eternity Thus saith thy Son who by the common vogue Was thought one of grim deaths large catalogue Thus saith our Brother here I am ador'd As Pharaohs Father and all Egypts Lord Come down thou with thy house thy heards and flocks Time limps away methinks with leaden socks Untill thou come accept of my advice Thine shall be Goshen Egypts Paradise Let no delay this thy descent prorogue Lest Famine in a fatall Epilogue End thee and thine come that with my Protection I in some sort may answer thy affection The Sun five times shall pass through all his Inns Till dearth shall fully expiate our sins Mean while descend and of my store partake Since heav'n by me prepar'd it for thy sake Hast for your own sakes that I may refresh And cloath your naked bones with tender flesh My words and actions have not divers centers Both end in one but if upon the tenters This stretch your faith beside the foretold signs Observe this visage and its wonted lines Sweet Benjamin blest were th' Astrologers If as I know these eyes they knew the Starrs If so though all events be closely seal'd No doubt the future should be all reveal'd His Lordships speeches were no sooner ended But he and Benjamin together blended Themselves in close embraces both did lie Entwined like the Zodiacks Gemini As if they meant lest we again should part Come by the strings let 's knit each others heart Their eyes now pay'd their long-retained debt Each on anothers neck entwined wept That done the rest with sweet inviting phrases He even wearied in his close embraces Then kist them all and Chorus-like enquir'd Again is not my Father yet expir'd God will be su'd to who no other task Imposeth on our wants but this to ask And though he seem long in majestick pause Not onely not to hear but slight our cause 'T is but to edge devotion to inhance His Grace upon our Souls before he grants All distance then is chang'd to an imbrace Wrath falleth as a Vizzard from his face He not defers nor his affection smothers Nor doth disdain at all to call us Brothers As one that dreams he 's falling from a steep And tow'ring precipice into the deep Awaking finds himself free from such harms And taking safe repose in friendly arms Such were the Brethrens fears and sad extremes Which now did seem but fancies and vain dreams When Joseph in their Passions Extasie Reviv'd their senses from their Lethargie With sundry Passions were at once their minds Like a Ship tost 'twixt two opposing winds Now would they joy then grief by shame being backt Their new resolved greetings would distract The tears from divers springs seem'd to proceed Which they not so much seem'd to weep as bleed Within their brain two floods at once arose Of joy and grief as when two Seas oppose Some wept some weeping smil'd like Aprils weather Which rains then shines then rains and shines together Now were they all resolved to regreet Their Brothers courtesie but as a fleet Which comming neer the harbour back is thrust Into the Ocean by some angry gust Shame would retard intention some would smother In silent whispering the name of Brother Glad Reuben though he gave to God the glory Yet blest perswasion and his oratory And Judah though he sold him yet was bold To say he joy'd though griev'd he thus was sold Now they confest his Dreams no vain Phantasms But heav'nly and inspir'd Enthusiasms Their Sheaves and Stars had bow'd the sawcy Boy Was now their Lord and Egypts chief Vice-roy Glad Benjamin admiring the results Of their immanity thus now exults A Brother lost and found is worth like mirth As if you joyed at a Brothers birth Come then let 's triumph for who could expect From this so bad a cause so good effect To hear the Lord speak how he was re-sold How often fashion'd in afflictions mold His Chastity which with a full mouth'd blast Shall fill Fames trump as long as time shall last How he ran Chance as blind as ever painted Yet he by adoration thus was Sainted In mens opinions would make a dint And deep impression in hearts of flint For joy some swounded and each circumstance Of each relation struck them in a trance Each passage made each minutes time the mother Of some new joy so one joy crown'd another Had th' whole world seen each act heard each rehearsall No doubt the joy had here been Universall T' express the triumph fully would extort Descriptions treasury undoe report Now tell-tale Fame hath with a nimble wing Proclam'd these tidings to the Court and King Who thus to Joseph placed next his Throne We to thy Fathers care thy Mothers grone All owe our lives nay more for to him seeng Thou being ow'st we owe him all well being Now since he liveth and the fatall Star That blasts our Kingdomes plenty spreads so far Her fatall influence as Canaans clime Send for thy Father on our Souls this crime Shall not write guilt that He amidst our store Should faint whom for thee all are bound t' adore To Him alone for thee all Egypts bound So deep more than conceit hath line to sound Thy