haue giu'n command To place thee in the fattest of my Land The Land of Goshen be a habitation To thee thy children and thy generation There is best pasture-ground for them to keepe Their Camels Asses Cattell Gotes and Sheepe To raise to place of honour I desire Thee and thy sonnes but they of me require Still to be Heardsmen wherefore the most bould And actiue I make Rulers of my fould Then Iacob blessing Pharoh did depart Out of his presence with a ioyfull heart Seu'nteene yeares after in prosperitie Liu'd Iacob and did greatly multiplie And Ioseph in his former Grace did stand Still vnder Pharoh ruling all the Land Nor might be ere out of his masters sight Because he was his onely Fauorite Till one day Ioseph absent from the Court Pharoh bespeakes his seruants in this sort Nere thrise ten times the Sunne with panting horse Hath run through heau'n his swift and yeerly course Since first arose in this our hotter clime That hebrew Sun which euer since did shine And all the time he did in court appeare We haue had Spring and Summer all the yeare I cannot eate by day nor sleepe by night Without his Beames most comfortable bright That honest man in whose ingenuous face A man may reade what in his heart hath place Now by my life I higher doe esteeme This Hebrew then great Egypts Diademe Nor is it to the least of you vnknowne He hath beene better to me then my Crowne And beares still for me to all mens content The weight of all my kingdomes gouernment In those seu'n yeares of Famine and of Store When his employments greater were and more If he were but one day out of my sight I certaine was to heare from him at night But now of 's light hath beene neere three daies pause Yet no man here will tell to me the cause When thus the Butler who by Pharohs grace Restor'd was as he dream'd to 's former place Dread Soueraigne some small clouds do in this sort Shadow his beames which wont to shine at Court But no defect in his ay-constant light He 's still the same and shines as euer bright Ioseph at home for Pharohs health now prayes To Israels God these are his mourning dayes His father old now sleepes in happy rest Who dying made to him this last request My dearest sonne the honour of my race If in thy sight thy father hath found grace For though thou art my sonne by true relation Yea I am subiect to thy domination Now graciously and truely with me deale Not for my priuate but our common weale Well do I know that our posteritie Will soone admire faire showes and vanitie And not regard the land of happinesse The Type of future and of present blesse Therefore to me my dearest Ioseph sweare Thou wilt not me in Egypt here enterre But safely carry to the land of Rest. With my forefathers there my Bones to rest It may be ours will sooner hasten thither Where all their Fathers Bones doe lye togither Then Ioseph sware and Israel worshipped The Feare of Isaack sitting on his bed These words he me desir'd with many teares That I would publish in King Pharohs eares And Licence of thee to that end obtaine Which done he would to Court returne againe When Pharoh thus Is that good old man dead Like apple ripe in Autumne gathered We all must follow who can tell how soone Some fall at night at morning some at noone But I desire if any here can tell How that good old man dide that liu'd so well For most what it befals mortalitie As they haue liued here eu'n so to dye Good Ioseph saith the Butler thus me told That Iacob growing weake as he grew old He Ephraim and Manasses his two sonnes Takes with him and vnto his Father comes Wherewith his weakenesse greatly comforted He takes his strength and sits vp in his bed And thus begins My sonne my Ioseph deare The God Almightie did to me appeare At Luz in Canaan where he did me blesse And promise to my seede much fruitfulnesse Assuring me to make a mightie Nation And giue that Land vnto my Generation For those two sonnes God here hath giu'n to thee Before my comming thou shalt giue them me As Simeon and Ruben they are mine Thy Children since begotten shall be thine These two I meane shall be two Tribes The rest In these Tribes names shall be of Land possest For I a double portion thee allot As my First borne Because I thee begot Of Rachel deare my first my lawfull Wife Who on my hand in Canaan left her life Her there alas I buried on the way To Ephrata call'd Beth'lem to this day But what are these two Lads my Ioseph deare My sonnes saith Ioseph God first gaue me heere Oh! bring them me saith Iacob to this place Before I die to kisse blesse and embrace Sweet Boyes Good Ioseph I nere thought indeed To see thy face but now I see thy seede The old man then though he were dimme of sight His left hand on Manasses and his right On younger Ephraim layes and wittingly Thus blesseth Ioseph in his Progeny God in whose sight I here haue walk'd alway Who all my Life-long fed me to this day The God of Abram and