1   `Forsothe aftir sum del of tyme, whanne the daies of wheete heruest nei&yogh;iden, Sampson cam, and wolde visite his wijf, and he brou&yogh;te to hir a `kide of geet; and when he wolde entre in to hir bed bi custom, `the fadir of hir forbeed hym, and seide, 2   Y gesside that thou haddist hatid hir, and therfor Y &yogh;af hir to thi freend; but sche hath a sistir, which is &yogh;ongere and fairere than sche, be sche `wijf to thee for hir. 3   To whom Sampson answeride, Fro this day no blame schal be in me a&yogh;ens Filistees, for Y schal do yuels to &yogh;ou. 4   And he &yogh;ede, and took thre hundrid foxis, and ioynede `the tailis of hem to tailis, and boond brondis in the myddis, 5   whiche he kyndlid with fier, and leet hem, that thei schulden renne aboute hidur and thidur; `which &yogh;eden

anoon in to the cornes of Filisteis, bi whiche kyndlid, bothe cornes `borun now to gidere, and &yogh;it stondynge in the stobil, weren brent, in so myche that the flawme wastide vyneris, and `places of olyue trees. 6   And Filisteis seiden, Who dide this thing? To whiche it was seid, Sampson, hosebonde of the `dou&yogh;tir of Thannathei, for he took awey Sampsones wijf, and &yogh;af to another man, `wrou&yogh;te this thing. And Filisteis stieden, and brenten bothe the womman and hir fadir. 7   To whiche Sampson seide, Thou&yogh; &yogh;e han do this, netheles &yogh;it Y schal axe veniaunce of &yogh;ou, and than Y schal reste. 8   And he smoot hem with greet wounde, so that thei wondriden, and `puttiden the hyndrere part of the hipe on the thi&yogh;; and he &yogh;ede doun, and dwellide in the denne of the stoon of Ethan. 9   Therfor Filisteis stieden in to the lond of Juda, and settiden tentis in the place, that was clepid aftirward Lethi, that is, a cheke, wher `the oost of hem was spred a brood. 10   And men of the lynage of Juda seiden to hem, Whi `stieden &yogh;e a&yogh;ens vs? Whiche answeriden, We comen that we bynde Sampson, and &yogh;elde to hym tho thingis whiche he wrou&yogh;te in vs. 11   Therfor thre thousynde of men of Juda &yogh;eden doun to the denne of the flynt of Ethan; and thei seiden to Sampson, Woost thou not, that Filisteis comaunden to vs? Why woldist thou do this thing? To whiche he seide. 12   As thei diden to me, Y dide to hem. Thei seien, We comen to bynde thee, and to bitake thee in to the `hondis of Filisteis. To whiche Sampson answeride, Swere &yogh;e, and `biheete &yogh;e to me, that &yogh;e sle not me. 13   And thei seiden, We schulen not sle thee,

but we schulen bitake thee boundun. And thei bounden him with twei newe cordis, and token fro the stoon of Ethan. 14   And whanne thei hadden come to the place of cheke, and Filisteis criynge hadden runne to hym, the spirit of the Lord felde in to hym, and as stikis ben wont to be wastid at the odour of fier, so and the bondis, with whiche he was boundun, weren scaterid and vnboundun. 15   And he took a cheke foundun, that is, the lowere cheke boon of an asse, that lay, `and he killyde `with it a thousinde men; and seide, 16   With the cheke of an asse, that is, with the lowere cheke of a colt of femal assis, Y dide hem awey, and Y killide a thousynde men. 17   And whanne he songe these wordis, and `hadde fillid, he castide forth fro the hond the lowere cheke; and he clepide the name of that place Ramath Lethi, `which is interpretid, the reisyng of a cheke. 18   And he thristide greetly, and criede to the Lord, and seide, Thou hast &yogh;oue in the hond of thi seruaunt this grettest helthe and victory; and lo! Y die for thyrst, and Y schal falle in to the hondis of vncircumcidid men. 19   Therfor the Lord openyde a wang tooth in the cheke boon of the asse, and watris &yogh;eden out therof, `bi whiche drunkun he refreischide the spirit, and resseuede strengthis; therfor the name of that place was clepid the Welle of the clepere of the cheke `til to present dai. 20   And he demyde Israel in the daies of Filistiym twenti &yogh;eer.

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