duty shall joyn issue with my will Since his one life exceeds the num'rous Bill So far that daily doth attend our gates As doth one Phoenix life whole clouds of Gnats Thus by thy Brethren say wee youth and dotage Both lofty Palace and the lowly cotage Owe thee the Father of a Son so blest More than by Hieroglyhick can b'exprest Thus saith the King let not thy thoughts be gravell'd In doubts thy Joseph who my Dreams unravell'd Which all our Sophies did in vain examine Shall nourish and protect thee in this famine Which though it have set limits to my wish And scarcity doth season every dish Delay not thy descent for thou deservests The greatest measure of our sev'n years Harvests This to thy Brethren say go take the best That Egypt yeelds and lead each man his beast Since that remorslesse dearth to death proscribes Your aged Father and his hopefull tribes Think Egypts King for Joseph's sake deplores Your empty Wine-presses and threshing-floores Go bring your Father down if Egypts Map Have land whose poares breath a more vigo'rous sap Than this that is more fertile and more pleasant Come down none shall resist thee Peer nor Peasant This say and for thy Fathers ease take Waggons And for thy Brethren spare no sprightly Flaggons To ratifie their welcome since with them Thou art a Branch sprung from the self same stem Glad Joseph was that Pharaoh's thus inclin'd To what before he had himself design'd Envy could not upbraid his want of love So much he did the means and time improve Scarce Morpheus could at all betray his sense But care would counter-charm His influence When bright Hyperion mounted Phlegons back He gave command to fill each Brothers Sack To all he gave provision lest the length Of the
unrelenting Brests would fly Clasping their necks Sweet Brethren pitty me The true imagination of his pains Doth make my blood carcer within my veins When I think on 't my passion is so wild I start and cry as present Save the child My fingers fayl and in perplex'd demurs Instead of words my pen indenteth blurs My heart doth quake my joints are all benum'd My trembling tongue unto my jaws is gum'd Yet not for him alone but for my Saviour Of whom he was the type with worse behaviour They used him of old let every age At once present their Scenes upon one Stage And all the miseries in History Coucht in most tragick prodigality And in most gorgeous rhetorick exprest Yet his but in their naked colours drest Would shew most gaudy such as would inforce Ev'n Pagans unto mourning and remorse Anon our Brethren did deliberate Not to extenuate but defer their hate Till all the horrour of their wittiest rage Might wait on death in horrid equipage Mean while of Reubens counsell they admit And void of mercy cast him in the pit Where if they meant him meat for Wolves or Bears Or in the empty pit to drown in tears Or left him there a prey to greedy famine The text is silent nor may I examine Mild Reuben joyfull that by this perswasion He stopt their fury thought by this evasion When the dark night might with his care conspire To free young Joseph from his Brethrensire Wherefore he cri'd I 'm void from this offence Bear witnesse heaven of my Innocence Now when they had left Joseph and were dining And in a bloody synod were combining They lifted up their eies and might discern A company which they anon might learn Were Midianites whose trade was merchandice As Gilead Balm gum mirrh and fragrant spice For Egypt on their bunch-back'd Camels bound Which seen thus Judah riseth from the ground Brethren quoth he the blood in Josephs veines The self same tincture with our own retaines And from the self-same chanell it derives As we do that which actuates our lives He is our flesh let not his blood be spilt Since murther cann't be hid lest that the guilt On us and our posterity intail A curse from death let forefight be his bayl Come then let 's sell him to yon merchant-crew And then see what will of his dreams ensue The Brethren all assent to this advice And one is sent to barter for the price Quoth he Good sirs we have in yonder cave A smooth-fac'd lad whom you may buy your slave Whom we would sell at reasonable price Of gold or silver mirth sweet balm or spice Mean while our youth blessing their cruelty That yet where God sate thron'd he saw the skie Thus prayd Great God of Angels and of Man Who metest out yon heavens with the span Who stretch'st them like a curtain and canst roll Them up together like a Parchment scroll I 've not deserv'd this at my Brethrens hands Yet greater by transgressing thy commands And since thou by the hate dost me reprove Of those of whom I most did hope for love 'T is just ' gainst thee I oft commit offence Who most of me expectedst reverence Yet if I by my Brethren yeeld my breath O pardon me and pardon them my death No sooner had he voyc'd this prayer when His furious Brethren had approacht the den Whence having took him up by tackled cords Who look'd for nought but death they