t-flesh._ In _Leviticus_, Chapter xi, are given the laws
concerning "what beasts may and what may not be eaten." See verse 22 for
the rule about locusts. Cf. _Matthew_ iii, 4 for the food of John the
Baptist.

102. _The cherubim chariot._ The first chapter of _Ezekiel_ seems to be
the source of this picture.

105. _Have ye seen_, etc. The simile in lines 104-115 could have been
written only by one familiar with mountain regions. Browning knew the
Alps and Apennines. Did David at any time live in a mountainous country?

124. _Slow pallid sunsets._ Note the character of the similitudes so far
used in describing Saul. In his agony he is like the king-serpent. His
rage is like the earthquake that may tear open the rock but at the same
time sets the gold free. His final release from the evil spirit is
described by the sudden fall of the avalanche from the mountain summit.
The look in his eyes as he comes back to life, yet seeing nothing in
life to desire, is compared to pale autumn sunsets seen over the ocean,
or to slow sunsets seen over a desolate hill country. All the figures
contribute to our impression of Saul's power and majesty.

141. _Since my days_, etc. Compare this passage with _Pippa Passes_,
Prologue, 104-113.

172. _Carouse in the past._ This line marks a change in the direction of
David's thought. Up to stanza X it was the glorious past that he had
been urging upon Saul's attention. But now he realizes that true
inspiration comes not so much from a re-living of one's achievements, as
from the thought of the permanence of one's fame and one's deeds.

192. _And behold while I sang._ At this point David is overcome by the
memory of the sudden spiritual illumination that came to him in his
interview with Saul. He had reached the summit of his endeavor (l. 191)
and yet knew himself powerless to give the King new life. Then there
flashed upon him the truth expressed in stanzas XVII-XIX. He breaks off
in lines 192-205, going, in his strong feeling, ahead of his story and
commenting on what is described in stanza XIX. In stanza XV he resumes
his narrative.

204. _Hebron._ David watches the slow coming of the dawn over the hill
on which is situated the town of Hebron.

205. _Kidron._ A brook near Jerusalem. It is fed by springs, and the
amount of water in it is sensibly decreased by the extreme heat of the
day.

214. _Ere error had bent._ In _I Samuel_, Chapter xv, is an account of
Saul's disobedience and pu