142 BATTLES OF THE BIBLE.

his early feats. The first remarkable action of which
we are told was performed by him when on his way to
Timnath with his father and mother. Timnath was 4
town in the tribe of Judah, but it was inhabited, in part
at least, by Philistines, to whom, at this time, the
Israelites were tributary. Samson had seen a Philistine
woman in Timnath whom he wished to marry. His
father and mother were by no means pleased with the
match, but to gratify him they agreed to it, and accom-
panied him to the place where she lived to make arrange-
ments about it. On the way Manoah and his wife kept
the high way, while Samson sauntered through the
vineyards. A fierce young lion, roaring for his prey,
fixed his eye on Samson. The young Danite seized the
monarch of the woods, and strangled him as easily as if
he had been a kid, without either knife or stick in his
hand. Of this great feat Samson did not boast in the
least ; he did not even tell his father and his mother of it.
We ought to learn modesty from his example. Some
time after that Samson, with his father and mother, were
again on their way to Timnath. His marriage was to take
place at this time. Curiosity led him into the vineyards,
to see if anything remained of the lion that he had killed.
The skeleton was there, and of it a swarm of bees had
made a hive, which they had filled with honey. Samson
took some honey out with his hands, no more afraid of
the bees than he had been of the lion; he ate of the
honey himself, and gave to his father and mother. It
was customary at the marriages of the Jews to have a