There exercise all his fierce accidents, And on her purest spirits prey, As on entrails, joints, and limbs, With answerable pains, but more intense, Though void of corporal sense. My griefs not only pain me As a lingering disease, But, finding no redress, ferment and rage; Nor less than wounds immedicable Rankle, and fester, and gangrene, To black mortification. Thoughts, my tormentors, arm'd with deadly stings Mangle my apprehensive tenderest parts, Exasperate, exulcerate, and raise Dire inflammation, which no cooling herb 615 620 I was his nursling once, and choice delight, Against the uncircumcis'd, our enemies: 640 Whom I by his appointment had provok'd, Of sight, reserv'd alive to be repeated 645 Nor am I in the list of them that hope; This one prayer yet remains, might I be heard, The close of all my miseries, and the balm. 650 Chor. Many are the sayings of the wise, In ancient and in modern books enroll'd, Extolling patience as the truest fortitude; And to the bearing well of all calamities, All chances incident to man's frail life, Consolatories writ 655 With studied argument, and much persuasion sought Lenient of grief and anxious thought: But with th' afflicted in his pangs their sound Irrational and brute. Nor do I name of men the common rout, That wandring loose about Grow up and perish, as the summer fly, 675 Heads without name no more remember'd, But such as thou hast solemnly elected, And people's safety, which in part they effect; Changest thy countenance, and thy hand with no regard Of highest favours past From thee on them, or them to thee of service. Nor only dost degrade them, or remit To life obscur'd, which were a a fair dismission, But throw'st them lower than thou didst exalt them high; Unseemly falls in human eye, Too grievous for the trespass or omission; 680 685 690 Oft leav'st them to the hostile sword Of heathen and prophane, their carcasses To dogs and fowls a prey, or else captiv'd; Or to th' unjust tribunals, under change of times, 695 If these they 'scape, perhaps in poverty With sickness and disease thou bow'st them down, In crude old age; Though not disordinate, yet causeless suff'ring 700 The punishment of dissolute days: in fine, For oft alike, both come to evil end. So deal not with this once thy glorious champion 705 The image of thy strength and mighty minister. But who is this what thing of sea or land? With all her bravery on, and tackle trim, Sails fill'd, and streamers waving. Courted by all the winds that hold them play, Her harbinger, a damsel train behind; 720 Some rich Philistian matron she may seem; Sams. My wife, my trait'ress : let her not come near me. Chor. Yet on she moves, now stands and eyes thee fix'd, About t' have spoke; but now, with head declin'd, 726 Like a fair flow'r surcharg'd with dew, she weeps, Wetting the borders of her silken veil : But now again she makes address to speak. [Enter] DALILA. Dal. With doubtful feet and wavering resolution I cannot but acknowledge; yet, if tears My penance hath not slacken'd, though my pardon No 730 735 Prevailing over fear, and timorous doubt, To lighten what thou suffer'st and appease 740 745 My rash, but more unfortunate, misdeed, Sams. Out, out Hyæna! these are thy wonted arts, And arts of every woman false like thee, To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray, Then as repentant to submit, beseech, 750 And reconcilement move with feign'd remorse, Her husband, how far urg'd his patience bears, 755 The penitent, but ever to forgive, 760 If not by quick destruction soon cut off, Dal. Yet hear me Sampson; not that I endeavour 766 To lessen or extenuate my offence, But that on th' other side if it be weigh'd By' itself, with aggravations not surcharg'd, I may, if possible, thy pardon find 770 The easier to'wards me, or thy hatred less. |