great Isaacks dread And th' Angell which hath me deliuered From euill blesse these Lads and let my name With name of Isaack and of Abraham Be in them nam'd and in their Tribes renew'd And grow on earth eu'n to a multitude But it displeasing was to Iosephs sight To see on Ephraims head him lay his right And on Manasses his left hand to place And would his First borne with the right hand grace But Iacob nould but said I know indeed Thy First-borne shall be great But lo the seede Of Ephraim shall be greater farre then he And a more strong and mightie people be Thus aged Iacob bless'd them both that day And said in thee let Israel blesse and say God send thee Ephraims and Manasses store But Ephraim he Manasses set before Then said he Lo I die now out of hand And God shall bring you to your fathers land Then ere he dide he swan-like sung this song Most sweete because he liu'd not after long Iacobs last blessing Sith my deare sonnes I haue not long to dwell On earth come hither and I will you tell What shall come on you in the latter dayes Assemble and attend your Fathers Sayes My first borne Ruben thou that art the might And first beginning of my strength by right Thou shouldst haue all my Power and Dignitie Which thou hast lost by thine iniquitie Vnstable water thou shalt not be head Because thou wentst vp to thy fathers bed For then indeed thou didst my couch defile And thy true right of first-borne lost the while Simeon and Leui Brethren instruments Of cruelty neare to your fathers tents My soule come not neare to their congregations Mine honour ioyne
heard Where in the Prison we a young man found In whom diuinest wisedome did abound For we a seuerall Dreame had in a night Which told to him to vs he read aright The Baker to the Gallowes I to Grace Should be restor'd and all in three dayes space This of our Dreames th'interpretation was All which you saw most truely came to passe Thus ends the Butler Pharaoh glad to heare Of ought might ease his longing wishd him there Who quickly sent for shau'd appareld white As him became to stand in Pharohs sight Heard and as soone his Dreame did right expound Which by nine yeares experience true is found For these seau'n faire Kine and ranke goodly eares He did interpret seu'n fat fruitfull yeares The seu'n thin sterued which did them deuower Seu'n yeares of famine In a lucky hower For Egypt for thus store we vp did lay In fruitfull yeares against this euill day And not sole happy for our temporall store But spirituall For many who before Long led in ignorance and errour blind Till they Gods Truth by good experience find To stones and stockes Sunne Moone and Starres did fall Now worship God the maker of vs all Of which for euer blessed be his name A thankfull one I though th'vnworthiest am And hauing all vaine worldly ioyes forsaken Now to deuotion sole my selfe betaken Thus ends the Sage When Iudah holy Sire Hearing thy words Gods goodnesse we admire Happy that God hath kindled in thy breast The holy Fire these flames doe manifest But tell vs what became of that great Sage Which of such store and famine did presage You told vs how the Butler him neglected But how hath Pharoh his desert respected For great ones for the most part doe despise The poore though they be ne're so iust and wise And though the Land is by their wisedomes guarded They are not long respected or rewarded That 's th' end saith Trismegist for which I told The rest When as King Pharoh did behold Such heaun'ly wisedome in such youthfull yeares For scarce six Lustres in his face appeares Who counsell'd him with speede for to prouide A man of vnderstanding that might guide His vnder Officers through all the Land To store vp plenty vnder Pharohs hand The fifth part e'un of all their Corne and seede To feede his people in the time of neede The saying seem'd so good in Pharohs eyes And all his Seruants that they soone deuise Because no man in Egypt could be found In whom the Spirit of God did so abound To place him ouer all his house and Land That all might be eu'n as he should command Thus now he with the King is all as one He only sits aboue him in his Throne Him then most sumptuously apparelling He made the Lord and Keeper of his Ring The which he vsed as the publique Seale For all his priuate state and Common-weale And his second Charet brauely plac'd And with the highest princely honour grac'd This is the Man hath stor'd vp in the Land Great heapes of Corne in number like the Sand For as the Sands cannot be numbered No more the Plenty he hath gathered Now twice the Sunne hath his full course nigh past Since all our Lands haue barren lien and wast Nilus no more our Fields hath watered Nor fertile dewes our fruits haue cherished And now the dearth in all the Land is sore As well amongst the Richest as the Poore The Garners open'd are and thence is sold Great store of Corne Nor doth this Prince withhold