With thy two daughters thou didst lie, And thus most tauntingly she chaft Who calleth there, quoth Judith then, Good Lord, how Judith blush'd for shame Quoth David, who knocks there so loud, And maketh all this strife? You were more kind, good Sir, she said, Unto Uriah's wife. And when thy servant thou didst cause Thou caused'st then more strife than I, The woman's mad, said Solomon, Thou hadst seven hundred wives at once, For whom thou didst provide, And yet three hundred whores, God wot, Thou didst maintain beside. And those made thee forsake thy God, Hadst thou not been besides thy wits, And therefore I do marvel much, I never heard, quoth Jonas, then, Thou diddest more amiss. They say, quoth Thomas, women's tongues Of aspen leaves are made; Thou unbelieving wretch, quoth she, All is not true that's said. No sinner enters in this place, Quoth Mary Magdalen then, "Twere ill for you, fair mistress, mild She answered her again. You for your honesty, quoth she, It was not by your occupation I hope my soul by Christ's passion Then rose the good apostle Paul, Remember, Paul, what thou hast done, All thro' a lewd desire, How thou didst persecute God's church With wrath as hot as fire. Then up starts Peter at the last, And to the gate he hies, Fond fool, quoth he, knock not so fast, Thou weariest Christ with cries, Peter, said she, content thyself, As thou thyself hast done. When as our Saviour Christ heard this, He comes unto this sinful soul, Of him for mercy she did crave, Sore have I sinn'd, O Lord, she said, And spent my time in vain, But bring me, like a wand'ring sheep, Into thy fold again. O Lord, my God, I will amend The thief for one poor silly word Past into Paradise. My laws and my commandments, But of the same in any wise, Not yet one word did ye, I grant the same, O Lord, quoth she, Most lewdly did I live, But yet the loving father did His prodigal son forgive. So I forgive thy soul, he said, LXXII. "A most excellent and famous Ditty of Sampson, judge of Israel, how hee Wedded a Philistine's Daughter, who at length forsooke him: also how hee slew a Lyon, and propounded a Riddle, and after how hee was falsely betrayed by Dalila, and of his death." [Black Letter, for the assigns of T. Symcocke.] WHEN Samson was a tall young man, The Lord did bless him still. It chanced so upon a day, As he was walking on his way, He saw a maiden fresh and gay In Timnath, |