, and there fell at that time two and forty thousand of them. See Judg. xii. 1—6.

298. But the heart of the fool,] Alluding to Psal. xiv. 1. and the sentiment is not very unlike that of a celebrated divine, "The

"fool hath said in his heart, "There is no God: and who "but a fool would have said " so?"

299. And no man therein doctor but himself.] There is something rather too quaint and fanciful in this conceit, and it appears the worse, as this speech of the Chorus is of so serious a nature, and filled with so many deep and solemn truths. Thyer.

Regardless of his glory's diminution;
Till by their own perplexities involv'd
They ravel more, still less resolv'd,

But never find self-satisfying solution.

As if they would confine th' Interminable,

And tie him to his own prescript,

Who made our laws to bind us, not himself,

305

And hath full right t' exempt

310

Whom so it pleases him by choice

From national obstriction, without taint

Of sin, or legal debt;

For with his own laws he can best dispense.

He would not else who never wanted means,

315

Nor in respect of th' enemy just cause

To set his people free,

Have prompted this heroic Nazarite,

Against his vow of strictest purity,

To seek in marriage that fallacious bride,

Unclean, unchaste.

Down reason then, at least vain reasonings down,

Though reason here aver

That moral verdict quits her of unclean :

320

324. That moral verdict quits her of unclean:] That is, by the law of nature a Philistian woman was not unclean, yet the law of Moses held her to be so. I do not know why the poet thought fit to make his hero scepticize on a point, as irreconcileable to reason, which may be very well accounted for by the best rules of human prudence and policy. The institution of Moses was to keep the Jewish people distinct

Unchaste was subsequent, her stain not his.
But see here comes thy reverend Sire
With careful step, locks white as down,
Old Manoah: advise

Forthwith how thou ought'st to receive him.
SAMSON.

Aye me, another inward grief awak'd

With mention of that name renews th' assault.

MANOAH.

Brethren and men of Dan, for such ye seem,
Though in this uncouth place; if old respect,
As I suppose, tow'ards your once gloried friend,
My son now captive, hither hath inform'd
Your younger feet, while mine cast back with age
Came lagging after; say if he be here.

CHORUS.

As signal now in low dejected state,
As erst in high'est, behold him where he lies.

MANOAH.

O miserable change! is this the man,

325

330

335

340

and separate from the nations. desirous to visit him than his This the lawgiver effected by a father. vast variety of means: one of which was to hold all other nations under a legal impurity; the best means of preventing intermarriages with them. Warburton.

336. while mine cast back with age] This is very artfully and properly introduced, to account for the Chorus coming to Samson before Manoah, for it is not to be supposed that any of his friends should be more concerned for his welfare, or more

340. O miserable change! &c.] This speech of Manoah's is in my opinion very beautiful in its kind. The thoughts are exactly such as one may suppose would occur to the mind of the old man, and are expressed with an earnestness and impatience very well suited to that anguish of mind he must be in at the sight of his son under such miserable afflicted circumstances. It is not at all unbecoming the pious grave