Though fond and reafonless 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 strong, inflexible as steel.

If thou in ftrength all mortals dost exceed,
In uncompaffionate anger do not fo.

SAMSON.

How cunningly the forceress displays

815

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 myfelf was false ere thou to me;
Such pardon therefore as I give my folly,

825

Take to thy wicked deed; which when thou seest

Impartial, self-severe, inexorable,

Thou wilt renounce thy feeking, and much rather

Confess it feign'd: weakness is thy excufe,

And I believe it, weakness to refift
Philiftian gold if weakness may excufe,
What murderer, what traitor, parricide,
Incestuous, facrilegious, but may plead it?

839

All

835

All wickedness is weakness: that plea therefore
With God or Man will gain thee no remiffion.
But love conftrain'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 muft, by thee betray'd?

In vain thou ftriv'ft to cover shame with fhame,
Or by evafions thy crime uncover'ft more.

DALILA.

840

845

Since thou determin'ft 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 conftanteft, to' have yielded without blame. It was not gold, as to my charge thou lay'st, That wrought with me; thou know'st the magistrates

And princes of my country came in person,

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

855

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

869

T'oppose 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 wifeft men, that to the public good

Private refpects muft yield, with grave authority

850. thou know'ft the magiftrates And princes of my country came in perfon,] Judg. XVI. 5. And the lords of the Philistines came up unto ber, and faid unto her &c. So exact is Milton in all the particulars of

866

Took

the ftory, and improves every incident.

864. all thefe reafons.] We follow the reading of Milton's own edition, and not of the others all their reasons.

934. Thy

Took full poffeffion of me and prevail'd;

Virtue, as I thought, truth, duty so injoining.

SAMSON.

879

I thought where all thy circling wilds would end; In feign'd religion, smooth 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'st,
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
Did'st thou at firft receive me for thy husband,
Then, as fince then, thy country's foe profefs'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
Thy country fought of thee, it fought unjustly,
Against the law of nature, law of nations,

life

885

899

No

No more thy country, but an impious crew
Of men confpiring to uphold their state
By worse than hoftile deeds, violating the ends
For which our country is a name so dear
894
Not therefore to be' obey'd. But zeal mov'd thee;
To please thy Gods thou didst it; Gods unable
T'acquit themselves and prosecute 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?
DALILA.

In argument with men a woman ever

Goes by the worse, whatever be her cause.

SAMSON.

904

For want of words no doubt, or lack of breath; Witness when I was worried with thy peals.

DALILA.

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 show what recompenfe

910 Tow'ards