and the remonstrance of his parents, he sought her for his wife. As he was going down to Tammatha with his father and mother to obtain his wife, a young lion out of the vineyards met him, raging and roaring.

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, and he tore him as he would have torn a kid, though he had nothing in his hand.

Some days afterwards he went aside to see the

SAMSON FINDS HONEY IN THE LION.

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carcase of the lion, and behold, there was a swarm of bees in the mouth of the lion, and a honey-comb. Samson stopped and took some of it in his hands, and

SAMSON FINDS A SWARM OF BLES IN THE DEAD LION.

went on eating till he met his father and mother, to whom he gave of the honey, but without telling them that he had taken it from the mouth of the lion. His

father and mother, as was the custom, made a feast for the marriage of their son, and invited the citizens of the place to the number of about thirty, who were all Philistines. During the feast Samson said: "I propose to you a riddle, which if you can declare to me within the seven days of the feast, I will give you thirty tunics and as many coats; but if you shall not be able to declare it, you shall give me thirty tunics and the same number of coats." They answered him : 'Put forth the riddle that we may hear it." Samson said to them: "Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness." When the

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seventh day came and they could not discover the riddle, they said to the wife of Samson: "Soothe thy husband, and persuade him to tell thee what the riddle meaneth. But if thou wilt not do it, we will burn thee, and thy father's house. Have you called us to the wedding on purpose to strip us?" So she wept before Samson and complained, saying: "Thou hatest me, and dost not love me: therefore thou wilt not expound to me the riddle which thou hast proposed to the sons of my people." But he answered: "I would not tell it to my father and mother, and how can I tell it to thee?" At length, as she was troublesome to him, he expounded it. And she immediately told her countrymen. And they on the seventh day before the sun went down said to him: "What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion ?" And he said to them: "If you had not ploughed with my

* Samson's riddle has a reference to our Saviour, under the figure of the Lion of the tribe of Juda, and who before His incarnation was known as the Lion of his

SAMSON AND THE FOXES.

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And the

heifer, you had not found out my riddle." Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down. to Ascalon, and slew there thirty men, whose garments he took away and gave to them that had declared the

riddle.

And being exceeding angry, he went up to his father's house: but his wife took one of his friends and bridal companions for her husband.

own tribe, for the severity of his judgments, but who has now become the food of His people in the Holy Eucharist, and is known for His spirit of sweetness and meekness in the new covenant of the Gospel.

After harvest was over, Samson went again for his wife, when his father-in-law said to him: "I thought that thou hadst hated her, and therefore I gave her to thy friend." And Samson answered him: "From this day I shall be blameless in what I do against the Philistines for I will do you evils." And he went and caught three hundred foxes, and coupled them tail to tail, and fastened torches between the tails. And setting them on fire he let the foxes go, that they might run about hither and thither. And they presently went into the standing corn of the Philistines, which being set on fire, both the corn that was already carried together, and that which was yet standing, was all burnt, insomuch that the flame consumed also the vineyards and the oliveyards. Then the Philistines said: "Who hath done this thing? And it was answered: "Samson the son-inlaw of the Thamnathite, because he took away his wife, and gave her to another, hath done these things." And the Philistines went up and burnt both the woman and her father. Samson said: "Although you have done these things, yet will I be revenged upon you.' And he smote them with a great slaughter.

§ 54. Samson's ruin and death.

Samson judged the south of Israel in this manner for twenty years, slaughtering with his own hand on various occasions great multitudes of the Philistines. On one occasion he went down to Gaza, a town of the Philistines. It was noised abroad that