From strangers his Prouision For well-ny All Regions hether come them Corne to buy This man will you for Money Corne afford For he 's wise gentle iust and feares the Lord But whilst the Sage to them this tale relates They vnawares approach neere Memphis gates Then to his Cell returnes the aged Sire They hast into the Citie to enquire More of that Prince by whom the Corne was sold Where they their Brother though vnknowne behold The end of the second Booke of Ioseph THE THIRD BOOKE OF IOSEPH NOw is the time that all the Sheaues must bend To one now rais'd on high vpon his end The Sunne Moone Starres eleuen must now To him they meanely erst accounted bow For Ioseph now by due desert and right Is plac'd in honours Chariot shining bright And all the Corne the Treasure of the Land Vnder his sole disposing and Command For this same Ioseph which the Hebrewes sold Is he of whom great Trismegist erst told Who Corne had heap'd vp numberlesse like sand And was the Ruler ouer Egypts land When lo the brethren tenne before him brought Low bowing to the ground him thus besought Great Lord whose wisdome and deserued grace Giue 's thee in Egypt eu'n the second place Whose Prudence honour glory and renowne Through all the habitable Earth is knowne Vouchsafe to vs thy Seruants now such grace As thou hast done to many in our Case We Brethren all one mans Sonnes come to buy Corne to releeue vs and our Family Except we by thy Clemencie be fedde We and our Race must die for want of Bread The Lord of Egypt then who them did know But was vnknown Himself strange rough doth show And now remembring well his Dreames of late For which these that thus honour him did hate Thus answers See! you haue a faire pretence To buy you Corne and Victuall from hence But you are come into the Land as Spies To see wherein our strength and weakenesse lies I' st like ten Brethren should so farre descend None left at home their houses to defend Or are you all without a house or home And masterlesse about the Countrie rome Truly saith Iudah we twelue Brethren bee All one mans sonnes of which thou ten dost see The least at home doth with his Father stay But no man knowes where th' other is this day To buy foode are thy Seruants hither come For vs and for our Families at home By this saith then the Prince the truth I 'le know Whether you as I say be Spyes or no For by the life of Pharoh no man home Shall goe before your younger Brother come Take them to Prison till his comming tryes The truth By Pharohs life you are but Spyes Then he three dayes committeth them to ward Whilst of an answer they themselues prepar'd Thus as Gods Minister and Substitute He vengeance on their sinnes doth retribute Sinnes now forgot because so long since past But though God's slow he payes them home at last Yea then when they themselues thinke most secure For Iosephs wrongs he pay's them home and sure Happy who make right vse of Chastisement Which is to hate forsake Sinne and repent But they in Prison Ioseph doth aduise Alone with God how he may best deuise Them for their foule offences to correct And yet his aged Father not neglect Whom faine he would releeue with store of graine But feares his Brethren will not come againe The third day therefore thus saith
I am content to die So haue I seene a faire and tender Lambe Purloynd by wicked hand from louing Dam Long mist at last when both do meete againe With louing Bleatings fill both hills and plaine Yea so th' old man with ioy was extaside It wanted little but he there had dide But pious Ioseph with great care and paine By chafing brought him to himselfe againe Both being then in Ioseph's Chariot plast Iacob begins thus with Gods fauours past Many all done by Chance and Fortune deeme And little of Gods Prouidence esteeme I wish such would in all my life obserue How all mens actions here Gods purpose serue It was not Chance made Esau set at nought His birthright for a messe of Potage bought Nor the deuise alone of my deare mother That got my fathers Blessing from my brother For 's anger kindled thus it forth me driues To Laban where I children get and wiues 'T was Labans churlishnesse and auarice Inrich'd me by a new and strange deuice Colours before his yeaning Ewes to spread Which made white sheepe bring Lambs discoulered These he to me for wages did allow And suddenly they to a number grow The murmuring of Labans sonnes constraine Me with my household to hast home againe Whom Laban followes with an angry hart But God vs made good friends before we part Lo Esaus feare at Peniel by night Brought me to wrestle with the Lord of might Whose blessing so away his fury chases He turnes his threates to kisses and embraces Simeon and Leui cruell instruments From Sichem made me to remoue my tents To Bethel where my house of Idolls clear'd I vp an Altar to th' Almightie reard And payd my Tenth as I to him did sweare When first from Esau's wrath