touch the dead But if the God of Nazarites bids kill He may and be a holy Nazarite still But stay Is God like Man Or can he border Vpon confusion that 's the God of order The Persian Lawes no time may contradict And are the Lawes of God lesse firme and strict An earthly Parent wills his child to stand And waite within a while he gives command Finding the weakenesse of his Sonne opprest With wearinesse that he sit downe and rest Is God unconstant then because he pleases To alter what he wild us for our eases Know likewise O ungratefull flesh and blood God limits his owne glory for our good He is the God of mercy and he prizes Thine Asses life above his Sacrifices His Sabbath is his glory and thy rest Hee 'l lose some honour ere thou lose a Beast Great God of mercy O how apt are wee To robbe thee of thy due that art so free To give unaskt Teach me O God to know What portion I deserve and tremble too SECT 14. ARGVMENT Samson comes downe to reenjoy His wife Her father does withstand For which he threatens to destroy And ruine him and all the land BVt Samson yet not knowing what was past For wronged husbands ever are the last That heare the newes thus with himselfe bethought It cannot be excus'd It was a fault It was a foule one too and at first sight Too greate for love or pardon to acquite O had it bin a stranger that betraid Reposed secrets I had onely laid The blame upon my unadvised tongue Or had a common friend but done this wrong To bosome trust my patience might out-worne it I could endur'd I could have easily borne it But thus to be betraied by a wife The partner of my heart to whom my life My very soule was not esteemed deare Is more then flesh is more then blood can beare But yet alas She was but greene and young And had not gain'd the conquest of her tongue Vnseasond vessells oft will finde a leake At first but after hold She is but weake Nay cannot yet write woman which at best Is a fraile thing Alas young things will quest At every turne Indeed to say the truth Her yeares could make it but a fault of youth Samson returne and let that fault be set Vpon the score of youth forgive forget She is my wife Her love hath power to hide A fouler error Why should I divide My presence from her There 's no greater wrong To love then to be silent over long Alas poore soule No doubt her tender eye Hath wept enough perchance she knows not why I 'me turn'd so great a stranger to her bed And boord No doubt her empty eyes have shed A world of teares perchance her guiltlesse thought Conceives my absence as a greater fault Then that of late her harmelesse Error did I 'l goe and draw a reconciling Kid From the faire flocke My feet shall never rest Till I repose me in my Brides faire brest He went but ere his speedy lips obtain'd The merits of his hast darknesse had stain'd The cristall brow of day and gloomy night Had spoild and rifled heaven of all his light H'approach'd the gates but being entred in His carelesse welcome seem'd so cold and thin As if that silence meant it should appeare He was no other then a stranger there In every servants looke hee did espie An easie Copie of their Masters eye He call'd his wife but she was gone to rest Vnto her wonted chamber he addrest His doubtfull steps till by her father staid Who taking him aside a little said Son It was the late espousals that doe move My tongue to use that title not thy love T is true there was a Mariage lately past Betweene my Childe and you The knot was fast And firmly tyed not subject to the force Of any powre but death or else divorce For ought I saw a mutuall desire Kindled your likings and an equall fire Of strong affection joyned both your hands With the perpetuall knot of nuptiall bands Mutuall delight and equall loyes attended Your pleased hearts untill the feast was ended But then I know no ground you know it best As if your loves were measur'd by the Feast The building fell before the house did shake Loves fire was quencht ere it began to slake All on a sudden were your joyes disseis'd Forsooke your Bride and went away displeas'd You left my childe to the opprobrious tongues Of open censure whose mabitious wrongs Maligning her faire merits did defame Her wounded honour and unblemisht name I thought thy love which was so strong of late He thus began t' attempt his first conclusion The patient Angler first provides his baite Before his hopes can teach him to awaite Th' enjoyment of his long expected prey Revengefull Samson ere hee can appay His wrongs with timely vengeance must intend To gaine the Instruments to worke his end He plants his Engines hides his snares about Pitches his Toiles findes new devices out To tangle wilie Foxes In few dayes That land had store his studious hand betrayes A leash of hundreds which he thus imployes As Agents in his ragefull enterprize With tough and force-enduring thongs of Lether He joynes and couples taile and taile together And every thonge bound in a Brand of Fire So made by Art that motion