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835

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?

840

845

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

D 2

855

860

T' op

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.

870

SAMS. I thought where all thy circling wiles would

In feign'd religion, fmooth hypocrify.

But had thy love, ftill odiously pretended,

[end;

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

880

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,

885

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

890

of

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.

900

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

910

Bear not too sensibly, nor still infift

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

Life yet hath many folaces, enjoy'd

915

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

D 3

920

From

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

925

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

930

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

945

To thine, whofe doors my feet fhall never enter.

950

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

SAMS.

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.

955

E

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:

960

Thy anger, unappeafable, still rages,
Eternal tempeft never to be calm'd.

Why do I humble thus myself, and suing

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 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,

D 4

970

975

980

I fhall

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