I fled or feare And saw a Ladder which from Earth did tend To heau'n whereby the Angels did descend Now last thy brethrens enuy spite and hate By selling thee haue sau'd my life and state For but for thee we all had perished Amongst the Cananites for want of Bread That God causd all these things it is most cleare For in the most he did to me appeare As late when I to Egypt should descend Thus all doth on Gods Prouidence depend Long did I thee as dead lament and plaine And neuer hop'd to see my sonne againe And so did Isaack thy deare Gransire grieue But neuer would that thou wer 't dead beleeue In God he was so confident and bold And in the dreames which thou before hadst told As if though blind he had foreseene this day But now in heauenly Ioyes he liues for ay Some ten yeares since him dying in his bed I and my brother Esau buried Oh! my deare sonne my soule is much delighted As to relate eu'n so to heare recited Gods goodnesse towards his therefore vnfould How God preseru'd thee since thy brethren sold Thee to the Ishmaelites for thrice seu'n yeare Are past since I least newes of thee did heare Good Iacob had no sooner made an end But Ioseph was as as ready to commend Gods care and Goodnesse in his preseruation From all his troubles in this next narration I know not whether by their fault or Fate It oft befalleth great men in the state Rich wise and happy in their Princes grace Comely in body beautifull in face To be conioyned to a wanton wife Which sowreth all the sweetnesse of their life This was the fault or Fortune of a Peare Of Pharohs to the King his Master deare My master Potiphar who as I weene Had in his youth a skilfull Merchant beene And Stewarded so frugally his owne That Pharoh wise to whom all this was knowne Mad him chiefe steward they that can hold fast Their owne their Masters treasure seldome wast He that did by experience vnderstand How things are hoist vp bought at second hand Hearing that Merchants stor'd with spicery Were come to towne goes his owne selfe to buy The King his masters and his owne prouision Thrift stands not on nice court-like superstition Amongst some other wares then to be sold A faire young Hebrew lad he doth behold Adorn'd and set out in the fairest guise As horses to be sold at higher prize A price once pitchd and I by running tride As some do horses ere they buy them ride Was sold to Potiphar who for his table Me bought as we our horses for our stable I of this change was most exceeding glad For now I ease for paine and trauell had For hard fare Good but as a gratefull minde Returnes ay thankes where Benefits they finde So did I my good Lords munificence Requite with Industry and diligence And for I found he pleasd my Master best That pleasd my Mistresse well aboue the rest I to obserue her was most diligent And all means vsde to giue her best content So that by Prudence more then taking paine I both their Loues and Fauours sought to gaine For who so will obserue shall euer find Best way to please is to obserue the mind And the affection of men of state And thereunto themselues accommodate Therefore a blisse on good men to attend But misery on wicked to depend Both prou'd by me who for my seruice true Was by my Lord preferd to honour due And for like seruice to my wicked dame Was brought to prison obloquy and shame This my faire Mistresse for no other name I giue her willing ay to hide her shame Some meane mechaniques daughter seemes to be First matcht in her owne order and degree But raisd to wealth and honour from the dust Thinks all to little for her Pride and Lust And as a man that stands on steeple high His equals erst doth now like Crowes descry So she now clambred vp on honours Spire Thinkes all to low her greatnesse to admire Soone might I in her scornfull lookes descry Her haughtinesse and my base slauery But bearing then an honest gentle minde Omit no seruice that may fauour finde Which so succeedes that ere the Crescent bright Had fild her hornes with brothers borrowed light I by my diligence of her did gaine Sweet smiling lookes in stead of proud disdaine And now the enuious spirit which sought of late To ruine by my Fathers loue my state Me by my Mistresse lust seekes to intrappe And dandle in vile sinfull pleasures lappe Damnd sparke of hell Base counterfet of loue And those pure warming flames from heau'n aboue Which so true louers hearts in one vnite That they enioy without offence delight Therefore true loue like morne is faire and bright Lust like an Ympe begot of blackest night But later dayes since Rapines did abound Do Lust and Loue most wickedly confound This baser Lustfull Loue the Spirit did chuse As he did first the Serpent to abuse The weaker Eue this proudest dame to traine To tast the fruit forbidden by deaths paine And kindling in her eyes first lustfull fire This Sense presents it with her foule desire To Reasons brighter eye which