would inspire Continuall flames and as the motion ceast The thrifty blaze would then retire and rest In the close Brand untill a second strife Gave it new motion and that motion life Soone as these coupled Messengers receiv'd Their siery Errand though they were bereiv'd Of power to make great hast they made good speed Their thoughts were diffring though their tailes agreed T'one drags and drawes to th' East the other West One fit they run another while they rest T' one skulks and snarles the t' other tugges and hales At length both flee with fier in their tailes And in the top and height of all their speed T'one stops before the tother be agreed The other pulls and drags his fellow backe Whilst both their tailes were tortur'd on the racke At last both weary of their warme Embassage Their better ease discride a fairer passage And time hath taught their wiser thoughts to joyne More close and travell in a straighter line Into the open Champion they divide Their straggling paces where the ploughmans pride Found a faire Object in his rip'ned Corne Whereof some part was reapt some stood unshorne Sometimes the fiery travellers would seeke Protection beneath a swelling Reeke But soone that harbour grew too hot for staie Affording onely light to run away Sometimes the full-ear'd standing-wheat must cover And hide their shames there the flames would hover About their eares and send them to enquire A cooler place but there the flaming fire Would scorch their hides and send them sing'd away Thus doubtfull where to goe or where to stay They range about Flee forward then retire Now here now
is the ruine than And misery of sin-beguiled Man On what foundation shall his hopes relie See we thy face or see it not we dye O let thy word great God instruct the youth And frailty of our faith Thy word is truth And what our eyes want power to perceive O let our hearts admier and beleeve Which entertain'd my pleased thoughts appear'd A sairer object which hath so endear'd My very soule with sadnesse so distrest That this poore heart can finde no ease no rest It was a Virgin in whose Heavenly face Vnpattern'd Beauty and diviner Grace Were so conjoyn'd as if they both conspir'd To make one Angell when these eyes enquir'd Into the exc'lence of her rare perfection They could not choose but like and my affection Is so inslamed with desire that I Am now become close prisoner to her eye Now if my sad Petition may but finde A faire successe to ease my tortur'd minde And if your tender hearts be pleas'd to prove As prone to pitty mine as mine to love Let me with joy exchange my single life And be the husband of so faire a wife Whereto th' amazed parents in whose eye Distast and wonder percht made this reply What strange desire what unadvis'd request Hath broken loose from thy distracted brest What! are the daughters of thy brethren growne So poore in Worth and Beauty Is there none To please that over-curious eye of thine But th' issue of a cursed Philistine Can thy miswandring eyes choose none but her That is the child of an Idolater Correct thy thoughts and let thy soule rejoyce In lawfull beauty Make a wiser choice How well this counsell pleas'd the tired eares Of love-sicke Samson O let him that beares A crost affection judge Let him discover The woefull case of this afflicted lover What easie pensell cannot represent His very lookes How his sterne Browes were bent His drooping head his very port and guise His bloodlesse cheekes and deadnesse of his eyes Till at the length his moving tongue betrai'd His sullen lips to language thus and said Sir Th' extreame affection of my heart does leade My tongue that 's quickned with my love to pleade What if her parents be not circumcis'd Her issue shall and she perchance advis'd To worship Israells God and to forget Her fathers house Alas she is as yet But young her downy yeares are greene and tender Shee 's but a twigge and time may easly bend her T' embrace the truth Our counsells may controule Her sinfull breeding and so save a soule Nay who can tell but Heaven did recommend Her beauty to these eyes for such an end O loose not that which Heaven is pleas'd to save Let Samson then obtaine as well as crave You gave me being then prolong my life And make me husband to so faire a wife With that the parents joyn'd their whispering heads Samson observes and in their parly reads Some Characters of hope The mother smiles The father frownes which Samson reconciles With hopefull feares She smiles and crownes His hopes which He deposes with his frownes The whispring ended jointly they displaid A halfe resolved countenance and said Samson suspend thy troubled minde a while Let not thy over charged thoughts recoile Take heed of Shipwracke Rockes are neere the Shore Wee 'l see the Virgin and resolve thee more MEDITAT 7. LOve is a noble passion of the heart That with it very essence doth impart All needfull Circumstances and effects Vnto the chosen party it affects In absence it enjoies and with