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 remiffion. But love constrain'd thee; call it furious rage To fatisfy thy luft: love feeks to' have love; My love how could'ft thou hope, who took'ft the way To raise in me inexpiable hate,
Knowing, as needs I must, by thee betray'd?
In vain thou ftriv'ft to cover fhame with shame, 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, Hear what affaults I had, what fnares befides, What fieges girt me round, ere I consented; Which might have aw'd the best-resolv'd of men, The conftantest, 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, Solicited, commanded, threaten'd, urg'd, Adjur'd by all the bonds of civil duty And of religion, press'd how just it was, How honorable, how glorious to intrap A common enemy, who had deftroy'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'oppose against such pow'rful arguments?
Only my love of thee held long debate, And combated in filence all these reafons With hard conteft: at length that grounded maxim So rife and celebrated in the mouths
Of wifeft men, that to the public good
Private refpects muft yield, with grave authority Took full poffeffion of me and prevail'd;
Virtue, as I thought, truth, duty fo injoining.
SAMS. I thought where all thy circling wiles would
In feign'd religion, fmooth hypocrify.
But had thy love, ftill odiously pretended,
Been, as it ought, fincere, it would have taught thee Far other reasonings, brought forth other deeds. 875 I before all the daughters of my tribe
And of my nation chose thee from among
My enemies, lov'd thee, as too well thou knew'ft, 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 firft receive me for thy husband, Then, as fince then, thy country's foe profess'd? Being once a wife, for me thou waft to leave Parents and country; nor was I their subject, Nor under their protection but my own,
Thou mine, not theirs: if ought 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
By worse than hostile 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 themselves and profecute their foes But by ungodly deeds, the contradiction Of their own deity, Gods cannot be; Lefs therefore to be pleas'd, obey'd, or fear'd. These false pretexts and varnish'd colors failing, Bare in thy guilt how foul must thou appear? DAL. In argument with men a woman ever Goes by the worse, whatever be her cause.
SAMS. For want of words no doubt, or lack of breath; Witness when I was worried with thy peals.
DAL. I was a fool, too rash, and quite mistaken In what I thought would have fucceeded beft. Let me obtain forgiveness of thee, Samfon, Afford me place to fhow what recompenfe Tow'ards thee I intend for what I have misdone, Mifguided; only what remains paft cure
Bear not too sensibly, nor still infift
T' afflict thyself in vain: though fight be loft,
Life yet hath many folaces, enjoy'd
Where other fenfes want not their delights
At home in leisure and domestic ease,
Exempt from many a care and chance to which Eye-fight exposes daily men abroad.
I to the Lords will intercede, not doubting Their favorable ear, that I may fetch thee
From forth this loathsome prifon-house, to abide With me, where my redoubled love and care With nursing 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 miss. SAMS. No, no, of my condition take no care;
It fits not; thou and I long fince are twain: Nor think me fo unwary or accurs'd,
To bring my feet again into the fnare
Where once I have been caught; I know thy trains Though dearly to my coft, thy gins, and toils; Thy fair inchanted cup, and warbling charms No more on me have power, their force is null'd, 935 So much of adder's wifdom I have learn'd
To fence my ear against thy forceries.
If in my flower of youth and strength, when all men Lov'd, honor'd, fear'd me, thou alone could'st hate me Thy husband, flight me, fell me, and forego me; 940 How wouldst thou use me now, blind, and thereby Deceivable, in most things as a child
Helpless, thence eafily contemn'd, and fcorn'd, And last neglected? How wouldst thou insult, When I muft live uxorious to thy will In perfect thraldom, how again betray me, Bearing my words and doings to the lords To glofs upon, and cenfuring, frown or smile? This jail I count the house of liberty
To thine, whofe doors my feet fhall never enter.
DAL. Let me approach at least, and touch thy hand.
SAMS. Not for thy life, left fierce remembrance wake My fudden rage to tear thee joint by joint.
At diftance I forgive thee, go with that; Bewail thy falfhood, and the pious works It hath brought forth to make thee memorable Among illustrious women, faithful wives : Cherish thy haften'd widowhood with the gold Of matrimonial treafon : fo farewel.
DAL. I fee thou art implacable, more deaf To prayers, than winds and feas, yet winds to feas Are reconcil'd at length, and fea to fhore:
Thy anger, unappeafable, still rages, Eternal tempeft never to be calm'd.
Why do I humble thus myself, and suing
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 blast proclames most deeds; On both his wings, one black, the other white, Bears greatest names in his wild aery flight. My name perhaps among the circumcis'd
1 In Dan, in Judah, and the bordering tribes, To all posterity may stand defam'd, With malediction mention'd, and the blot Of falfhood most unconjugal traduc'd. But in my country where I most defire, In Ecron, Gaza, Afdod, and in Gath,
« AnteriorContinuar » |