And arts of every woman false like thee,
To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray, 750
Then as repentant to fubmit, befeech,
And reconcilement move with feign'd remorse,
Confefs, and promise wonders in her change,
Not truly penitent, but chief to try
Her husband, how far urg'd his patience bears, 755
His virtue or weakness which way to affail:
Then with more cautious and inftructed skill
Again tranfgreffes, and again fubmits;
That wifeft and beft men full oft beguil'd,'
With goodness principled not to reject
The penitent, but ever to forgive,
Are drawn to wear out miserable days,
Intangled with a pois'nous bofom snake,
If not by quick deftruction foon cut off
As I by thee, to ages an example.
Dal. Yet hear me, Samfon; not that I endevor
To leffen or extenuate my offense,
But that on th' other fide if it be weigh'd
By' itself, with aggravations not furcharg'd,
Or else with juft allowance counterpois'd,
I may, if possible, thy pardon find
The easier towards me, or thy hatred less.
First granting, as I do, it was a weakness
In me, but incident to all our sex,
Curiosity, inquifitive, 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 safety? 780
To what I did thou fhowd'ft me first the way.
But I to enemies reveal'd, and should not:
Nor fhould't thou have trufted that to woman's
Ere I to thee, thou to thyfelf waft cruel. (frailty:
Let weakness then with weakness come to parle
So near related, or the fame of kind, 786
Thine forgive mine; that men may cenfure thine
The gentler, if severely thou exact not
More ftrength from me, than in thyfelf was found.
And what if love, which thou interpret'st hate,
The jealousy of love, pow'rful of fway
In human hearts, nor lefs in mine tow'ards 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: 796
No better way I faw than by importuning
To learn thy fecrets, get into my power
Thy 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
Against thee but safe custody, and hold:
That made for me; I knew that liberty
Would draw thee forth to perilous enterprises,
While I at home fat full of cares and fears,
Wailing thy absence in my widow'd bed;
Here I should still enjoy thee day and night
Mine and love's prisoner, not the Philiflines,
Whole to myself, unhazarded abroad,
Fearless at home of partners in my love.
These reasons in love's law have paft for good,
Though fond and reasonless to some perhaps;
And love hath oft, well meaning, wrought much woe,
Yet always pity' or pardon hath obtain'd.
Be not unlike all others, not austere
As thou art ftrong, inflexible as steel.
If thou in ftrength all mortals dost exceed,
In uncompaffionate anger do not so.
Samf. How cunningly the forceress displays Her own tranfgreffions, to upbraid me mine? 820 That malice not repentance brought thee hither, By this appears: I gave, thou fay'ft, th' example, I led the way; bitter reproach, but true;
I to myself was false ere thou to me;
Such pardon therefore as I give my folly,
Take to thy wicked deed; which when thou feest Impartial, felf-fevere, inexorable,
Thou wilt renounce thy feeking, and much rather
Confess it feign'd: weakness is thy excuse,
And I believe it, weakness to refift
Philistian gold: if weakness may excuse,
What murderer, what traitor, parricide,
Incestuous, facrilegious, but may plead it?
All wickedness is weakness: that plea therefore
With God or Man will gain thee no remission. 835
But love constrain'd thee; call it furious rage
To fatisfy thy luft: love feeks to' have love;
My love how could'st thou hope, who took'st the way
To raise in me inexpiable hate,
Knowing, as needs I must, by thee betray'd? 840
In vain thou ftriv'ft to cover fhame with fhame,
Or by evasions thy crime uncover'st more.
Dal. Since thou determin'st weakness for no plea In man or woman, though to thy own condemning, Here what affaults I had, what fnares befides, 845 What fieges girt me round, ere I consented ; Which might have aw'd the best resolv'd of men, The conftanteft, to have yielded without blame. It was not gold, as to my charge thou lay'st, That wrought with me: thou know'ft the magiftrates And princes of my country came in perfon, 851 Solicited, commanded, threaten'd, urg'd, Adjur'd by all the bonds of civil duty And of religion, prefs'd how juft it was, How honorable, how glorious to intrap A common enemy, who had destroy'd Such numbers of our nation: and the priest Was not behind, but ever at my ear, Preaching how meritorious with the Gods It would be to infnare an irreligious
Dishonorer of Dagon: what had I
T'oppofe against fuch pow'rful arguments?
Only my love of thee held long debate,
And combated in filence all these reasons
With hard conteft: at length that grounded maxim
So rife and celebrated in the mouths
Of wisest men, that to the public good
Private refpects must yield, with grave authority Took full poffeffion of me and prevail'd;
Virtue, as I thought, truth, duty fo injoining. 870 Samf. I thought where all thy circling wiles would In feign'd religion, fmooth hypocrify.
But had thy love, fill odiously pretended,
Been, as it ought, fincere, it would have taught thee
Far other reasonings, brought forth other deeds.
I before all the daughters of my tribe
And of my nation chofe thee from among
My enemies, lov'd thee, as too well thou knew'st,
Too well, unbofom'd all my fecrets to thee,
Not out of levity, but over-power'd
By thy request, who could deny thee nothing;
Yet now am judg'd an enemy. Why then
Didft thou at first receive me for thy husband,
Then, as since then, thy country's foe profefs'd?
Being once a wife, for me thou waft to leave 885
Parents and country; nor was I their fubject,
Nor under their protection but my own,
Thou mine, not theirs: if ought against my life
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