Like Samson, and heroicly hath finish'd

A life Heroic, on his Enemies

Fully reveng'd, hath left them years of mourning,
And lamentation to the Sons of Caphtor
Through all Philistian bounds. To Israel
Honour hath left, and freedom, let but them
Find courage to lay hold on this occasion,
To himself and Fathers house eternal fame;
And which is best and happiest yet, all this
With God not parted from him, as was feard,
But favouring and assisting to the end.
Nothing is here for tears, nothing to wail

Or knock the breast, no weakness, no contempt,
Dispraise, or blame, nothing but well and fair,
And what may quiet us in a death so noble.
Let us go find the body where it lies
Sok't in his enemies blood, and from the stream
With lavers pure and cleansing herbs wash off
The clotted gore. I with what speed the while
(Gaza is not in plight to say us nay)
Will send for all my kindred, all my friends
To fetch him hence and solemnly attend

With silent obsequie and funeral train

Home to his Fathers house: there will I build him

A Monument, and plant it round with shade

Of Laurel ever green, and branching Palm,
With all his Trophies hung, and Acts enroll'd
In copious Legend, or sweet Lyric Song.
Thither shall all the valiant youth resort,
And from his memory inflame thir breasts
To matchless valour, and adventures high:
The Virgins also shall on feastful days
Visit his Tomb with flowers, only bewailing
His lot unfortunate in nuptial choice,
From whence captivity and loss of eyes."
Chor. All is best, though we oft doubt,
What th' unsearchable dispose

Of highest wisdom brings about,
And ever best found in the close.

Oft he seems to hide his face,

But unexpectedly returns

1710

1720

1730

1740

1750

And to his faithful Champion hath in place

Bore witness gloriously; whence Gaza mourns And all that band them to resist

His uncontroulable intent,

His servants he with new acquist

Of true experience from this great event
With peace and consolation hath dismist,
And calm of mind all passion spent.

The End.

APPENDIX.

(a)

Specimen of Milton's spelling, from the Cambridge autograph manuscript.

On Time

set on a clock case

Fly envious Time till thou run out thy race
call on the lazie leaden-stepping howres
whose speed is but the heavie plummets pace
& glut thy selfe wth what thy womb devoures
weh is no more then what is false & vaine
& meerly mortall drosse

so little is our losse

so little is thy gaine

for when as each thing bad thou hast entomb'd

& last of all thy greedie selfe consum'd

then long Æternity shall greet our blisse

wth an individuall kisse

and Joy shall overtake us as a flood

when every thing yt is sincerely good

& pfectly divine

with Truth, & Peace, & Love shall ever shine

about the supreme throne

of him t' whose happy-making sight alone

when once our heav'nly-guided soule shall clime

then all this earthie grossnesse quit

attir'd wth starres wee shall for ever sit

Triumphing over Death, & Chance, & thee O Time.

(b)

Note of a few readings in the same manuscript.

AT A SOLEMN MUSICK.

line 6. content. Manuscript reads concent as does the Second Edition; so that content is probably a misprint.

ARCADES.

line 22. hunderd. Milton's own spelling here is hundred But in the Errata to Paradise Lost (i. 760) he corrects hundred to hunderd.

LYCIDAS.

line 64. uncessant. Manuscript reads incessant, so that uncessant is probably a misprint; though that spelling is retained in the Second Edition.

In

line 82. perfet. So in A Maske, line 203. In both these places the manuscript has perfect, as elsewhere where the word occurs. the Solemn Music, line 23, where the First Edition reads perfect, the second reads perfet.

A MASK.

lines 168, 169. Manuscript reads

line 474. requires.

but heere she comes I fairly step aside

& hearken, if I may, her buisnesse heere.

sensualty. Manuscript also reads sensualtie, as the metre

line 493. father. Manuscript reads father's.

line 553. drowsie frighted. Manuscript reads drowsie flighted. In the manuscript, which reads

line 743.

If you let slip time like an neglected rose

a circle has been drawn round the an, but probably not by Milton.

(1)

Paradise Lost, vii. 451. Bentley's emendation of soul for fowl should have been noted at the foot of the page. See Genesis i. 30 A. V. margin.