A   Samson wente doune to Thamnath, ∧ sawe a woman in Th&abar;nath of the doughters of þe; Philistines, and came vp and tolde hys father and his mother, and sayde: I haue sene a woman in Thamnath of the doughters of the Philistines. And nowe geue her me to wyfe. Then hys father and mother sayde vnto him, is there neuer a woman of the douhgters of thy brethren, among al my people, but that thou muste go and fette a wyfe of the vncircumcised Philistines? And Samson sayd vnto hys father, geue me thys woman for she pleaseth me well. But hys father and mother wist not that it was the Lordes doing, and that he sought an occasyon of the Phylystines, which at that tyme raigned ouer Israel.

Samson.

B   Then went Samson and his father and hys mother doune to Thamnath. And when they came to the vyneyardes of Thamnath: beholde a young Lyon rored vpon hym. And the spirite of the Lorde came vpon hym. And he tare hym, as a man woulde rent a Kydde, and yet had nothing in his hande. Neuerthelater he tolde not his father ∧ mother, what he had done. And he went doune and talked wyth the woman, whiche semed well fauored in the syght of Samson.

And within a shorte space after, as he went thether againe to take her to wyfe, he turned out of the waye, to se the carkasse of the Lion. And beholde there was a swarme of bees in the carkasse of the Lyon, and honye. And he toke of the honye in hys handes and wente eatyng, and came to hys father and mother and gaue them also. And they dyd eate. But he tolde not them, that he had taken the hony out of the carkasse of the Lyon.

C   And when his father was come vnto the woman, Samson made there a feaste, for so vsed the younge men to do. And when her frendes sawe him, they brought .xxx. companyons to beare felowshippe. And Samson sayde vnto them: I wyll put furthe a ryddle vnto you. And yf you can declare it wythin vij. dayes of the feast and fynde it out, I wyll geue you thyrtye shertes, and thyrtye cha&ubar;ge of garm&ebar;tes: But and yf you can not declare it me, then shal ye geue me thyrtye shertes ∧ thyrtye chaunge of garmentes. And they answered him, put forth thy rydle and let vs heare it. And he sayde vnto them. Out of the eater came meate: and out of the stronge came swetnesse. And they coulde not in thre dayes expounde the rydle. And wh&ebar; the seuenth day was come, they sayde vnto Samsons wyfe. Flatter wyth thyne husbande, that he maye declare vs the rydle, or elles we wyll burne the and thy fathers house wyth fyre, haue ye called vs to make vs beggers or not? D   Then Samsons wyfe wepte vnto hym and he said, it can not be, but that thou hatest me ∧ loueste me not: for thou haste put forth a rydle vnto the children of my folke, and wylt not tell me what it meaneth. And he sayde: Beholde, I haue not tolde it my father nor my mother, ∧ should I tell it the?

And she wepte vnto him .vij. dayes, while the feaste lasted. And the seuenth day he told her, because she laye so sore vp&obar; him. And she tolde it the chyldren of her folke. And the men of the cytye sayde vnto him the seuenth daye before the sonne went doune. What is sweter then honye, and what is stronger then a Li&obar;? Then sayde he vnto them: If ye had not ^note plowed wyth my caulfe, ye had not founde oute my rydle. Then the spirite of the Lorde came vpon him. And he went doune to Askalon, ∧ slewe thyrtye men of them, and spoyled th&ebar;, and gaue their garmentes vnto them whiche expounded the rydle. And he was wroth and went vp to his fathers house. But Samsons wyfe was geuen to one of his companyons that bare him companye.

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