Samson and the Omissa

“Samson Hath Quit Himself / Like Samson”1

“…The spontaneous reaction to this extensive omission is to attribute it to the printer’s incompetence or to Milton’s second thoughts. Dobranski wisely adopts the latter view. The suggestion offered here is that the Omissa forms a confessional capsule testifying not to what Milton wanted to insert but to what he was unable to erase.…”

“…12 12 Dobranski examines ten modern editions, nine of which perform the integration silently (153). Carey and Fowler can be added to the solitary exception. …”