That wisest and best men, full oft beguiled,
With goodness principled not to reject
The penitent, but ever to forgive,
Are drawn to wear out miserable days,
Entangled with a poisonous bosom snake;
If not by quick destruction soon cut off,

760

As I by thee, to ages an example.

765

Dal. Yet hear me, Samson; not that I endeavour

To lessen or extenuate my offence,

But that, on the other side, if it be weighed

By itself, with aggravations not surcharged,

Or else with just allowance counterpoised,
I may, if possible, thy pardon find

770

The easier toward me, or thy hatred less :—

First granting, as I do, it was a weakness
In me, but incident to all our sex,
Curiosity, inquisitive, importune
Of secrets, then with like infirmity

775

To publish them-both common female faults:
Was it not weakness also to make known,
For importunity, that is, for nought,
Wherein consisted all thy strength and safety?
To what I did thou shewedst me first the way.

,780

But I to enemies revealed, and should not;—

Nor shouldest thou have trusted that to woman's frailty:
Ere I to thee, thou to thyself wast cruel.
Let weakness then with weakness come to parle,

760. Principled.] Instructed, schooled. So in Comus, 367, Unprincipled in virtue's book.' 766. Not that.] Not meaning to say that.

775. Curiosity, &c.] Namely curiosity, inquisitive and importunate about secrets.

777. To publish them, &c.] The construction here is harsh. The

785

most convenient way, perhaps,
for analysis is to supply the pro-
noun this, as a nominative abso-
lute: this, and then to publish,
&c., being both common female
faults.'

782. But.] But, you will say.
783. Nor. Neither then.
785. To parle.] To treaty.

So near related, or the same of kind;

Thine forgive mine, that men may censure thine
The gentler, if severely thou exact not

More strength from me than in thyself was found.
And what if love, which thou interpretest hate,
The jealousy of love, powerful of sway

790

In human hearts, nor less in mine toward thee,
Caused what I did! I saw thee mutable

Of fancy, feared lest one day thou wouldst leave me

As her at Timna; sought by all means therefore
How to endear, and hold thee to me firmest.
No better way I saw than by importuning
To learn thy secrets, get into my power

795

Thy key of strength and safety. Thou wilt say,
Why then revealed?—I was assured by those
Who tempted me, that nothing was designed
Against thee but safe custody and hold.
That made for me: I knew that liberty
Would draw thee forth to perilous enterprises,
While I at home sat full of cares and fears,
Wailing thy absence in my widowed bed;
Here I should still enjoy thee, day and night,
Mine and love's prisoner, not the Philistines',
Whole to myself, unhazarded abroad,
Fearless at home of partners in my

love.

These reasons in love's law have passed for good,
Though fond and reasonless to some perhaps ;
And love hath oft, well meaning, wrought much woe,
Yet always pity or pardon hath obtained.

Be not unlike all others, not austere

787. Thine.] Let thine. 790. What.] What follows. 796. To endear.] To endear myself.

800

805

810

815

As thou art strong, inflexible as steel.
If thou in strength all mortals dost exceed,
In uncompassionate anger do not so.

Sams. How cunningly the sorceress displays
Her own transgressions, to upbraid me mine!—
That malice, not repentance, brought thee hither,
By this appears.
I gave, thou sayest, the example,
I led the way; bitter reproach, but true;

I to myself was false ere thou to me.

Such pardon therefore as I give my folly,

820

825

Take to thy wicked deed; which when thou seest
Impartial, self-severe, inexorable,

Thou wilt renounce thy seeking, and much rather
Confess it feigned. Weakness is thy excuse,
And I believe it,—weakness to resist
Philistian gold. If weakness may excuse,
What murderer, what traitor, parricide,
Incestuous, sacrilegious, but may plead it?
All wickedness is weakness; that plea therefore
With God or man will gain thee no remission.
But love constrained thee;-call it furious rage
To satisfy thy lust; love seeks to have love.

My love how couldest thou hope? who tookest the way
To raise in me inexpiable hate,

Knowing, as needs I must, by thee betrayed.

830

835

840

In vain thou strivest to cover shame with shame,
Or by evasions thy crime uncoverest more.

Dal. Since thou determinest weakness for no plea
In man or woman, though to thy own condemning,
Hear what assaults I had, what snares besides,
What sieges girt me round, ere I consented;

826. Which.] Whom; relative to I.

840. Knowing, &c.] Me knowing, as was sure to be the case,

the being betrayed by thee.

845

843. Determinest weakness for, &c.] Judgest weakness as no plea.

Which might have awed the best-resolved of men,
The constantest, to have yielded without blame.
It was not gold, as to my charge thou layest,
That wrought with me.

Thou knowest the magistrates

And princes of my country came in person,
Solicited, commanded, threatened, urged,
Adjured by all the bonds of civil duty
And of religion; pressed how just it was,
How honourable, how glorious, to entrap
A common enemy, who had destroyed
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 ensnare an irreligious
Dishonourer of Dagon. What had I
To oppose against such powerful arguments?
Only my love of thee held long debate,
And combated in silence all these reasons

851

855

860

With hard contest. At length that grounded maxim, 865 So rife and celebrated in the mouths

Of wisest men, that to the public good

Private respects must yield, with grave authority

Took full possession of me and prevailed,

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

870

Sams. I thought where all thy circling wiles would end :

In feigned religion, smooth hypocrisy !

But had thy love, still odiously pretended,

Been, as it ought, sincere, it would have taught thee
Far other reasonings, brought forth other deeds.

I, before all the daughters of my tribe

851. Came in person, &c.] 'The lords of the Philistines came up unto her, and said,' &c. Judges xvi. 5.

875

hind.] This is not in the scripture

account.

873. Still odiously pretended.] Always pretended along with the 857. The priest was not be- behaviour of hatred.

And of my nation, chose thee from among

My enemies, loved thee-as too well thou knewest-
Too well; unbosomed all my secrets to thee,
Not out of levity, but overpowered

By thy request, who could deny thee nothing;
Yet now am judged an enemy. Why then
Didst thou at first receive me for thy husband,
Then, as since then, thy country's foe professed?
Being once a wife, for me thou wast to leave
Parents and country; nor was I their subject,
Nor under their protection but my own,

880

885

Thou mine, not theirs. If aught against my life
Thy country sought of thee, it sought unjustly,
Against the law of nature, law of nations;
No more thy country, but an impious crew
Of men conspiring to uphold their state

890

By worse than hostile deeds, violating the ends

For which our country. is a name so dear;

Not therefore to be obeyed. But zeal moved thee:

895

To please thy gods thou didst it.—Gods unable

To acquit themselves and prosecute their foes

But by ungodly deeds, the contradiction

Of their own deity, gods cannot be;

Less therefore to be pleased, obeyed, or feared.
These false pretexts and varnished colours failing,

877. From among my enemies.] 'Among my enemies' is an adverbial expression governed by the preceding preposition, as in the phrases from thence, since then. So, in l. 880, 'out of levity' is an instance of an adverbial preposition phrase modified by an adverb.

878. Loved thee, &c.] Loved thee too well, as too well thou knewest.

884. Since then.] See the note

on l. 877.

900

895. But zeal moved thee, &c.] With this manner of referring to Dalila's apology compare 7. 836, But love constrained thee;' also l. 782. In Par. Lost, ii. 82, the words, 'The event is feared,' &c., refer to an objection in a similar

manner.

897. To acquit themselves.] To vindicate themselves.

898. By ungodly deeds.] Such as the treachery of Dalila.