Then, as fince then, thy country's foe profeft?
Being once a Wife, for me thou waft to leave
Parents and country; nor was I their fubject,

885

Nor under their protection but my own;

Thou mine, not theirs. If aught against my life
Thy country fought of thee, it fought unjustly,
Against the law of nature, law of nations;
No more thy country, but an impious crew
Of men confpiring to uphold their state

890

By worse than hoftile deeds, violating the ends
For which our Country is a name fo dear;

Not therefore to be obey'd. But zeal mov'd thee; 895
To please thy Gods thou didst it; Gods unable
T'acquit themfelves and profecute their Foes
But by ungodly deeds, the contradiction
Of their own Deity: Gods they cannot be;
Lefs therefore to be pleas'd, obey'd or fear'd.
These false pretexts and varnish'd colours failing,
Bare in thy guilt, how foul muft thou appear?

Dal. In argument with Men a Woman ever

900

Goes by the worse, whatever be her cause.

Samf. For want of words no doubt, or lack of breath;

Witnefs when I was worried with thy peals.

906

Dal. I was a fool, too rafh, and quite mistaken

In what I thought would have fucceeded beft.

1

Let me obtain forgivenefs of thee, Samfon,
Afford me place to fhew what recompence
Towards thee I intend for what I have misdone,
Mifguided; only what remains paft cure
Bear not too fenfibly, nor ftill infift

910

T' afflict thyself in vain: tho' fight be loft,

Life yet hath many folaces, enjoy'd

925

Where other fenfes want not their delights,

At home in leisure and domestick ease,

Exempt from many a care and chance, to which

Eye

Eye-fight expofes daily men abroad.

Ito the Lords will intercede, not doubting
Their favourable ear, that I may fetch thee
From forth this loathfome prifon-house, t' abide
With me; where my redoubl'd love and care
With nurfing diligence, to me glad office,
May ever tend about thee to old age,

With all things grateful chear'd, and fo fupply'd,
That what by me thou haft loft thou least shalt mifs.

Samf. No, no, of my condition take no care; It fits not; thou and I long fince are twain; Nor think me fo unwary or accurft

To bring my feet again into the fnare

Where once I have been caught: I know thy trains,
Tho' dearly to my coft, thy ginns, and toils:
Thy fair enchanted cup, and warbling charms

920

925

930

No more on me have pow'r, their force is null'd; 935 So much of Adder's wifdom I have learnt

To fence my ear against thy Sorceries.

If in my flower of youth and ftrength, when all men
Lov'd, honour'd, fear'd me, thou alone could't hate me
Thy Hufband, flight me, fell me, and forego me; 940
How would'st thou ufe me now, blind, and thereby
Deceivable, in most things as a child

Helpless, thence eafily contemn'd, and fcorn'd,
And last neglected? How would'st thou infult,
When I must leave uxorious to thy will
In perfect thraldom, how again betray me,
Bearing my words and doings to the Lords,
To glofs upon, and censuring, frown or fmile?
This Goal I count the Houfe of Liberty

945

To thine, whofe Doors my feet fhall never enter.

'950

Dal. Let me approach at least, and touch thy hand.

Samf. Not for thy life; left fierce remembrance wake My sudden rage to tear thee joint by joint.

At

At diftance I forgive thee, go with that;
Bewail thy falfhood, and the pious works
It hath brought forth to make thee memorable
Among illuftrious Women, faithful Wives:
Cherish thy haften'd widowhood with the gold
Of matrimonial treason: fo farewel.

955

Dal. I fee thou art implacable, more deaf

960

To pray'rs than winds and feas; yet winds to feas

Are reconcil'd at length, and fea to shore:

Thy anger unappeafable, ftill rages,

Eternal Tempest never to be calm'd.

Why do I humble thus my felf, and fuing

965

For Peace, reap nothing but repulfe and hate?

