2. Reubel faid thefe, and many other things, and ufed entreaties to them, and thereby endeavoured to divert them from the murder of their brother. But when he faw that his difcourse had not mollified them at all, and that they made hafte to do the fact, he advised them to alleviate the wickedness they were going about in the manner of taking Jofeph off, for as he had exhorted them firft, when they were going to revenge themfelves, to be diffuaded from doing it, fo fince the fentence for killing their brother had prevailed, he faid that they would not however be fo grofsly guilty, if they would be perfuaded to follow his préfent advice, which would include what they were fo eager about, but was not fo very bad but in the diftrefs they were in, of a lighter nature. He begged of them therefore not to kill their brother with their own hands, but to caft him into the pit that was hard by, and fo to let him die; by which they would gain fo much, that they would not defile their own hands with his blood. To this the young men readily agreed. So Reubel took the lad and tied him to a cord, and let him down gently into the pit, for it had no water at all in it; who' when he had done this, went his way to feek for fuch pafturage as was fit for feeding their flocks.

3. But Judas being one of Jacob's fons alfo, feeing fome Arabians, of the pofterity of Ifhmael, carrying fpices and Syrian wares out of the land of Gilead to the Egyptians, after Reubel was gone, advised his brethren to draw Jofeph out of the pit, and fell him to the Arabians; for if he thould die among ftrangers a great way off, they fhould be freed from this barbarous action. This therefore was refolved on; fo they drew Jofeph up out of the pit, and fold him to the merchants for twenty pounds. He was now feventeen years old. But Reubel coming in the night-time to the pit, refolved to fave Jofeph, without the privity of his brethren; and when upon his calling to him, he made no anfwer, he was afraid that they had deftroyed him after he was gone; of which he complained to his brethren, but when they had told him what they had done, Reubel left off his mourning.

4. When Jofeph's brethren had done thus to him, they confidered what they should do to escape the fufpicions of their father. Now they had taken away from Jofeph the coat which he had on when he came to them, at the time they let him down into the pit; fo they thought proper to tear that coat to pieces, and to dip it into goat's blood, and then to carry it and fhew it to their father, that he might believe he was deftroyed by wild beafts. And when they had fo done, they came to the old man, but this not till what had happened to his fon had already come to his knowledge. Then they faid that they had not

* The Septuagint have 20 pieces of gold; the telament of Gad, 30; the Hebrew and Samaritan 20 of filver; and the vulgar lattin, 3c. What was the true namber, and true fum, cannot therefore now be know.

feen Jofeph, nor knew what mishap had befallen him, but that they had found his coat bloody, and torn to pieces, whence they had a fufpicion that he had fallen among wild beafts, and fo perifhed, if that was the coat he had on when he came from home. Now Jacob had before fome better hopes that his fon was only made a captive; but now he laid aside that notion, and fuppofed that this coat was an evident argument that he was dead, for he well remembered that this was the coat he had on when he fent him to his brethren; fo he hereafter lamented the lad as now dead, and as if he had been the father of no more than one, without taking any comfort in the reft; and fo he was alfo affected with his misfortune before he met with Jofeph's brethren, when he alfo conjectured that Jofeph was deftroyed by wild beafts. He fat down alfo clothed in fackcloth and in heavy affliction, infomuch that he found no eafe when his fons comforted him, neither did his pains remit by length of time.

$ 1.

NOW

OW Potiphar an Egyptian, who was chief cook to king Pharaoh, bought Jofeph of the merchants, who fold him to him. He had him in the greatest honour, and taught him the learning that became a free man, and gave him leave to make use of a diet better than was allotted to flaves. He entrusted alfo the care of his house to him. So he enjoyed thefe advantages; yet did not he leave that virtue which he had before, upon fuch a change of his condition, but he demonftrated that wifdom was able to govern the unealy paffions of life, in fuch as have it in reality, and do not only put it on for a fhew, under a prefent flate of profperity.

