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��self when he adopted, in place of the elabo- rately constructed choruses of classic drama, a chorus of loose structure, capable of fol- lowing the thought with supple freedom. Probably both sets of motives combined to determine the peculiarities of Samson. In any case, the drama represents Milton's art at its subtlest and maturest. For those who are willing to give it the requisite atten- tion, it can hardly fail to have a sombre fascination, as strong perhaps as the sweeter sylvan beguilement of Comus.
��Ill
The sources of Samson Agonistes, aside from the Bible, are few and unimportant. The fifth book of the A ntiquities of Josephus, and the .Relation of the traveller Sandys, each seem to have furnished a few hints. The Historic of Samson, by Francis Quarles, a predecessor of Milton's at Cam- bridge, may have been glanced into, though certainly to no great purpose. For Von- del's play of Samson as the inspirer of Sam- son Agonistes Mr. Edmundson makes an ingenious but unconvincing plea. There is ground for belief that Milton knew Von- del's work, and it is possible that the Dutch drama revived in him interest in the subject which he had meditated more than twenty-five years before. The only " source " worth much consideration, how- ever, is the account given in Judges, chap- ters xiii.-xvi. Almost every incident of the Bible narrative Milton has worked into the texture of the play, either in the text or in the choruses. Besides the Officer, the Messenger, and the Chorus, the only new personage introduced is the giant Harapha, whose name Milton manufac- tured from the Hebrew word for giant, Rapha (2 Samuel, xxi. 15-22). A thorough knowledge of the Scripture passages is in- dispensable to an understanding of many passages of the drama; they are accord- ingly subjoined:
��And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord ; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Ma- noah ; and his wife was barren, and bare not. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not : but thou shalt con- ceive, and bear a son ; and no razor shall come on his head : for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb : and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philis- tines.
So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the Lord : and the angel did wonderously ; and Manoah and his wife looked on. For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.
And Samson went down toTimnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up, and told his fa- ther and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines ? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me ; for she pleas- eth me well.
Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vine- yards of Timnath : and, behold, a young lion roared against him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand : but he told not his father or his mo- ther what he had done. And he went down, and talked with the woman ; and she pleased Samson well.
And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion : and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.
So his father went down unto the woman : and Samson made there a feast ; for so used the young men to do. And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty com- panions to be with him.
And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you : if ye can certainly de-
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