Lo Sampson, which that was annunciat 3205
By thangel, longe er his nativitee,
And was to god almighty consecrat,
And stood in noblesse, whyl he mighte see.
Was never swich another as was he,
To speke of strengthe, and therwith hardinesse; 3210
But to his wyves tolde he his secree, (31)
Through which he slow him-self, for wrecchednesse.
3206. Hl. Cp. thangel; Hn. Pt. Ln. the aungel; E. Cm. angel.
Sampson, this noble almighty champioun,
Withouten wepen save his hondes tweye,
He slow and al to-rente the leoun, 3215
Toward his wedding walking by the weye.
His false wyf coude him so plese and preye
Til she his conseil knew, and she untrewe
Un-to his foos his conseil gan biwreye,
And him forsook, and took another newe. 3220
Three hundred foxes took Sampson for ire, (41)
And alle hir tayles he togider bond,
And sette the foxes tayles alle on fire,
For he on every tayl had knit a brond;
And they brende alle the cornes in that lond, 3225
And alle hir oliveres and vynes eek.
A thousand men he slow eek with his hond,
And had no wepen but an asses cheek.
Whan they were slayn, so thursted him that he
Was wel my lorn, for which he gan to preye 3230
That god wolde on his peyne han som pitee, (51)
And sende him drinke, or elles moste he deye;
[246: T. 14049-14080.]
And of this asses cheke, that was dreye,
Out of a wang-tooth sprang anon a welle,
Of which he drank y-nogh, shortly to seye, 3235
Thus heelp him god, as _Iudicum_ can telle.
3235. E. anon; _rest_ ynogh, ynough, ynouhe, &c.
By verray force, at Gazan, on a night,
Maugree Philistiens of that citee,
The gates of the toun he hath up-plight,
And on his bak y-caried hem hath he 3240
Hye on an hille, that men mighte hem see. (61)
O noble almighty Sampson, leef and dere,
Had thou nat told to wommen thy secree,
In al this worlde ne hadde been thy pere!
This Sampson never sicer drank ne wyn, 3245
Ne on his heed cam rasour noon ne shere,
By precept of the messager divyn,
For alle his strengthes in his heres were;
And fully twenty winter, yeer by yere,
He hadde of Israel the governaunce. 3250
But sone shal he wepen many a tere, (71)
For wommen shal him bringen to meschaunce!
3245. E. Hn. ciser (_for_ sicer); Hl. siser; Cm. Pt. Ln. sythir; Cp.
cyder.
Un-to his lemman Dalida he tolde
That in his heres al his strengthe lay,
And falsly to his fo-men she him solde. 3255
And sleping in hir barme up-on a day
She made to clippe or shere his heer awey,
And made his fo-men al his craft espyen;
And whan that they him fonde in this array,
They bounde him faste, and putten out his yën. 3260
3257. E. Hl. heres; _rest_ heer, here. 3258. E. Hn. this craft;
_rest_ his craft.
But er his heer were clipped or y-shave, (81)
Ther was no bond with which men might him binde;
But now is he in prisoun in a cave,
Wher-as they made him at the querne grinde.
[247: T. 14081-14112.]
O noble Sampson, strongest of mankinde, 3265
O whylom Iuge in glorie and in richesse,
Now maystow wepen with thyn yën blinde,
Sith thou fro wele art falle in wrecchednesse.
3261. E. were; _rest_ was; _see l._ 3328.
Thende of this caytif was as I shal seye;
His fo-men made a feste upon a day, 3270
And made him as hir fool bifore hem pleye, (91)
And this was in a temple of greet array.
But atte laste he made a foul affray;
For he two pilers shook, and made hem falle,
And doun fil temple and al, and ther it lay, 3275
And slow him-self, and eek his fo-men alle.
3271. E. Cm. a; _rest_ hire, here. 3274. E. the; _rest_ two.
This is to seyn, the princes everichoon,
And eek three thousand bodies wer ther slayn
With falling of the grete temple of stoon.
Of Sampson now wol I na-more seyn. 3280
Beth war by this ensample old and playn (101)
That no men telle hir conseil til hir wyves
Of swich thing as they wolde han secree fayn,
If that it touche hir limmes or hir lyves.