2. For when his mafter's wife was fallen in love with him, both on account of his beauty of body, and his dexterous management of affairs; and fuppofed, that if the should make it known to him, the thould eally perfuade him to come and lie with her, and that he would look on it as a piece of happy fortune that his miftrefs fhould intreat him, as regarding that ftate of flavery he was in, and not his moral character, which continued after his condition was changed. So fhe made known her naughty inclinations, and spake to him about lying with her. However, he rejected her intreaties, not thinking it agreeable to religion to yield fo far to her, as to do what would tend to the affront and injury of him that purchafed him,and had vouchfafed him fo great honours. He, on the contrary, exhorted her to govern that paffion; and laid before her the impoffibility of her obtaining her defires, which he thought might be conquered, if she had no hope of fucceeding. And he faid,

that, as to himfelf, he would endure any thing whatever before he would be perfuaded to it; for although it was fit for a flave, as he was, to do nothing contrary to his mistress, he might well be excufed in a caie where the contradiction was to fuch fort of commands only. But this oppofition of Jofeph's when the did not expect it, made her ftill more violent in her love to him; and as fhe was forely befet with this naughty paffion, fo the refolved to compafs her design by a fecond attempt.

3. When therefore there was a public feftival coming on, in which it was the custom for women to come to the public folemnity, fhe pretended to her husband that he was fick, as contriving an opportunity for folitude and leifure, that the might intreat Jofeph again. Which opportunity being obtained, the ufed more kind words to him than before; and faid, that it had been good for him to have yielded to her firft folicitation, and to have given her no repulfe, both because of the reverence he ought to bear to her dignity, who folicited him, and because of the vehemency of her paffion, by which the was forced, though the were his miftrels, to condefcend beneath her dignity; but that he may now, by taking more prudent advice, wipe off the imputation of his former folly; for whether it were that he expected the repetition of her folicitations, fhe had now made it, and that with greater earneftnefs than before, for that the had pretended ficknefs on this very account, and had preferred his converfation before the feftival and its folemnity; or whether he oppofed her former difcourses, as not believing fhe could be in earnest, the now gave him fufficient fecurity, by thus repeating her application, that fhe meant not in the leaft by fraud to impofe upon him; and affured him, that if he complied with her affections, he might expect the enjoyment of the advantages he already had; and if he were fubmiffive to her, he should have still greater advantages; but that he muft look for revenge and hatred from her, in cafe he rejected her defires, and preferred the reputation of chastity before his miftrefs; for that he would gain nothing by fuch procedure, because she would then become his accufer, and would falfely pretend to her husband that he attempted her chastity; and that Potiphar would hearken to her words rather than to his, let his be never fo agreeable to the truth.

4. When the woman had faid thus, and even with tears in her eyes, neither did pity diffuade Jofeph from his chaftity, nor did fear compel him to a compliance with her; but he oppofed her folicitations, and did not yield to her threatenings, and was afraid to do an ill thing, and chofe to undergo the fharpeft punishment, rather than to enjoy his prefent advantages, by doing what his own confcience knew would juflly deferve that he should die for it. He alfo put her in mind that he was a married woman, and that the ought to cohabit with her husband only; and defired her to fuffer these confid

erations to have more weight with her than the short pleasure of luftful dalliance, which would bring her to repentance afterwards; would caufe trouble to her, and yet would not amend what had been done amifs. He alfo fuggefted to her the fear fhe would be in, left they flrould be caught; and that the advantage of concealment was uncertain, and that only while the wickednefs was not known (would there be any quiet for them) But that the might have the enjoyment of her hufband's company without any danger. And he told her, that in the company of her husband fhe might have great boldnefs, from a good confcience, both before God, and before men. Nay, that fhe would act better like his mistress, and make ufe of her authority over him better, while the perfifted in her chastity, than when they were both ashamed for what wickednefs they had been guilty of; and that it is much better to depend on a good life, well acted, and known to have been fo, than upon the hopes of the concealment of evil practices.