use these words Look you quoth one look yonder are thy masters Wee 'll give thee time to weep at thy disasters Forsake thy native for a forreign land Where this fair skin shall be Sun-parch'd and tand Prepare these dainty limbs t' endure the gripes Of hardest labour and these sides for stripes Prepare this dainty palate to be parch'd With thirst this stomach to be hunger-search'd Quoth Joseph if you will not pitty take For mine nor Jacobs then for heavens sake Here let me starve here let me dig my grave Within this pit O sell me not a slave I 'd weep such characters my tears should trace Such Water-works upon my blubberd face Whose intricate Meanders should out-vie Trajans or Bushells in Hydrography His mones no more appease their raging minds Than can a Sea-mans whistle still the winds But him for twenty silver pieces sell And with a scornfull look they bid farewell As Arethusa through the mazes led Of the dark earth through her inclosed bed At length makes passage so my sorrow swels O'r flows my Brain and drowns my brinie cels Their names and natures seem to suit each other Judas sold Christ and Judah sold his Brother And when I sin how can't be understood But that I 'm guilty of my Saviours blood I sold him and he bought me yet in vain For I each day doe barter him again Sins are too pregnant that they should appear So far remov'd only in Plato's year Their Brother by the Patriarks of old After our Saviour was by Iudas sold Men are liv'd o'r again O could our times Non guilty plead from such unnat'rall crimes For spurious vices are hereditary Though th' ages vanish and the seasons vary Now nights dark mantle had the world behung Nights Quirister her ev'ning notes had sung And carefull Reuben thinking all secure Darkness at hand that might his care mature Unto his Brother hies and comming near He cries aloud dear Brother Ioseph hear No answer made unto a higher strain He tunes his voice aloud to rouze the Swain None but an echo answers with his fist Then thumps his Breast lest death and sleep had kist Then carefull fear makes nearer scrutiny Believing not his ear he trusts his ey And finding him not there sadly returns Unto his Brethren rents his cloaths and mourns The child is not then I I will not home But like savage Satvr hence will come Like a wood-Cit'zen on the same accounts With Bears and Wolves I 'd dine and sup by ounce You never suckt the Breasts of Wolves or Bears That you should be obdurate to his tears Since he is slain where have you him inhears'd Which of you hath his guiltlesse bosome piec'd Fear you not Rachel will appear anon And to our Father mone her murtherd son And with strong dreams at night intrance his spirit You for a blessing may a curse inherit Had rage no other countermine in store Against contempt but death what could it more At this they all stood mute none was so bold For to reply that Josoph's bought and sold Untill that one more boldly for the rest To mourning Reuben all the truth confest That done the coat which they from Joseph stript I' th' blood of a young tender Goat they dipt Christs cloaths were parted Josephs dipt in blood May ne'r by them our Church be understood May ne'r our Church lie tinctur'd in her gore Not rent by Shismaticks I heav'n implore Nor heresies may not that lovely Spouse Be forc'd nor Goats upon that Vineyard
as husht now with their Spells Let them recruit their Garners and their Cells Astrologie's undone now let them dine On joynts of Taurus or some empty signe I 'll make no nice enquiries I have had A full rehearsall of thy life and trade Thus thou wouldst speak but I anticipate Thy sad complainings which would thus debate That as Deucalions flood drown'd all the Earth Some fear lest it dispeopled be by dearth That your Earths chaps yawn like so many graves To swallow you unless that plenty saves That Famine's grown a Monster of huge stature Which not with few content exacts on Nature Since plenty as if Bankrupt of her store Keeps private house in Egypt you implore Thy Joseph being her Steward she would daign T' accept thee and thy sons amongst her train I 'll not impose upon thy lungs a task Of large long-winded answers but this ask Since Nature in thee fails thy eyes decline And in thy two-leav'd Spheres withdrawes their shine And each decaying part doth seem to crave With bended ham of ev'ry land a grave How long was 't since thy Souls inspired flame Possession took of this declining frame Dread Sir quoth Jacob rudeness are and age Unfit to act upon a Kingly stage A hundred and full thirty years I 've seen Both few and evill all my dayes have been Nor have I yet attained to the age Of my fore-Fathers in their Pilgrimage Though I am antient I may truly say Sorrow as well as age hath made me gray 'T is grief postdates my time which 't were but vain To think that joy can antidate again An ounce of grief emacerates the flesh More than a pound of joy can it refresh Sol sooner may regrade his morning track Than