an eye Fill'd with celestiall fier doth espy Objects remote It joyes and smiles in griefe It sweetens poverty It brings reliefe It gives the Feeble strength the Coward spirit The sicke man health the undeserving merit It makes the proudman humble and the stout It overcomes and treads him vnder foote It makes the mighty man of warre to droope And him to serve that never yet could stoope It is a Fire whose Bellowes are the breath Of heaven above and kindled here beneath T is not the power of a mans election To love He loves not by his owne direction It is nor beauty nor benigne aspect That alwayes moves the Lover to affect These are but meanes Heavens pleasure is the cause Love is not bound to reason and her Lawes Are not subjected to the imperious will Of man It lies not in his power to nill How is this Love abus'd That 's onely made A snare for wealth or to set up a trade T' enrich a great mans Table or to pay A desperate debt or meerely to allay A base and wanton lust which done no doubt The love is ended and her fier out No he that loves for pleasure or for pelfe Loves truly none and falsely but himselfe The pleasure past the wealth consum'd and gone Love hath no subject now to worke upon The props being falne that did support the roofe Nothing but Rubbish and neglected Stuffe Like a wilde Chaos of Confusion lies Presenting uselesse ruines to our eyes The Oyle that does maintaine loves sacred fire Is vertue mixt with mutuall desire Of sweet society begunne and bred I' th soule nor ended in the mariage bed This is that dew of Hermon that does fill The soule with sweetnesse watring Sions hill This is that holy fire that burnes and lasts Till quencht by death The other are but blasts That faintly blaze like Oyle-for saken snusses Which every breath of discontentment puffs And quite extinguishes and leaves us nothing But an offensive subject of our loathing SECT 8. ARGVMENT He goes to Timnah As he went He slew a Lyon by the way He sues obtaines the Maides consent And they appoint the mariage day WHen the next day had which his morning light Redeem'd the East frō the darke shades of night And with his golden raies had overspred The neighbring Mountaines from his loathed Bed Sicke-thoughted Samson rose whose watchfull eyes Morpheus that night had with his leaden keyes Not power to close His thoughts did so incumber His restlesse soule his eyes could never slumber Whose softer language by degrees did wake His fathers sleepe-bedeafned eares and spake Sir Let your early blessings light upon The tender bosome of your prosp'rous Sonne And let the God of Israel repay Those blessings double on your head this day The long-since banisht shaddows make me bold To let you know the morning waxes old The Sunbeames are growne strong their brighter hiew Have broke the Mists and dride the morning dewe The sweetnesse of the season does invite Your steps to visit Timnah and acquite Your last nights promise With that the Danite and his wife arose Scarce yet resolv'd at last they did dispose Their doubtfull paces to behold the prize Of Samsons heart and pleasure of his eyes They went and when their travell had attain'd Those fruitfull hills whose clusters entertain'd Their thirsty palats with their swelling pride The musing lover being stept a side To gaine the pleasure of a lonely thought Appear'd
Of necessary evills to choose the least Why doubt I then When Reason bids me doe I le know the Riddle and betray it too With that she quits her chamber with her cares And in her closset locks up all her feares And with a speed untainted with delay She found that brest wherein her owne heart lay Where resting for a while at length did take A faire occasion to looke up and spake Life of my soule and loves perpetuall treasure If my desires be suiting to thy pleasure My lips would move a Suite My doubtfull brest Would faine preferre an undenyde request When strength of wit and secret power of fraud Grow dull constraint must conquer and applaud With ill got vict'ry which at length obtaind Alas how poore a trifle have we gaind How are our soules distempered to engrosse Such fading pleasures To ore-prize the dresse And under-rate the gold for painted Ioyes To sell the true and heaven it selfe for Toyes Lord clarifie mine eyes that I may know Things that are good from what are good in show And give me wisedome that my heart may learne The diffrence of thy favours and discerne What 's truly good from what is good in part With Martha's trouble give me Maries heart SECT 12. ARGVMENT The Bride shee begs and begs in vaine But like to a prevailing wooer She sues and sues and sues againe At last he reads the Riddle to her WHen the next morning had renew'd the day And th' earely twilight now had chac'd away The pride of night and made her lay aside Her spangled Robes the discontented Bride Whose troubled thoughts were tired with the night And broken slumbers long had wisht for light With a deepe sigh her sorrow did awake Her drowsie