5. Jofeph, by laying this, and more, tried to refrain the violent paffion of the woman, and to reduce her affections within the rules of reafon. But fhe grew more ungovernable and earnest in the matter, and fince the defpaired of perfuading him, fhe laid her hands upon him, and had a mind to force him. But as foon as Jofeph had got away from her anger, leaving also his garment with her, for he left that to her, and leaped out of her chamber, the was greatly afraid left he fhould discover her lewdnefs to her husband, and greatly troub led at the affront he had offered her, fo fhe refolved to be before hand with him, and to accufe Jofeph falfely to Potiphar, and by that means to revenge herself on him for his pride and contempt of her; and the thought it a wife thing in itfelf, and alfo becoming a woman, thus to prevent his accufation. Accordingly the fat forrowful, and in confufion, framing herself fo hypocritically and angrily, that the forrow, which was really for her being difappointed of her luft, might appear to be for the attempt upon her chaftity; fo that when her hufband came home, and was disturbed at the fight of her, and inquired what was the caufe of the disorder fhe was in, fhe began to accufe Jofeph: And, "O husband, faid fhe, mayft thou not "live a day longer if thou doft not punifh the wicked flave, "who has defired to defile thy bed; who has neither minded "who he was, when he came to our house, so as to behave

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himfelf with modefly; nor has he been mindful of what fa"vours he had received from thy bounty, (as he must be an "ungrateful man indeed, unless he, in every respect, carry himfelt in a manner agreeable to us): This man, I fay, laid a private defign to abuse thy wife, and this at the time of a feftival, obferving when thou wouldst be abfent. So that it now is clear, that his modefty, as it appeared to be formerly, was only becaufe of the reftraint he was in out of "lear to thee, but that he was not really of a good difpofition.

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"This has been occafioned by his being advanced to honour "beyond what he deferved, and what he hoped for, infomuch "that he concluded, that he who was deemed fit to be trusted "with thy eftate, and the government of thy family, and "was preferred above thy eldeft fervants, might be allowed to touch thy wife alfo." Thus when she had ended her difcourfe, the thewed him his garment, as if he then left it with her when he attempted to force her. But Potiphar not being able to difbelieve what his wife's tears fhewed, and what his wile faid, and what he faw himfelt, and being feduced by his love to his wife, did not fet himfelf about the examination of the truth, but taking it for granted that his wife was a modeft woman, and condemning Jofeph as a wicked man, he threw him into the malefactor's prifon; and had a ftill higher opinion of his wife, and bare her witnefs, that the was a woman of a becoming modefty and chastity.

41.

CHAP. V.

What things befel Jofeph in Prifon.

OW Jofeph, commending all his affairs to God, did

an account of the exact circumftances of the fact, but filently underwent the bonds and the diftrefs he was in, firmly believing, that God, who knew the caufe of his affliction, and the truth of the faft, would be more powerful than those that inficted the punishments upon him; a proof of whose providence he quickly received. For the keeper of the prifon taking notice of his care and fidelity in the affairs he had fet him about, and the dignity of his countenance, relaxed his bonds, and thereby made his heavy calamity lighter, and more fupportable to him. He alfo permitted him to make ufe of a diet better than that of the reft of the prifoners. Now as his fellow prifoners, when their hard labours were over, fell to dif courfing one among another, as is ufual in fuch as are equal fufferers, and to inquire one of another what were the occafions of their being condemned to a prifon. Among them the king's cup-bearer, and one that had been refpected by him, was put in honds upon the king's anger at him. This man was under the fame bonds with Jofeph, and grew more familiar with him; and upon his obferving that Jofeph had a better understanding than the reft had, he told him of a dream he had, and defired he would interpret its meaning, complaining, that befides the afflictions he underwent from the king, God did alfo add to him trouble from his dreams.

2. He therefore faid, That in his fleep he faw three clufters. of grapes hanging upon three branches of a vine, large already, and ripe for gathering; and that he fqueezed them into a cup,

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