Bid go with evil omen, and the brand
Of infamy upon my name denounc'd ?
To mix with thy concernments I defift
Henceforth, nor too much difapprove my own.
Fame, if not double-fac'd, is double-mouth'd,
And with contrary blaft proclaims most deeds,
On both his wings, one black, the other white,
Bears greatest names in his wild airy flight.
My name perhaps among the circumcis'd

970

975

In Dan, in Judah, and the bordering Tribes,
To all pofterity may ftand defam'd,

With malediction mention'd, and the blot

Of falfhood moft unconjugal traduc'd:
But in my country where I most defire,
In Ecron, Gaza, Afdod, and in Gath
I fhall be nam'd among the famousest
Of Women, fung at folemn feftivals,
Living and dead recorded, who to fave

980

Her country from a fierce destroyer, chofe

985

Above the faith of wedlock-bancs; my tomb

With odours vifited and annual flow'rs;

Not lefs renown'd than in Mount Ephraim,
Jael, who with inhofpitable guile

Smote Sifera fleeping through the Temples nail'd.

990 Nor

Nor fhall I count it heinous to enjoy
The publick marks of honour and reward

Conferr'd upon me, for the piety

Which to my country I was judged t'have fhewn.
At this whoever envies or repines,

I leave him to his lot, and like my own.

Chor. She's gone, a manifest Serpent by her fting Difcover'd in the end, till now conceal'd.

Samf. So let her go; God fent her to debase me,
And aggravate my folly, who committed
To fuch a viper his moft facred trust
Of fecrecy, my fafety and my life.

995

ICOO

Chor. Yet beauty, though injurious, hath strange pow'r, After offence returning, to regain

Love once poffeft; nor can be eafily

Repulft, without much inward paffion felt,

And fecret fting of amorous remorse.

Samf. Love-quarrels oft in pleafing concord end, Not wedlock-treachery endang'ring life.

Chor. It is not virtue, wisdom, valor, wit, Strength, comeliness of fhape, or ampleft merit, That Woman's love can win or long inherit; But what it is, hard is to fay,

Harder to hit,

(Which way foever Men refer it)

Much like thy riddle, Samfon, in one day
Or feven, though one fhould mufing fit:

If any of these or all, the Timnian Bride
Had not fo foon prefer'd

Thy Paranymph, worthless to thee compar'd,
Succeffor in thy Bed,

Nor both fo loofly difallay'd

1005

1010

1015

1020

I 2

Their

Their Nuptials, nor this laft fo treacherously
Had fhorn the fatal Harvest of thy Head.
Is it for that fuch outward ornament

1025

Was lavish'd on their Sex, that inward gifts

Were left for hafte unfinish'd, judgment fcant,
Capacity not rais'd to apprehend,

Or value what is best

In choice, but ofteft to affect the wrong?

1030

Or was too much of felf-love mixt,

Of conftancy no root infix'd,

That either they love nothing or not long?

Whate'er it be, to wifeft Men and beft

Seeming at first all heav'nly under virgin Veil,
Soft, modeft, meek, demure;

1035

Once join'd, the contrary the proves, a Thorn
Inteftine, war within defenfive arms,

A cleaving mischief, in his way to virtue

Adverfe and turbulent; or by her charms
Draws him awry, enflav'd

1040

With dotage, and his fenfe dèprav'd

To folly and shameful deeds which tuin ends.

What Pilot fo expert but needs must wreck,

Embark'd with fuch a Steers-mate at the Helm? 1045

Favour'd of Heav'n, who finds

One virtuous rarely found,

That in domeftick good combines:

Happy that houfe! his way to peace is smooth:
But virtue, which breaks through all oppofition, 1050
And all temptation can remove,

Moft fhines, and moft is acceptable above.

Therefore God's univerfal Law

Gave to the Man defpotick power
Over his Female in due awe,

1055

Not from that right to part an hour,
Smile fhe or lower:

So