Bridegroome whom she thus bespake O if thy love could share an equall part In the sad griefes of my asflicted heart Thy closed eyes had never in this sort Bin pleas'd with rest and made thy night so short Perchance if my dull eyes had slumbred too My dreames had done what thou denide to doe Perchance my Fancy would have bin so kinde T' unsolve the doubts of my perplexed minde I was a small suite that thy unluckie Bride Must light upon Too small to be denyde Can love so soone But ere her lips could spend The following words he said suspend suspend Thy rash attempt and let thy tongue dispense With forc'd denyall Let thy lips commence Some greater Suite and Samson shall make good Thy faire desiers with his dearest blood Speake then my love thou shalt net wish and want Thou canst not beg what Samson cannot grant Onely in this excuse me and refraine To beg what thou perforce must beg in vaine Inexorable Samson Can the teares From those faire eyes not move thy deafned eares O can those drops that trickle from those eyes Vpon thy naked bosome not surprize Thy neighb'ring heart and force it to obey O can thy heart not melt as well as they Thou little thinkst thy poore afflicted wife Importunes thee and wooes thee for her life Her Suit 's as great a Riddle to thine eares As thine to hers O these distilling teares Are silent pleaders and her moistred breath Would faine redeeme her from the gates of death May not her teares prevaile Alas thy strife Is but for wagers Her 's poore Soule for life Now when this day had yeelded up his right To the succeeding Empresse of the night Whose soone-deposed raigne did reconvay Her crowne and Scepter to the new borne day The restlesse Bride feares cannot brooke deniall Renewes her suite and attempts a further tryall Entreats conjures she leaves no way untride She will not no she must not be denide But he the portalls of whose marble heart Was lockt and barr'd against the powerfull art Of oft repeated teares stood deafe and dumbe He must not no he will not be orecome Poore Bride How is thy glory overcast How is the pleasure of the nuptialls past When scarce begun Alas how poore a breath Of joy must puffe thee to untimely death The day 's at hand wherein thou must untie The Riddles tangled Snarle or else must die Now when that day was come wherein the feast Was to expire the Bride whose pensive brest Grew sad to death did once more undertake Her too resolved Bridegroome thus and spake Vpon these knees that prostrate on the floore Are lowly bended and shall nev'r give ore To move thy goodnesse that shall never rise Vntill my Suite finds favour in thine eyes Vpon these naked knees I here present My sad request O let thy heart relent A Suitor sues that never sued before And she begs now that never will beg more Hast thou vow'd silence O remember how Thou art engaged by a former vow Thy heart is mine The secrets of thy heart Are mine Why art thou dainty to impart Mine owne to me Then give me leave to sue For what my right may challenge as her due Vnfold thy Riddle then that I may know Thy love is more then only love in show The Bridegroome thus enchanted by his Bride Vnseal'd his long-kept silence and replide Thou sole and great commandresse of my heart Thou hast prevail'd my bosome shall impart The summe of thy desiers and discharge The faithfull secrets of my soule at large Know then my joy Vpon that very day I first made knowne my'affection on the way I met and grappled with a sturdy Lyon Having nor staffe nor weapon to relie on I was enforc'd to proove my naked strength Vnequall was the match But at the length This brawney arme receiving strength from him That gave it life I tore him limme from limme And left him dead Now when the time was come Wherein our promis'd nuptialls were to summe And perfect all my joyes as I was comming That very way a strange confused humming Not distant farre possest my wondring eare Where guided by the noise there did appeare A Swarme of Bees whose busie labours fill'd The Carkasse of that Lyon which I kill'd With Combes of Hony wherewithall I fed My lips and thine And now my Riddle 's read MEDITAT 12. THe soule of man before the taint of Nature Bore the faire Image of his great Creator His understanding had no cloud His will No crosse That knew no Error This no ill But man transgrest And by his wofull fall Lost that faire Image and that little all Was left was all corrupt His understanding Exchang'd her object Reason left commanding His Memory was depraved and his will Can finde no other subject now but Ill It grew distemperd left the righteous reine Of better Reason and did entertaine The rule of Passion under whose command It suffered Ship-wracke upon every Sand Where it should march it evermore retires And what is most forbid it most desires Love makes it see too much and often blinde Doubt makes it light and waver like the winde Hate makes it fierce and studious Anger mad Ioy makes it carelesse Sorrow dull
