from the soundest sleep that ever I fell into. My Dinah, where is she? Tell me my girl what ails thee I am thy father, Dinah; come near my love, and let me embrace thee. Bid Joseph to come speedily, I want to see him. Ay, now I have hit the sore. Joseph is gone, Dinah! Joseph is rent to pieces. Bring that bloody coat. That coat, Benjamin, is thy brother Joseph's. He wears it no more. Some of that voracious army, wherewithal God hath plagued sinful man, hath torn him in pieces and devoured him. O my Joseph! my Joseph! Had I a thousand lives, I would have given them all to have redeemed thee from death. But thou art gone my son, for ever gone from the land of light, and I shall soon follow thee into that of darkness. I come my son, I follow thee, I soon shall join thee in the land afar off, Hasten thy pace, thou tardy executioner; cut short thy work thou friendly enemy; I long once more to encircle my son in these withered arms. Yet my Dinah, poor ruined damsel, if I could, I would live for thy sake, a little to alleviate thy sorrows, die my girl: I find I cannot long survive my Joseph." Lovely Benjamin, Dinah, and their sisters endea youred to console the mourning patriarch under his heavy loss. But all in vain. He refused to be comforted, saying, "Nay, but I will die with my son." Shunah the wife of Judah, Tamah the wife of Simeon, and Zillah the wife of Naphtali, endeavoured to set before him his numerous seed. His eleven remaining sons, their present offspring, and the prospect of a numerous issue. But the good man replied, "These are not my Joseph," and sunk into another fit of agonizing sorrow. Thus he grieved from day to day for the loss of his son, nor could all the endeavours of his children comfort him,

But I

Joseph and his company drew near to Memphis, the capital of Egypt, where the merchants intended to dispose of ther goods. And here Alvah, the Ishmaelite, found a market for his young Hebrew likewise. Alyah had seen so much of Joseph's dexterity in the management of his affairs, and was so de

lighted with his piety and good sense, that he would gladly have kept him for his own servant, had it been his pleasure to have continued with him: but knowing his distressed circumstances, deemed it ungenerous to lay any constraint upon his inclination.

Therefore the evening after their arrival in Memphis, he called Joseph to him, and thus addressed him: "My young man, I am perfectly sensible that for envy you was separated from your father's house, and sold unto me. Since you came under my direction, your agreeable converse, your courteous and affable conduct, has perfectly gained my affections. If you are content to abide with me, I will use you as a friend rather than a servant; for you are dear to me Joseph, as if you was my own son. Nevertheless as you may have your objections to returning to the land where your barbarous brethren reside, and as I am uninformed concerning the purposes of your God towards you, I leave you to your own voluntary choice, either to return with me, or to abide in Egypt. But if you fix upon Egypt as your residence, you must be sold my Joseph. Sold as a slave my friend, notwithstanding I believe you are born to rule." The son of Jacob respectfully replied; " My dear Sir, my honoured Alvah, my friend, my father, permit me to call you by that endearing name; I cannot enough admire the goodness of God, who provides for me in strangers, that friendship which was denied me in the house of my brethren. All was cruelty from them, but friendship, my dear master, has rum through the whole of your conduct towards me. Inclination, Sir, would induce me to follow your fortune good or bad, but a secret message delivered to me by an heavenly messenger not two hours before I was sold unto you, obliges me, as your will coincides therewith, to abide a bondman in Egypt. I would not as yet willingly divulge the contents of the message referred to; but the time will come my honoured master, that I shall more fully reveal the cause of my banishment. Then you will clearly see that want of respect to you is no part of the reason why I desire

to leave your very agreeable service. Permit me Sir, to beg your endeavour to dispose of me as you would wish to have your own son disposed of in Similar circumstances, and let me owe my good fortune, if such should befal me in a strange land, to a man to whom I am already under so many great obligations. Thus, Sir, will you bind me to you for ever, and make me more yours than I possibly could be as one of your domestic servants."

