interpretation of his dreams; but when they hesitated about them the king was so much the more disturbed. And now it was that the memory of Joseph's skill came into the mind of the king's cup-bearer, when he saw the confusion Pharaoh was in; so he came and mentioned Joseph to him, as also the vision he had seen in prison, and how the event proved as he had said; as also that the chief baker was crucified on the very same day; and that this also happened to him according to the interpretation of Joseph: that Joseph himself was laid in bonds by Potiphar as a slave, but he said he was one of the noblest of the stock of the Hebrews, and that his father lived in great splendour. "If, therefore," said he, "thou wilt send for him, and not despise him on account of his misfortunes, thou wilt learn what thy dreams signify.' The king, thereby, commanded that they should bring Joseph into his presence; and those who received the command came and brought him with them, having taken care of his habit, that it might be decent, as the king had enjoined them to do.

The king took him by the hand, and said, "O young man, for my servant bears witness that thou art at present the best and most skilful person I can consult with; vouchsafe me the same favours which thou bestowed on this servant of mine, and tell me what events are predicted by the visions of my dreams: and I desire thee to suppress nothing out of fear, nor to flatter me with lying words, or with what may please me, although the truth should be of a melancholy nature. It seemed to me that as I walked by the river, I saw kine fat and very large, seven in number, going from the river to the marshes; and other kine of the same number like them met

pretations of his dreams, made use of some, at least, if not all, these arts; and the jewish doctors would make us believe, that after several attempts of divers kinds, they came at last to this exposition, that Pharaoh's daughters (for they suppose him to have seven) should die, and that he should have seven others born to him in their stead; but this being not at all satisfactory to their master, put the cupbearer in mind of Joseph's great abilities that way. Le Clerc's and Patrick's Commentary. B.

* In Barbary one stalk of wheat, or barley, will sometimes bear two ears, while each of these ears will as often shoot out into a number of less ones, thereby affording a most plentiful increase. May not these large prolific ears, when seven are said to come upon one stalk, explain what

VOL. I.-NO. 2.

them out of the marshes, exceeding lean and ill-favoured; which ate up the fat and large kine, and yet were no better than before, and not less miserably pinched with famine. After I had seen this vision I awoke out of my sleep; but being in disorder, and considering with myself what this appearance should be, I fell asleep again, and saw another dream much more wonderful than the foregoing, which did still more affright and disturb me.* I saw seven ears of corn growing out of one root, having their heads borne down by the weight of the grains, and bending down with the fruit, which was now ripe, and fit for reaping: and near these I saw seven other ears of corn, meagre and weak for want of rain, which fell to eating and consuming those that were fit for reaping, and put me into great astonishment."

Joseph replied; "This dream, O king, although seen under two forms, signifies one and the same event of things; for when thou sawest the kine, which is an animal made for the plough and for labour, devoured by the poorer kine; and the ears of corn eaten up by the smaller ears, they foretel a famine, and want of the fruits of the earth for the same number of years, and equal with those when Egypt was in a happy state; and this so far, that the plenty of these years will be spent in the same number of years of scarcity, and that scarcity of necessary provisions will be very difficult to be corrected: as a sign whereof the ill-favoured kine, when they had devoured the better sort, could not be satisfied. But still God foreshows what is to come upon men, not to grieve them, but that when they know it beforehand, they may, by prudence, make the actual experience of what is foretold the more tolerable. If thou there

is further mentioned of the seven fruitful years in Egypt, that is, that the earth brought forth by handfuls?

This latter passage may, indeed, mean, that the earth brought forth handfuls of stalks from single grains, and not handfuls of ears from single stalks, agreeably to the following passage from Dr. Shaw: "In Barbary it is common to see one grain produce ten or fifteen stalks. Even some grains of the murwaany wheat, which I brought with me to Oxford, and sowed in the physic garden, threw out each of them fifty. But Muzeratty, one of the late kaleefas, or viceroys, of the province of Tlemsan, brought once with him to Algiers a root that yielded fourscore: telling us, that the prince of the western pilgrims sent once to the bashaw of Cairo one that yielded six score. Pliny mentions some that bore three or four hundred." B.

fore carefully dispose of the plentiful crops which will come in the former years, thou wilt procure that the future calamity will not be felt by the Egyptians."