thoughts did guide His lips to fairer language thus replide Yee men of Iudah what distrustfull thought Of single Samsons violence hath brought So great a strength as if you meant t' orethrow Some mighty Monarch or surprise a Foe Tour easie errand might as well bin done By two or three or by the lips of one The meanest childe of holy Israels seede Might conquer'd Samson with a bruised reed Alas the boldnesse of your welcome words Need no protection of these staves and Swords Brethren the intention of my comming hither Was not to wrong you or deprive you either Of lives or goods or of your poorest due My selfe is cheaper to my selfe then you My comming is on a more faire designe I come to crush your tyranous foes and mine I come to free your country and recall Your servile shoulders from the slavish thrall Of the proud Philistines and with this hand To make you freemen in your promis'd Land But you are come to binde me and betray Your faith full Champion to those hands that lay Perpetuall burthens on which daily vex Your galled shoulders and your servile necks The wrongs these cursed Philistines have done My simple innocence have quite outrun My easie patience If my arme may right My too much injur'd suffrance and requite What they have done to me it would appease My raging thoughts and give my tortures ease But ye are come to binde me I submit I yeeld And if my bondage will acquit Your new borne feares T is well But they that doe Attempt to ruine me will ransack you First you shall firmely ' engage your plighted troth By the acceptance of a sacred oath That when I shall be prisoner to your bands I may not suffer violence by your hands With that they drawing nearer to him laid Their hands beneath his brawny thigh and said Then let the God of Iacob cease to blesse The tribe of Iudah with a faire successe In ought they put their cursed hand unto And raze their seed If we attempt to doe Bound Samson violence And if this curse Be not sufficient heaven contrive a worse With that the willing prisoner join'd his hands To be subjected to their stronger bands With treble twisted cords that never tried The twitch of strength their buisie fingers tied His sinewy wrists which being often wound About his beating pulse they brought him bound To the forefront of the Philistian band And left him captive in their cursed hand MEDITAT 17. O What a Pearle is hidden in this Field Whose orient luster and perfections yeeld So great a treasure that the Easterne Kings With all the wealth their colder Climate brings Nere saw the like It is a pearle whose glory Is the diviner subject of a Story Penn'd by an Angells quill not understood By the too dull con ceitof flesh and blood Vnkinde Iudeans what have you presented Before our eyes O what have you attented He that was borne on purpose to release His life for yours to bring your Nation peace To turne your mournings into joyfull Songs To fight your Battells To revenge your wrongs Even him alas your cursed hands have made This day your prisoner Him have you betraid To death O hee whose sinowy arme had power To crush you all to nothing and to shower Down strokes like thunderbolts whose blasting breath Might in a moment pufft you all to death And made ye fall before his frowning brow See how he goes away betraid by you Thou great Redeemer of the world Whose blood Hath power to save more worlds then Noah's flood Destroyed bodies thou O thou that art The Samson of our soules How can the heart Of man give thanks enough that does not know How much his death-redeemed soule does owe To thy deare merits We can apprehend No more then flesh and blood does recommend To our confined thoughts Alas we can Conceive thy love but as the love of man We cannot tell the horror of that paine Thou bought us from not can our hearts attaine Those joyes that thou hast purchas'd in our name Nor yet the price thou paidst Our thoughts are lame And craz'd Alas things mortall have no might No meanes to comprehend an Infinite We can behold thee cradled in a Manger In a poore Stable We can see the danger The Tetrarch's fury made thee subject to We can conceive thy poverty We know Thy blessed hands that might bin freed were bound We know alas thy bleeding browes were crown'd With prickling thorne Thy body torne with whips Thy palmes impeirc'd with ragged nailes Thy lips Saluted with a Traitors kisse Thy browes Sweating forth blood Thy oftrepeated blowes Thy fastning to the crosse Thy shamefull death These outward tortures all come underneath Our dull conceits But what thy blessed soule That bore the burthen of our guilt and Scroule Of all our sinns and horrid paines of Hell O what that soule endur'd what soule can tell SECT 18. ARGVMENT He breakes their bands And with a Bone A thousand Philistians he slue He thirsted fainted made his mone To heaven He drinkes His spirits renew THus when the glad Philistians had obtain'd The summe of all their hopes they entertain'd The welcome pris'ner with a greater noise Of triumph then the