The Monk's Tale
Folio 169v
2 of 19 folios
25
Sampsoū / this noble almygħty Champioū
With outen wepene / saue hise handes tweyne
He slow / and al torente the leoū
Toward his weddyng walkynge by the weye
His false wyf / koude hym so plese and preye
30
Til she his conseil knew / and she vntrewe
Vn to hise foos / his conseil gan biwreye
And hym forsook. and took another newe
Thre hundred foxes / took Sampson for Ire
And alle hir tayles / he togydre bond
35
And sette the foxes tayles / alle on fire
For he / on euery tayl / had knyt a brond
And they brende / alle the cornes in that lond
And alle hir Olyueres / and vynes eke
A thousand men / he slow eek wt his hond
40
And hadde no wepene / but an asses cheke
Whan they were slayn / so thursted hym / that he
Was wel ny lorn / for which he gan to preye
That god wolde / on his peyne han som pitee
And sende hym drynke / or elles moste he deye
45
And of this asses cheke / that was dreye
Out of a wang tooth / sprang anon a welle
Of which he drank anon / shortly to seye
Thus heelpe hym god / as Iudicum can telle
By verray force / at Gazan / on a nygħt
50
Maugree Philistiens of that Citee
The gates of the toun / he hath vp plygħt
And on his bak ycaryed hem hath hee
Hye on an hiƚƚ / þt men mygħte hem see
O noble almygħty Sampsoū / lief and deere
55
Had thou nat toold / to wommen thy secree
In al this world / ne hadde been thy peere
This Sampson / neuere Ciser drank ne wyn
Ne on his heed / cam rasour noon ne sheere
By precept of the Messager diuyn
60
For alle hise strengthes / in hise heeres weere
And fully twenty wynter yeer by yeere
He / hadde of Israel the gouernaūce
But soone / shal he wepe many a teere
For wommen / shal hym bryngen to meschance
65
Vn to his lemman Dalida he tolde
That in hise heeris / al his strengthe lay
And falsly / to hise foomen / she hym solde