The Hengwrt ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 257]

[Sampson.]

LO Sampson / which that was anunciat [Sampson.] By the Aungel / longe er his natiuitee And was / to god almyghty consecrat And stood in noblesse / whil that he myghte see Line 3208 Was neuere swich another / as was he To speke of strengthe / and ther-with hardynesse But to hise wyues / tolde he his secree Thurgh which / he slow hym self for wrecchednesse Line 3212

¶ Sampson / this noble almyghty champion With-outen wepne / saue hise hondes tweye He slow / and al to-rente the leon Toward his weddyng walkynge by the weye Line 3216 His false wyf / koude hym so plese and preye Til she his conseil knew / and she vntrewe Vn-to his foos / his conseil gan biwreye And hym forsook/ and took another newe Line 3220

¶ Thre hundred foxes / took Sampson for Ire And alle hir tayles / he togydre bond And sette the foxes tayles / alle on fire ffor he on euery tayl / hadde knyt a brond Line 3224 And they brende / alle the cornes in that Lond And alle hire Olyueris / and Vynes eke A thousand men / he slow with his hond And hadde no wepne / but an Asses cheke Line 3228

¶ Whan they were slayn / so thursted hym / þat he Was wel ny lorn / for which he gan to preye That god / wolde on his peyne / haue som pitee And sende hym drynke / or ellis moste he deye Line 3232 And of this Asses cheke / that was dreye Out of a wang tooth / sprang anon a welle Of which he drank ynogh / shortly to seye Thus heelp hym god / as Iudicum kan telle Line 3236

[6-text p 258] Line 3236

¶ By verray force / at Gazan / on a nyght [folio 90a] Maugree Philistiens / of that Citee The gates of the toun / he hath vp plight And on his bak ycaried hem hath he Line 3240 Hye on an hill / where as men myght hem se O noble almyghty Sampson / leef and deere Had thow nat toold / to wommen thy secree In al this world / ne hadde been thy peere Line 3244

¶ This Sampson / neuere Ciser drank ne wyn Ne on his heed / cam Rasour noon ne shere By precept of the Messager deuyn ffor alle his strengthes / in his herys were Line 3248 And fully .xx. wynter / yeer by yere He hadde of Israel / the gouernance But soone / shal he wepe many a teere ffor wommen / shul hym bryngen to meschaunce Line 3252

¶ Vn-to his lemman Dalida / he tolde That in his herys / al his strengthe lay And falsly / to his fomen she hym solde And slepynge in hir barm / vp on a day Line 3256 She made to clippe / or shere his heer away And made his fomen / al this craft espien And whan þat they / hym fond in this array They bounde hym faste / and putten out his eyen Line 3260

¶ But/ er his heer / was clipped or yshaue Ther was no bond / with which / men myghte hym bynde But now is he / in prisone in a Caue Where as they made hym / at the querne grynde Line 3264 O noble Sampson / strengest of mankynde O whilom / Iuge in glorie / and in richesse Now / maystow wepen / with thyne eyen blynde Sith thow fro wele / art falle in wrecchednesse Line 3268

[6-text p 259] Line 3268

¶ The ende of this caytif was as I shal seye His fomen / made a feste vp-on a day And made hym as hire fool / bifore hem pleye And this was / in a temple of greet array Line 3272 But atte laste / he made a foul affray ffor he two pilers shook / and made hem falle And doun fil temple and al / and there it lay And slow hym self / and eek his fomen alle Line 3276

¶ This is to seyn / the Prynces euerychon [folio 90b] And eek thre thousand bodies / were ther slayn With fallyng of the grete temple of stoon Of Sampson / now wol I namoore sayn Line 3280 Beth war by this ensample / old and playn That no men / telle hir conseil / til hir wyues Of swich thyng as they wolde han secree fayn If þat it touche / hir lymes / or hir lyues Line 3284