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"I will Joseph," replied the good Ishmalite, "I will take care to dispose of you to your best advantage. I will be to you in place of a father at this time. But when you are advanced, my son, as God, even the God of your father Abraham will advance you to the highest honours, forget not your friend. Think of poor Alvah, and for my sake deal favourably with my seed, should they ever make supplication unto you. I will enhance your price my friend, in some low proportion to your worth, but not a penny of it shall abide with me, for I have profited greatly by your presence already." My dear Sir," replied Joseph, "you are a merchant, and must live upon your gain, why should you throw away any part of it upon a poor unworthy stranger?" "I tell you Joseph," returned be with some emotion," you are a friend of the Almighty's, and your God will never let poor Alvah be a loser by any little kindness which he may shew to you. Be satisfied Joseph. Be content I say; and prepare yourself by to-morrow noon for the market, and here, let me see, take these few pieces to provide yourself with decent apparel; and Iin the mean while, will be taking what measures I can for your good." So saying he turned and gave no time for reply. Joseph, overwhelmed with gratitude, burst forth into tears, admiring the wisdom and goodness of God in raising up unto him, as it were, a second Jacob in the person of Alvah. "O thou Holy One." he cried, "I am now convinced of thine omnipresence and superintendency over human affairs. I admire thy wisdom, I adore thy goodness to me, who am unworthy of the least of all thy mercies; go on

my God to perfect what thou hast begun, and succeed the earnest endeavours of benevolent Alvah in my behalf, and succeed thou me, and be thou with me, my father and my friend, in this land wherein I am a stranger, and the glory of all will ultimately redound unto the. Amen.'

The time arrived that Joseph must appear for sale. He came arrayed in plain but decent apparel, which shewed the graces of his person to the best advantage. His master and he had but just come to the mart, when Potiphar, a renowned officer in the army and captain general of the forces of Egypt, happened to come past, and fixing his eye upon him, conceived a singular liking for him. What pity is it, said he within himself, to see a person of such an attractive deportment, displaying a countenance so distinguishingly lovely, exposed to sale to every sordid wretch of a master? If money will redeem him from slavery it shall be done, and I think I shall deem myself happy in having released one of the most amiable of human kind. "What is the price of this

young man, my master?".

"Ifhe is sold, Sir," replied Alvah, "an hundred and fifty pieces is his price; but I sell him not unless I know to whom, and what treatment he is likely to meet with. For it is not necessity, but choice that detains him in Egypt." 'My name," said he, "is Potiphar, I am of some consideration in the state, and near the person of his majesty."" Then Sir, the young man is yours at your own price, and I hope you will consider him as one that might have expected better fortunes, but for the malice and envy of jealous brethren. I am proud, Sir, to recommend him to you as the most virtuous, faithful, and pious of his race." It is agreed. "Are you willing to follow the fortune of Potiphar?" "I am willing to be his humble servant, if Sir, you are," "Here then, merchant, here is your money." "One word, Sir, ere the bargain is closed, and that is, that as I trade to this place, I must beg leave to have a friendly interview occasionally with my friend Joseph, for he

is my friend, although I have the power of disposing of him at present." "Far be it from Potiphar to hinder the youth he loves from access to his friends. You are welcome at all times to visit your youthful, your amiable friend."

Joseph was placed in Potiphar's family, after Alvah had, according to promise, obliged him to accept of the hundred and fifty pieces for which he was sold, and taken a tender farewell of him for a season. He had not been long in his new station before he gave such proofs of his probity, as gained him the esteem of all the family.

Potiphar was but lately married to a beautiful lady of the first rank, whose name was Sabrina; given to the captain by his majesty himself. The better to solemnize the nuptials of his warlike officer, the king appointed an hunting match in the desart of Arabia, where he was graciously pleased himself to attend Potiphar and Sabrina. They had not long ranged the lonely wild, ere they roused a monstrous lion, master of a savage family, at whose appearance even the hardiest of them gave back. The surly monster, with furious disdain flashing from his eyes, stalked slow in sullen majesty, and with eyes askance surveyed his competitors, till perceiving himself overmatched by the number of baying-hounds just letting loose upon him, he took to his heels, and sought refuge in the distant thicket. Sabrina, mounted on a Swift Arabian horse, well accustomed to exercises of this kind, surpassed the hounds, and even outfled the wind; exposed herself to the greatest danger, to the terror of the noble company, none of whom could come near her, Joseph alone excepted. Mounted on the fleetest of his master's coursers, he kept close to his lady, and well for her it was so; for coming to the edge of the thicket, which by reason of its closeness would not admit the entrance of the lion, who finding himself so closely pursued, turned fiercely upon his enemies. Sabrina being next unto him, had no doubt fallen a prey to his fury, had not Joseph rushed between her and danger. The savage