greatnesse of their joyes Required Some with sudden death would greet The new come Guest whil'st others more discreet With lingring paines and tortures more exact Would force him to discover in the Fact Who his Abettors were others gainsaid That course for feare a rescue may be made Some cry T is fittest that th' offender bleed There where his cursed hands had done the deed Others cryed No where Fortune hath consign'd him Wee'lk H him Best to kill him where we finde him Thus variously they spent their doubtfull breath At last they all agreed on sudden death There 's no contention now but onely who Shall strike the first or give the speeding blow Have yee beheld a single thred of flax Touch'd by the fier how the fier crackes With ease and parts the slender twine in sunder Even so as the first arme began to thunder Vpon the Prisners life he burst the bands From his strong wrists and freed his loosned hands Hee stoop'd from off the blood-expecting grasse He snatcht the crooked jaw-bone of an Asse Wherewith his fury dealt such downe-right blowes So oft redoubled that it overthrowes Man after man And being ring'd about With the distracted and amazed rout Of rude Philistians turn'd his body round And in a circle dings them to the ground Each blow had proofe for where the jaw-bone mist The furious Champion wounded with his fist Betwixt them both his fury did uncase A thousand soules which in that fatall place Had left their ruin'd carkeises to feast The slesh-devouring fowle and rav'nous beast With that the Conquerour that now had fed And surfeited his eye upon the dead His hand had slaine sate downe and having flung His purple weapon by triumpht and sung SAmson rejoyce Be fill'd
and sad Hope makes it nimble for a needlesse tryall Feare makes it too impatient of deniall Great Lord of humane soules O thou that art The onely true refiner of the heart Whose hands created all things perfect good What canst thou now expect of flesh and blood How are our leprous Soules put out of fashion How are our Wills subjected to our passion How is thy glorious Image soil'd defac'd And stain'd with sinne How are our thoughts displac'd How wavering are our hopes turn'd here and there With every blast How carnall is our feare Where needs no feare we start at every shade But feare not where we ought to be affraid Great God! If thou wilt please but to refine Our hearts and reconforme our wills to thine Thou 'lt take a pleasure in us and poore we Should finde as infinite delight in Thee Our doubts would cease our feares would all remove And all our passions would turne Ioy and Love Till then expect for nothing that is good Remember Lord we are but Flesh and Blood SECT 13. ARGVMENT The Philistines by her advice Expound the Riddle Samson kild Thirty Philistians in a trice Forsakes his Bride His Bed's defilde NO sooner was the Brides attentive eares Resolv'd and pleas'd but her impetuous feares Calls in the Bridemen and to them betraid The secret of the Riddle thus and said You Sonnes of Thunder T was not the loud noise Of your provoking threats nor the soft voice Of my prevailing feares that thus addrest My yeelding heart to grant your forc'd request Your language needed not have bin so rough To speake too much when lesse had bin enough Your speech at first was hony in mine eare At length it prov'd a Lyon and did teare My wounded soule It sought to force me to What your entreaties were more apt to doe Know then to keepe your lingring eares no longer From what ye long to heare There 's nothing stronger Then a fierce Lyon Nothing more can greet Your pleased palats with a greater sweet Then Hony But more fully to expound In a dead Lyon there was Hony found Now when the Sun was welking in the West Whose fall determines both the day and Feast The hopefull Bridegroome he whose smiling brow Assur'd his hopes a speedy Conquest now Euen thirsting for victorious Tryumph brake The crafty silence of his lips and spake The time is come whose latest hower ends Our nuptiall Feast and fairely recommends The wreathe of Conquest to the victors brow Say Is the Riddle read Expound it now And for your paines these hands shall soone resigne Your conquerd prize If not The prize is mine With that they joyn'd their whispring heads and made A Speaker who in louder language said Of all the sweets that ere were knowne There 's none so pleasing be As those rare dainties which doe crowne The labour of the Bee Of all the Creatures in the field That ever man set eye on There 's none whose power doth not yeeld Vnto the stronger Lyon Whereto th' offended Challenger whose eye Proclaim'd a quicke Revenge made this reply No Hony's sweeter then a womans tongue And when she list Lyons are not so strong How thrice accurs'd are they that doe fulfill The lewd desiers of a woman's will How more accurs'd is he that doth impart His bosome secrets to a womans heart They plead like Angells and like Crocadiles Kill with their teares They murther with their smiles How