joy can change this gray to youthfull black If I 've a Son whom all of all degrees From those that fry ev'n unto those that freeze Under their Zones are bound to praise and love Impute it not as his but Gods above Let not the Husbandman give to the clod That glory which is onely due to God Yet if his merit be so much and more Than he can be made Bankrupt of w'implore That you would lay it if our charge surmount Your expectation on my Sons account This said again on them he blessings breath'd And them departing to his God bequeath'd And glad he brought his wishes to this close Resigns himself as Joseph should dispose Ghess him in Goshen next where he immerds The fruitfull Pastures with his Flocks and Heards I' th' Land of Ramisses he liv'd a soyl Which Famine could not of its vigour spoyl And though it laught not now with kinds of grains It smil'd with Pastures to delight our Swains To him by Joseph all respect was shown No Manumissive Corbon yet was known To Supersedeas a Son for he Still gave yet ne'r esteem'd himself as free No though he cherish'd had his age as long As He by him was nourish'd being young For filiall dutie 's Gods command no Bull Can it repeal no Vote can change or null No wit or art reverse it no mans joint Carv'd it 't was sculptur'd by his fingers point That publish'd it by thunder and His bolt Or worse shall vengeance take on their revolt That dare oppose it for they who explode Duty to Parents next will theirs to God Old Jacobs Cells were stor'd with Wine and Corn As full and free as was that plenteous Horn Jove gave his Nurse ev'n such was Joseph's love Unto his Father great as that of Iove Nor time nor charge could dull it even so Wells if you draw them will the freer flow Nor was our Joseph's duty onely such But to his Brethren was his love as much Though for their former rage he once seem'd strange Yet now they found in him a bounteous change As pardon is the daughter of Contrition So love's the common issue of remission He who was like the Sun that could dispense Upon the mean'st his bounteous influence Could not neglect the Starres could not deny Unto his Brethrens want his gracious eye Not like to some whose proud advanced height Looks on all other men as out of sight As fixt in higher Sphears out of the view And the Horizon of the common crew As if conceit of honour with th' affection Had likewise chang'd the temper and complexion But Joseph thought it honour to descend His Brethrens Father and his Fathers friend Now more and more the Dearth began to rage Advancing on in horrid equipage New maladies outbrav'd the Physicks skill And desp'rate murther acted now its will Faintness had some confined to their Beds As if Dearth meant to ravell out their threds Or if she scorn'd the common way by knife And meant t'untwind their fatall glomes of life The Barns were empty where was nought unless The mournfull Owle to wail their emptiness The gawdy gallants spirit now grew dull And wish'd a Garner for his Wardrobe full His Robes no better than the Beggers raggs The poor mans Scrip good as the rich mans baggs Though Gold be cordiall it but to the sight But a sad meale to hungry appetite The clown that thought that metall was divine Had rather find a Garner than a Mine Were Nole a Tagus and each fand i' th' stream Such stones whereof Philosophie doth dream Yet Midas now would gladly change his wish For roots or Acorns or so mean dish The Harvests pass the Clown no longer reaps But now his Husbandry lay all in heaps O'r-grown with Burrs rough Thistles Docks and Sedges The Culter rusted and the fruitfull Hedges Now with disorder'd boughes grew perewigg'd None plow'd prun'd planted sow'd manur'd or digg'd Dearth so purvei'd for Death now were the rodes Wherein they justled with their plenteous loads So much o'r-grown through scarcitie of men Each fearfull Beast there boldly made his den Each house as empty stood the owner 's dead As were their Bodies now their Souls were fled Each look so meager none could know almost Where 't were the man that walk'd or else his Ghost Who now with weakness bow'd their feeble hams Like late-earnd Lambkins yer they suck'd their dams The Oxe i' th' Commons motionless did lie The Gum down-roping from his pale dead eye The Cow lob'd down her head the raw-bon'd Ass His mouth was foul with half-chew'd roots of grass Each Beast half starv'd drooping the side and hip Not moving for the Scourge goad spur or whip Unto the Cities there was no resort Except of Crows who tore in knavish sport Their dead and still impatient of delay Rookt on the house tops waiting for their prey Their streets o'rgrown with rubbish seem'd t' express Unto the eye a civill wilderness So pining Dearth had shriv'led each ones skin With looks distorted they did strangely grin Which when they view'd in glasses and in brooks Amazedly they startled at their looks In fine a task that lames both tongue and pen All nothing but the shales or husks of men This while