Take us the foxes—that spoil the vines— More literally, spoil the vineyards;—for our vineyards, &c. Foxes abound in Judaea, and are observed by a multitude of authors to love grapes, and to make great havoc in vineyards. Galen in his book Of Aliments, tells us, that the hunters in his country did not scruple to eat the flesh of foxes in autumn, when they were grown fat with feeding on grapes. While the vines were just putting forth the tender grape, it would be easy for the foxes to do most mischief, by gnawing the young buds. See the New Translation and Patrick.

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