weake a thing is woman Nay how weake Is senslesse Man that will be urg'd to breake His counsells in her eare that hath no power To make secure a secret for an hower No victors no Had not a womans minde Bin faithlesse and unconstant as the winde My Riddle had till now a Riddle bin You might have mus'd and mist and mus'd agin When the next day had heav'd his golden head From the soft pillow of his Seagreene bed And with his rising glory had possest The spatious borders of th' enlightned East Samson arose and in a rage went downe By heaven directed to a neighbring towne His choller was inflam'd and from his eye The sudden flashes of his wrath did flie Palenesse was in his cheekes and from his breath There flew the fierce Embassadours of death He heav'd his hand and where it fell it slew He spent and still his forces would renew His quick-redoubled blowes fell thicke as thunder And whom he tooke alive he tore in sunder His arme nere mist And often at a blow He made a Widow and an Orphane too Here it divides the Father from the child The husband from his wife there it dispoild The friend on 's friend the sister of her brother And oft with one man he would thrash another Where never was he made a little flood And where there was no kin he joyn'd in blood Wherein his ruthlesse hands he did imbrue Thrice ten before he scarce could breathe he slue Their upper Garments which he tooke away Were all the spoiles the victor had that day Where with he quit the wagers that he lost Paying Philistians with Philistians cost And thus at length with blood he did asswage But yet not quench the fier of his rage For now the thought of his disloyall wife In his sad soule renew'd a second strife From whom for feare his fury should recoile He thought most fit t' absent himselfe awhile Vnto his fathers Tent he now return'd Where his divided passion rag'd and mourn'd In part he mourned and he rag'd in part To see so faire a face so false a heart But marke the mischiefe that his absence brings His bed's defiled and the nuptiall strings Are stretcht and crackt A second love doth smother The first And she is wedded to another MEDITAT 13. VVAs this that wombe the Angell did enlarge From barrennesse And gave so strickt a charge Was this that wombe that must not be defil'd With uncleane meates lest it pollute the child Is this the Nazarite May a Nazarite then Embrue and paddle in the bloods of men Or may their vowes be so dispens'd withall That they who scarce may see a funerall Whose holy footsteps must beware to tread Vpon or touch the carkasse of the dead May these revenge their wrongs by blood May these Have power to Kill and murther where they please T is true A holy Nazarite is forbid To doe such things as this our Nazarite did He may not touch the bodies of the dead Without pollution much lesse may shed The blood of man or touch it being spilt Without the danger of a double guilt But who art thou that art an undertaker To question with or pleade against thy Maker May not that God that gave thee thy creation Turne thee to nothing by his dispensation He that hath made the Sabbath and commands It shall be kept with unpolluted hands Yet if he please to countermand agin Man may securely labour and not sin A Nazarite is not allow'd to shed The blood of man or once to
To give a satisfaction answerable To her unbounded wishes leaves a thrist Of reenjoyment greater then the first Lord When our fruitlesse fallowes are growne cold And out of heart we can inrich the mould With a new heate we can restore againe Her weakned soile and make it apt for graine And wilt thou suffer our faint soules to lie Thus unmanur'd that is thy Husbandrie They beare no other bulke but idle weedes Alas they have no heart no heate Thy seedes Are cast away untill thou please t' inspire New strength and quench them with thy sacred fire Stirre thou my Fallowes and enrich my mold And they shall bring thee ' increase a hundred fold SECT 21. ARGVMENT False Delila accosts her Lover Her lips endeavour to entice His gentle nature to discover His strength Samson deceives her thrice SOone as occasion lent our Champions eare To Delila which could not choose but heare If Delila but whisper'd she whose wiles Were neatly baited with her simple smiles Accosted Samson Her alluring hand Sometimes would stroke his Temples sometime span'd His brawny arme Sometimes would gently gripe His sinewy wrest Another while would wipe His sweating browes Her wanton fingers plai'd Sometimes with his faire locks somtimes would brai'd His long dishevell'd haire her eyes one while Would steale a glance upon his eyes and smile And then her crafty lips would speake then smother Her broken speech and then begin another At last as if a sudden thought had brake From the faire prison of her lips she spake How poore a Grisle is this arme of mine Me thinkes 't is nothing in respect of thine Of having Wealth will rouze thy heart lesse friends Make thee a potent Master of thy Ends 'T will bring