The Harleian ms. 7334 of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 257]

[Sampson.]

Lo Sampson . þat was annunciate [¶ Sampson] By þangel long er his natiuite / And was to god almighty consecrate And stood in nobles whil þat he might se Line 3208 was neuer such anoþer as was he To speke of strengþ . and þerto hardynesse But to his wyfes tolde he his secre Thurgh which he slough himself for wrecchidnesse / Line 3212

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Line 3216 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] Line 3220

Thre hundred foxis . tok Sampson for Ire And alle her tayles he togider bond And sette þe foxes tailes alle on fuyre For he in euery tail hath knyt a brond Line 3224 And þay brent alle þe cornes of þat lond And alle her Olyuers . and vynes eeke A þousand men he slough eek wiþ his hond And hadde no wepen but an asses cheeke Line 3228

Whan þay were slayn so þursted him þat he was wel ner lorn for which he gan to preye That god wolde of his peyne haue som pite And send him drynk and elles most he deye Line 3232 And out of his asses cheke þat was so dreye [folio 228a] Out of a woung toþ sprong anon a welle Of which he dronk ynough schortly to seye Thus halp him god as Iudicum can telle Line 3236

[6-text p 258] Line 3236

By verray fors of algason on a night Maugre þe philistiens of þat cite The gates of þe toun he haþ vp plight/ And on his bak caried hem haþ he / Line 3240 heigh vpon an hil wher men might hem se / O noble almighty Sampson leef and deere haddest þou nought to wommen told þy secre In al þe world ne hadde be þy peere Line 3244

This sampson neyther siser dronk ne wyn / Ne on his heed com rasour noon ne schere By precept of þe messager diuyn For alle his strengþes in his heres were Line 3248 And fully twenty wynter ȝer by ȝere/ he hadde of Ierusalem þe gouernaunce But soone he schal wepe many a teere For wymmen schuln him bringe to meschaunce Line 3252

Vn-to his lemman Dalida he tolde That in his heres al his strengþe lay And falsly to his foomen sche him solde And slepyng in hir barm vpon a day Line 3256 Sche made to clippe or schere his heres away And made his foomen al his craft espien And whan þay fond him in þis array Thay bound him fast and put out boþe his yen Line 3260

But er his heer clipped was or I-schaue Ther was no bond wiþ which men might him bynde But now is he in prisoun in a caue Ther as þay made him at þe querne grynde Line 3264 O noble Sampson strengest of al man kynde O whilom iugge in glory and in richesse / Now maystow wepe wiþ þine eyȝen blynde Sith þou fro wele art falle to wrecchednesse Line 3268

[6-text p 259] Line 3268

Thend of þis caytif was as I schal say his foomen made a fest vpon a day And made him as here fool biforn hem play [folio 228b] And þis was in a temple of gret array Line 3272 But/ atte last he made a foul affray For he two pilers schook and made hem falle And doun fel temple and al and þer it lay And slough himsilf and eek his fomen alle Line 3276

This is to sayn þe princes euer ichon And eek þre þousand bodies were þer slayn with fallyng of þe grete temple of stoon Of Sampson wil I no more sayn Line 3280 Be war by þese ensamples olde and playn That no man telle his counseil to his wyf Of such þing as he wold haue secre fayn If/ þat/ it touche his lymes or his lif Line 3284