In ancient and in modern books inroll'd,
Extolling patience as the trueft fortitude:
And to the bearing well of all calamities,
All chances incident to man's frail life,
Confolotaries writ

655

With study'd argument, and much perfuafion fought. Lenient of grief and anxious thought:

But with th' afflicted in his pangs their found

Little prevails, or rather seems a tune

Harfh, and of diffonant mood from his complaint;
Unless he feel within

Some fource of confolation from above,

Secret refreshings, that repair his ftrength,

And fainting fpirits uphold.

God of our fathers, what is man!

That thou tow'ards him with hand fo various,

Or might I fay contrarious,

660

6651

Temper ft thy providence through his fhort courfe, 670

Not ev'nly, as thou rul'st

Th' angelic orders and inferior creatures mute,

Irrational and brute.

Nor do I name of men the common rout,

That wandering loose about

Grow up and perish, as the summer flie,
Heads without name no more remember'd,
But fuch as thou haft folemnly elected,

With gifts and graces eminently adorn'd
To fome great work, thy glory,

And people's fafety, which in part they' effect:
Yet toward these thus dignify'd, thou oft

675

680

Amidft their highth of noon

Changest thy count'nance, and thy hand with no regard

Of highest favors paft

From thee on them, or them to thee of service.

Nor only doft degrade them, or remit

To life obfcur'd, which were a fair dismission,

685

But throw'ft them lower than thou didst exalt them high, Unfeemly falls in human eye,

Too grievous for the trespass or omiffion;

Oft leav'ft them to the hoftile fword
Of Heathen and profane, their carcafes

To dogs and fowls a prey, or else captiv'd;

690

Or to th' unjust tribunals, under change of times, 695 And condemnation of th' ingrateful multitude.

If these they scape, perhaps in poverty

With ficknefs and disease thou bow'ft them down,
Painful difeafes and deform'd,

In crude old-age;

Though not difordinate, yet causeless suffering
The punishment of dissolute days: in fine,
Juft or unjuft alike seem miserable,

For oft alike both come to evil end.

700

So deal not with this once thy glorious champion, The image of thy ftrength, and mighty minister. What do I beg? how haft thou dealt already? Behold him in this ftate calamitous, and turn His labors, for thou canft, to peaceful end. But who is this, what thing of sea or land?

Female of fex it seems,

That fo bedeck'd, ornate, and gay,

716

Comes

Comes this way failing

Like a stately ship

Of Tarfus, bound for th' iles

775

Of Javan or Gadire

With all her bravery on, and tackle trim,

Sails fill'd, and ftreamers waving,

Courted by all the winds that hold them play,
An amber fent of odorous perfume

720

Her-harbinger, a damsel train behind;
Some rich Philiftian matron fhe may feem,
And now at nearer view, no other certain
Than Dalila thy wife.

[near ine.

SAMS. My Wife, my Traitress, let her not come CHO. Yet on the moves, now ftands, and eyes thee

fix'd,

About t' have spoke, but now, with head declin'd
Like a fair flower furcharg'd with dew, fhe weeps,
And words addrefs'd feem into tears diffolv'd,
Wetting the borders of her filken veil:

But now again she makes address to speak.

739

DAL. With doubtful feet and wavering refolution

I came, still dreading thy displeasure, Samson,
Which to have merited, without excufe,

I cannot but acknowledge; yet if tears

735.

May expiate (though the fact more evil drew
In the perverse event than I forefaw)

My penance hath not flacken'd, though my pardon
No way affur'd. But conjugal affection,
Prevailing over fear and timorous doubt,

Hath led me on defirous to behold

740

Once

Once more thy face, and know of thy estate,
If ought in my ability may serve

To lighten what thou fuffer'st, and appease
Thy mind with what amends is in my power,
Though late, yet in some part to recompenfe
My rafh but more unfortunate misdeed.

745

SAMS. Out, out, Hyæna; these are thy wonted arts, And arts of every woman false like thee,

750

To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray,
Then as repentant to fubmit, befeech,
And reconcilement move with feign'd remorse,
Confefs, and promife wonders in her change,
Not truly penitent, but chief to try

Her husband, how far urg'd his patience bears,
His virtue or weakness which way to affail:
Then with more cautious and inftructed fkill
Again tranfgreffes, and again fubmits;
That wifeft and beft men full oft beguil'd
With goodness principled not to reject

755

760

The penitent, but ever to forgive,

Are drawn to wear out miferable days,
Intangled with a pois'nous bosom snake,
If not by quick deftruction foon cut off

As I by thee, to ages an example.

765

DAL. Yet hear me, Samfon; not that I endevor

To leffen or extenuate my offenfe,

But that on th' other fide if it be weigh'd

By' itself, with aggravations not furcharg'd,
Or elfe with just allowance counterpois'd,
I may, if poffible, thy pardon find

770

The

The easier towards me, or thy hatred lefs.
First granting, as I do, it was a weakness
In me, but incident to all our fex,
Curiofity, inquisitive, importune
Of fecrets, then with like infirmity

To publish them, both common female faults:
Was it not weakness alfo to make known

For importunity, that is for nought,

Wherein confifted all thy ftrength and fafety?
To what I did thou show'dft me first the way.
But 1 to enemies reveal'd, and fhould not :

775

780

Nor fhould't thou have trusted that to woman's frailty: Ere I to thee, thou to thyself waft cruel.

Let weakness then with weakness come to parle 785
So near related, or the fame of kind,

Thine forgive mine; that men may cenfure thine
The gentler, if feverely thou exact not

More ftrength from me, than in thyfelf was found.
And what if love, which thou interpret'ft hate,
The jealoufy of love, pow'rful of fway

790

In human hearts, nor less in mine tow'rds thee,
Caus'd what I did? I faw thee mutable

Of fancy, fear'd left one day thou would'st leave me
As her at Timna, fought by all means therefore
How to indear, and hold thee to me firmeft;
No better way I faw than by impórtuning
To learn thy fecrets, get into my power
The key of ftrength and safety: thou wilt fay,
Why then reveal'd? I was affur'd by those
Who tempted me, that nothing was defign'd

795

800

Against