A   Samson w&ebar;t downe to Th&abar;nath, and sawe a woman in Th&abar;nath of þe; daughters of þe; Philystines, and he came vp, and tolde hys father and hys mother, and sayde: I haue sene a woman in Th&abar;nath of þe; daughters of þe; Phylistynes. And now geue me her to wyfe. Then hys father and mother sayde vnto hym: ^note Is there neuer a woman am&obar;g the daughters of thy brethren, and amonge all my people, but that thou must go, and take a wyfe of the vncircumcysed Phylistynes? And S&abar;son sayde vnto his father: geue me thys woman, for she pleaseth me well. But hys father and mother wyst not that it was the Lordes doynge, and that he sought an occasion agaynst the Philistynes, for at þt; tyme the Philistines raygned ouer Israel.

B   Then went Samson and hys father and his mother downe to Thamnath, and came to the vyne yardes of Th&abar;nath. And behold a yonge (wood) lyon roared vpon hym. And the sprete of the Lorde came vpon hym. And he tare hym, as he wolde haue rent a kydde, and yet had nothynge in hys hande, neyther tolde hys father ∧ mother what he had done. And he went downe, ∧ talked with the woman, which semed well fauored in the syght of Samson.

And within a shorte space after, as he went thyther agayne to take her to wyfe, he turned oute of the waye, to se the carkasse of the lyon. And beholde, there was a swarme of bees, and honye in the carkasse of the lion. And he toke of the honye in hys handes, and wente eatynge, 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 honye oute of the carkasse of the lyon.

C   And so hys father came vnto the wom&abar;,

Samson and Samson made there a feaste, for so vsed the yonge men to do. And &club; when they (the cytesyns of that place) sawe him, they brought .xxx companions to be with hym. And Samson sayd vnto them: I wil now put forth a ryddle vnto you. And yf you can declare it me within .vij. dayes of the feast, ∧ fynde it out. I will geue you .xxx. shertes, and .xxx. cha&ubar;ge of garm&ebar;tes: But ∧ yf you cannot declare it me, then shall ye geue me .xxx. shertes and xxx. chaunge of garm&ebar;tes. And they answered hym: put forth thy rydle, that we maye heare it. And he sayd vnto them: Out of the eater came meate: and out of the stronge came swetnes. And they coulde not &ibar; .iij. dayes expounde the ryddle. And when the seuenth daye was come, they sayde vnto Samsons wyfe: flater thyne husband, (and perswade hym) that he maye declare vs the ryddle, lest we burne the ∧ thy fathers house with fyer. D   Haue ye called vs hyther, to make vs beggers? And S&abar;sons wyfe wepte before hym (complayned) and sayde: Surely thou hatest me and louest me not: for thou hast put forth a ryddle vnto the chyldren of my folcke, and hast not tolde it me. And he sayde vnto her: Beholde, I haue not tolde it my father and my mother, and shall I tell it the?

And Samsons wyfe wepte before hym vij. dayes, whyle the feast lasted. And þe; .vii. daye he tolde her, because she laye so sore vp&obar; him. And she tolde it the childr&ebar; of her folke. And the men of the cytie sayd vnto hym the seu&ebar;th daye, before the sonne went downe. What is sweter then honye, ∧ what is str&obar;ger then a lyon? Then sayde he vnto th&ebar;: If ye had not &rhand; plowed with my caulfe, ye had not founde out my rydle. And the sprete of the Lorde came vpon hym. And he went downe to Askalon, and slewe thyrty men of them, and spoyled them, and gaue chaunge of garmentes vnto them whych expounded the ryddle. And he was wroth, and w&ebar;t vp to hys fathers house. But Samsons wyfe was geuen to one of hys companyons, that he had taken vnto hym.

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