Hereupon the king wondered at the discretion and wisdom of Joseph; and asked him by what means he might so dispense the plentiful crops in the happy years, as to make the miserable crops more tolerable: Joseph then added this advice; to spare the good crops, and not permit the Egyptians to spend them luxuriously; but to reserve what they would have spent in luxury beyond their necessity against the time of want. He also exhorted him to take the corn of the husbandmen, and give them only so much as might suffice for their food. Accordingly Pharaoh, being surprised at Joseph, not only for his interpretation of the dream, but for the counsel he had given, entrusted him with dispensing the corn; with the power to do what he thought would be for the benefit of the people of Egypt, and for the benefit of the King: as believing that he who first discovered this method of acting would prove the best overseer of it. Joseph having this power given him by the king,* with leave to make use of his seal, and to wear purple,† drove in his chariot through all the land of Egypt;‡ and took the corn of the husbandmen, allot

* Joseph had his name changed on this occasion. It was an ancient custom among eastern princes, upon their promotion of any favourite, to give him a new name. Nebuchadnezzar, we read, Dan. i. 7. imposed new names upon Daniel, and his companions in Babylon; and to this very day Mogul never advances a man, but he gives him a new name, and that significative of something belonging to him ; but here the question is, what is the meaning of the name which Pharaoh gave Joseph? In the Hebrew text it is Zaphnah paaneah, but in the Egyptian and Greek Pentateuch it is Pron-thonphanech. The oriental versions, however, are pretty unanimous in rendering it, a revealer of secrets; but there are some reasons why this should not be its true interpretation. For the time that Pharaoh gave the patriarch this name, was when he advanced him from the condition of an imprisoned slave to that of a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt! and therefore, it is reasonable to suppose that he gave it in commemoration of such promotion, rather than of his expounding dreams : because to have called him an interpreter of dreams only, had been degrading him to the level of magicians. Now if Pharaoh gave him this name in memory of his promotion, it was very likely that this name was strictly and properly Egyptian, (otherwise the common people could not have understood it,) though Moses, in his recording it, might endeavour to accommodate to the Hebrew idiom; and if it was Egyptian, the word in that language signifies

ting as much to every one as would be sufficient for seed and for food; but without discovering to any one the reason why he did so.

CHAP. VI.

OF THE ARRIVAL OF JOSEPH'S BRETHREN IN EGYPT, AND

HIS CONDUCT TOWARDS THEM.

OSEPH was now grown up to thirty years

of age, and enjoyed great honours from the king; who called him Psothom Phanech, out of regard to his prodigious degree of wisdom; for that name denotes a revealer of secrets. He also married a wife of very high quality she was the daughter of Petephres,§ one of the priests of Heliopolis, and her name was Asenath. By her he had children before the scarcity came on, Manasseh, the elder, which signifies forgetful; because his present happiness made him forget his former misfortunes. And Ephraim, the younger, which signifies restored; because he was restored to the freedom of his forefathers.

Now after Egypt had happily passed over seven years, according to Joseph's interpretation of the dreams, the famine came upon them on the eighth year: and because this misfortune fell upon them when they had no sense** of it before-hand, they were all sorely afflicted by it, and came running to the king's

what we call a prime minister: or strictly the first, or prince of the lords. Bibliotheca Bibl. occas. annot. 41. B.

To be arrayed in a rich dress, and to ride in great pomp and ceremony, were the ancient modes of investing with the highest degree of subordinate power in Egypt; and with a small variation still remain so. The history of the revolt of Ali Bey, (p. 43.) informs us, that on the election of a new sheik bellet, the pasha who approves of him invests him with a valuable fur, treats him with sherbet, and when the sheik bellet departs, the pasha presents him with a horse richly caparisoned.

Gen. xlv. 42-3.

HARMER, vol. iii. p. 308. B.

That is, bought it for Pharaoh at a very low price. § This Potiphar, or as in Josephus, Petephres, who was now a priest of On or Heliopolis, is the same name in Josephus, and perhaps in Moses also, with him who is before called the Head Cook or Captain of the Guard; and to whom Joseph was sold. See Gen. xxxvii. 36. xxxix. 1. with xli. 50. They are also affirmed to be one and the same person in the Testament of Joseph, for he is there said to have married the daughter of his master and mistress. Nor is this a notion peculiar to that Testament; but as Dr. Bernard confesses, common to Josephus, to the Septuagint interpreters, and to other learned Jews of old time.

