Divine poems :: :: University of Virginia Library

When the next day had, with his morning light,
Redeem'd the East from the dark shades of night;
And, with his golden raies, had overspred
The neighb'ring Mountaines; from his loathed Bed,
Sick-thoughted Samson rose, whose watchfull eyes,
Morpheus that night had, with his leaden keyes;
Not power to close: his thoughts did so incumber
His restlesse soule, his eyes could never slumber;
Whose softer language, by degrees did wake
His fathers sleepe-bedeafned eares, and spake;

Sir; Let your early blessings light upon
The tender bosome of your prosprous Sonne,
And let the God of Israel repay
Those blessings, double, on your head, this day:
The long-since banisht shadowes make me bold
To let you know, the morning waxes old;
The Sunbeames are growne strong; their brighter hiew
Have broke the Mists, and dride the morning dewe;
The sweetnesse of the season does invite
Your steps to visit Timnah, and acquite
Your last nights promise:
With that the Danite and his wife arose,

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Scarce yet resolv'd, at last they did dispose
Their doubtfull paces, to behold the prize
Of Samsons heart, and pleasure of his eyes;
They went, and when their travell had attain'd
Those fruitfull hills, whose clusters entertain'd
Their thirsty palats, with their swelling pride,
The musing lover being stept aside
To gaine the pleasure of a lonely thought,
Appear'd a full ag'd Lyon, who had sought
(But could not finde) his long desired prey;
Soone as his eye had given him hopes to pay
His debt to nature, and to mend that fault
His empty stomacke found, he made assault
Vpon th'unarmed Lovers brest, whose hand
Had neither staffe, nor weapon, to withstand
His greedy rage; but he whose mighty strength
Or sudden death must now appeare, at length,
Stretcht forth his brawny arme, (his arme supplide
With power from heaven) and did, with ease, divide
His body limme from limme, and did betray
His flesh to foules, that lately sought his prey:
This done; his quicke redoubled paces make
His stay amends; his nimble steps oretake
His leading parents; who by this, discover
The smoake of Timnah: Now the greedy Lover
Thinkes every step, a mile; and every pace
A measur'd League, untill he see that face,
And finde the treasure of his heart, that lies
In the faire Casket of his Mistresse Eyes;
But, all this while, close Samson made not knowne
Vnto his Parents, what his hands had done:
By this, the gate of Timnah entertaines
The welcome travellers: The parents paines
Are now rewarded with their sonnes best pleasure:

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The Virgin comes; His eyes can finde no leisure,
To owne another object: O, the greeting
Th'impatient lovers had at their first meeting!
The Lover speakes; She answers; He replies;
She blushes; He demandeth; Shee denies;
He pleads affection; She doubts; He sues
For nuptiall love; She questions; He renewes
His earnest suite: Importunes; She relents;
He must have no deniall; She consents:
They passe their mutual loves: Their joyned hands
Are equall earnests of the nuptiall bands:
The parents are agreed; All parties pleas'd;
The day's set downe; the lovers hearts are eas'd,
Nothing displeases now, but the long stay
Betwixt th'appointment, and the mariage day.

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Meditat. 8.

Tis too severe a censure: If the Sonne
Take him a wife; the mariage fairely done,
Without consent of parents, (who perchance
Had rais'd his higher price, knew where t'advance
His better'd fortunes to one hundred more)
He lives, a Fornicator; She, a Whore:
Too hard a censure! And it seemes to me,
The Parent's most delinquent of the three:
What; if the better minded Son doe aime
At worth? What, if rare vertues doe inflame
His rapt affection? What, if the condition
Of an admir'd, and dainty disposition
Hath won his soule? Whereas the covetous Father
Finds her Gold light, and recommends him, rather,
T'an old worne widow, whose more weighty purse
Is fil'd with gold, and with the Orphans curse;
The sweet exubrance of whose full mouth'd portion
Is but the cursed issue of extortion;
Whose worth, perchance, lies onely in her weight,
Or in the bosome of her great estate;
What, if the Sonne, (that does not care to buy
Abundance at so deare a rate) deny
The soule-detesting profer of his Father,
And in his better Iudgement chooses, rather,
To match with meaner Fortunes, and desert?
I thinke that Mary chose the better part.

What noble Families (that have out-growne
The best records) have quite bin overthrowne

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By wilfull parents, that will either force
Their sonnes to match, or haunt them with a curse!
That can adapt their humours, to rejoyce,
And fancy all things, but their childrens choice!
Which makes them, often, timorous to reveale
The close desiers of their hearts, and steale
Such matches, as, perchance, their faire advice
Might, in the bud, have hindred in a trice;
Which done, and past, O, then their hasty spirit
Can thinke of nothing, under Disinherit;
He must be quite discarded, and exilde;
The furious father must renounce his childe;
Nor Pray'r nor Blessing must he have; bereiven
Of all; Nor must he live, nor die forgiven;
When as the Fathers rashnesse, oftentimes,
Was the first causer of the Childrens crimes.

Parents, be not too cruell: Children doe
Things, oft, too deepe for us t'enquire into:
What father would not storme, if his wilde Sonne
Should doe the deed, that Samson here had done?
Nor doe I make it an exemplar act;
Onely, let parents not be too exact
To curse their children, or to dispossesse
Them of their blessings, Heaven may chance to blesse:
Be not too strict: Faire language may recure
A fault of youth, whilst rougher words obdure.