thee honour make thy suites at Law Prosper at will and keepe thy Foes in awe Art thou Ambitious He will kindle fire In thy proud thoughts and make thy thoughts aspire Hee 'l come and teach thy honour how to scorne Thy old acquaintance whom thou hast outworne Hee 'l teach thee how to Lord it and advance Thy servants fortunes with thy Countenance Wouldst thou enjoy the pleasures of the flesh Hee 'l bring thee wanton Ladyes to refresh Thy drooping soule Hee 'l teach thine eyes to wander Instruct thee how to wooe Hee 'l be thy Pander Hee 'l fill thy amorous soule with the sweet passion Of powerfull Love Hee 'l give thee dispensation To sinne at pleasure He will make thee Slave To thy owne thoughts Hee 'l make thee beg and crave To be a drudge Hee 'l make thy trecherous breath Destroy thee and betray thee to thy death Lord if our Father Adam could not stay In his upright perfection one poore day How can it be expected we have power To hold out Seige one scruple of an hower Our Armes are bound with too unequall bands We cannot strive We cannot loose our hands Great Nazarite awake and looke upon us Make hast to helpe The Philistines are on us SECT 22. ARGVMENT She sues againe Samson replies The very truth Her lips betray him They binde him They put out his eyes And to the prison they convay him VVIth that the wanton whose distrustfull eye Was fixt upon reward made this replie Had the deniall of my poore request Proceeded from th' inexorable brest Of one whose open hatred sought t' endanger My haunted life Or had it bin a stranger That wanted so much nature to deny The doing of a common curtesie Nay had it bin a friend that had deceiv'd me An ordinary friend It nere had griev'd me But thou even thou my bosome friend that art The onely joy of my deceived heart Nay thou whose hony-dropping lips soloften Did plead thy undissembled love and soften My deare affection which could never yeeld To easier termes by thee to be beguild How often hast thou mockt my slender suite With forged falshoods Hadst thou but bin mute I nere had hop'd But being fairely led Towards my prompt desires which were fed With my false hopes and thy false-hearted tongue And then beguilde I hold it as a wronge How canst thou say thou lov'st me How can I Thinke but thou hat'st me when thy lips deny So poore a Suite Alas my fond desire Had slak'd had not deniall blowne the fire Grant then at last and let thy open brest Shew that thou lov'st me ' and grant my faire request Speake or speake not thy Delila shall give ore To urge her lips shall never urge thee more To whom the yeelding lover thus betrai'd His heart being tortur'd unto death and said My deare my Delila I cannot stand Against so sweet a pleader In thy hand I here entrust and to thy brest impart Thy Samsons life and secrets of his heart Know then my Delila that I was borne A Nazarite These locks were never shorne No Raisor yet came ere upon my crowne There lies my strength with thē my strength is gone Were they but shaven my Delila O then Thy Samson should be weake as other men No sooner had he spoken but he spred His body on the floore his drowzy head He pillow'd on her lap untill at last He fell into a sleepe and being fast She clipt his locks from off his carelesse head And beckning the Philistians in she said Samson awake Take strength and courage on thee Samson arise The Philistines are on thee Even as a Dove whose wings are clipt for flying Flutters her idle stumps and still relying Vpon her wonted refuge strives in vaine To quit her life from danger and attaine The freedome of her ayre-dividing plumes She struggles often and she oft presumes To take the sanctuary of the open fields But finding that her hopes are vaine she yeelds Even so poore Samson frighted at the sound That rowz'd him from his rest forsooke the ground Perceiving the Philistians there at hand To take him pris'ner he began to stand Vpon his wonted Guarde His threatning breath Brings forth the prologue to their following death He rowz'd himselfe and like a Lyon shooke His drowzy limmes and with a cloudy looke Fore-telling boystrous and tempestious weather Defied each one defied them all together Now when he came to grapple he upheav'd His mighty hand but now alas bereav'd Of wonted power that confounding arme That could no lesse then murther did no harme Blow was exchang'd for blow and wound for wound He that of late disdained to give ground Flies backe apace who lately stain'd the field With conquer'd blood does now begin to yeeld He that of late brake twisted Ropes in twaine Is bound with Pack thred He that did disdaine To feare the power of an Armed Band Can now walke prisoner in a single hand Thus have the trecherous Philistines betray'd Poore captive Samson Samson now obay'd Those glowing eyes that whitled death about Where ere they view'd their cursed hands put out They led him pris'ner and convai'd him downe To strong-wall'd Azza that Philistian towne Whose gates his shoulders lately bore away