**This intire ignorance of the Egyptians of these years

gates; and he called upon Joseph, who sold the corn to them; being become confessedly a saviour to the whole multitude of the Egyptians. Nor did he open this market of corn for the people of that country only: but strangers had liberty to buy also, Joseph being willing that all men, who are naturally akin to each other, should have assistance from those that lived in happiness.

that

Jacob also when he understood foreigners had this privilege, sent all his sons into Egypt to buy corn; for the land of Canaan was grievously afflicted with the famine: and this great misery touched the whole continent. He only retained Benjamin, who was born to him by Rachel; and was of the same mother as Joseph. These sons of Jacob then came into Egypt, and applied themselves to Joseph, to buy corn, for nothing of this kind was done without his approbation! since even the honour that was paid the king himself, was only advantageous to the persons that paid it when they took care to honour Joseph also. Now when he well knew his brethren, they thought nothing of him; for he was but a youth when he left them, and was now come to an age much greater, that the lineaments of his face were changed, and he was not known to them; besides this, the greatness of the dignity wherein he appeared suffered them not so much as to suspect the truth. He therefore now made trial what sentiments they had about the affairs of the greatest consequence; for he refused to sell them corn, and said they were come as spies of the king's affairs; and that they came from several countries, and joined themselves together, and pretended they were of kin; it not being possible that a private man should

of famine before they came, told us before, as well as here, by Josephus, seems almost incredible. It is in no other copy that I know of.

*In scripture Joseph is represented as swearing by the life of Pharaoh. Most authors take this for an oath, the original of which is well explained by Mr. Selden, (in his Titles of Honour, p. 45.) where he observes, that the names of gods being given to kings very early, from the excellency of their heroic virtue, which made them anciently great benefactors to mankind; thence arose the custom of swearing by them: which Aben Ezra saith, continued in his time, (about 1170,) when Egypt was governed by caliphs. If any man swore by the king's head, and were found to have sworn falsely, he was punished capitally. Extraordinary as this kind of oath which Joseph made use of may appear to us, it still con

breed up so many sons, and those of so great a beauty of countenance as they were: such an education of so many children being not easily obtained by kings themselves. Now this he did in order to discover what concerned his father; and what happened to him after his own departure from him; and as desiring to know what was become of Benjamin his brother; for he was afraid that they had ventured on the like wicked enterprise against him, that they had done to himself, and had taken him off also.*

Now these brethren of his were under distraction and terror, and thought that very great danger hung over them; yet not at all reflecting upon their brother Joseph, and standing firm under the accusations laid against them, they made their defence by Reubel, the eldest of them, who now became their spokesman. "We come not hither," said he," with any unjust design, nor in order to bring any harm to the king's affairs; we only want to be preserved, as supposing your bumanity might be a refuge for us from the miseries which our country labours under; we have heard that you proposed to sell corn, not only to your own countrymen, but to strangers also; and that you determined to allow that corn in order to preserve all that want it. But that we are brethren, and of the same common blood, the peculiar lineaments of our face, and those not much different from one another, plainly shew. Our father's name is Jacob, an Hebrew; who had twelve sons, by four wives, which twelve of us while we were all alive, were a happy family. But when one of our brethren, whose name was Joseph, died, our affairs changed for the worse, for our father could not forbear to

tinues in the East. Mr. HANWAY says, the most sacred oath among the Persians is " by the king's head;" (Trav. vol. i. p. 313.) and among other instances of it we read in the travels of the Ambassadors, p. 204, "there were but sixty horses for ninety-four persons. The Mehemander, (or conductor) swore by the head of the king (which is the greatest oath among the Persians) that he could not possibly find any more. And THEVENOT says, (Trav. p. 97, part 2.)" his subjects never look upon him but with fear and trembling; and they have such respect for him, and pay so blind an obedience to his orders, that how unjust soever his commands might be, they perform them, though against the law both of God and nature. Nay, if they swear by the king's head, their oath is more authentic, and of greater credit, than if they swore by all that is most sacred in heaven and upon earth."