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royal palace, then I ever received under my uncle's roof, where my own property should have procured me welcome.

"But the barbarous man did not long enjoy either my estate or his own, for the Elamites unable ever to stand before the Hummims, Cushi soon became master of the whole kindom and divided it among his faithful followers, Meanwhile I was put into the lowest and most servile office in the palace; which was much more agreeable to me than to live near to a kingsman, who had in my person violated all the laws of hospitality. My advancement was by slow degrees from one place to another, till it plased his majesty to enfranchise me and place me near his person. I had long served in the capacity of cup bearer, when his majesty was taken with a violent disorder in the viscera, which his physicans judged to be the effect of poison; and as I had the inspection of all the wine which he drank, and my friend Labonah of all the fruits and baked meats presented at the royal table, we were by special order seized and committed to prison till further orders. But far be it from Florillo so much as to wish the least inconvenience to his royal master. May heaven preserve the life of Pharaoh to be a blessing to the land whatever becomes of me. Last night I had a dream which greately disturbs me, apparently big with some important event. I thought there was a vine before me which divided itself into three luxuriant branches, each of which blossomed, budded, and brought forth the most delightful grapes that I had ever beheld, and that in the greatest plenty. I thought that I took of the grapes that were fully ripe and pressed them into Pharoah's onyx cup, and presented to him the most mellow and best flavoured wine that I remembered ever to have seen. His majesty drank the wine, and smiling, said, he hoped I would always procure him such wine as this, upon which I woke full of anxiety about the event." "My friend," said the son of Jacob, for your ing drank of the cup of affliction, entitles you to that

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endearing appellation. "You may make yourself very easy about your dream, for the God of heaven, who regards the cry of the oppressed, sends you by me a good interpretation of it. Before you was a luxuriant vine; a gift of God to undeserving men, the fruit of which composeth differences, creates friendship, dissolves care and melancholy, and turns our sadness into joy. The three branches, are three days, which shall be productive of great events in your favour, for on the third day, the king shall raise you up out of the prison, restore you to your office, to the good graces of your master, and to the glowing embrace of your wife and children. I beg Florillo, that you may think of me. I have undergone oppressions, at least equal to yours, and am here unjustly confined, for preferring my own, and my master's honour, to the brutal pleasures of the flesh. It will be easy for you, when ye regain your master's confidence, to make mention of me to him, and procure my release."

Labonah, the cook, having heard the favourable interpretation of his companion's dream, and hoping that his would be equally so, began and related it to Joseph as follows. "I thought I had upon my head,

three baskets made of the whitest osier, filled with provision for Pharoah's table; in the first basket was bread, made of the kidney of the finest wheat; in the second, were all manner of tasteful vlands; and in the third and uppermost, were savoury baked meats, such as my master loveth. But in spite of all my care as I passed along, I could not preserve my charge from the rapine of the filthy birds, which eat the baked meats out of the uppermost basket.'

"I pity your circumstances, my friend," said Joseph "and wish it was in my power to give comfort to you: But your fate, alas! is determined. The baskets are three days, yet within three days, the king will order you to be beheaded, after which, your body will be hanged on a gibbet, and the birds of the air, will eat the flesh from off your bones, nor will it be in your power to shun the threatening evil. What you have

done to deserve it, I know not, but such is the decree of unerring Providence. Let me therefore advise you to make confession to the God of heaven, implore his mercy to pardon your sins, and grace to fit you for another world, for you have little more than two days to live in this. Let your case be ever so desperate, with him there is mercy and plenteous redemption to them who call upon him."

"I see then," returned Labonah, "that judgment and justice sleepeth not, but sometimes overtakes the offender, when he thinks himself most secure. I am indeed clear from every bad design upon Pharaoh. A thought of poisoning him, never entered my mind. Yet I exasperated him, when I found myself arrested without a cause, and wished the deed to have been done, of which I was accused, that I might have had something worthy of imprisonment and death. But this was only the effect of ungovernable passion; though, according to the law of Egypt, it will be deemed high treason, and worthy of death. But alas! although I account myself in this to be innocent, it is long since I merited the death now to be inflicted on me. So that however inequitable I account the sentence of Pharaoh, that of the gods is just. I am a Lybian by birth. Obed, my father, left my elder brother and I possessed of his whole estate, which was very considerable. Osmyn, my brother, was industrious and frugal, by which means he greatly increased his wealth,gained the friendship of his superiors, and the veneration of people of lower birth. For my own part, I minded nothing but pleasure, and those were my choicest companions, who were the greatest voluptuaries. By these means my wealth was impaired, and I brought to wish my niggardly brother, as I then called him, out of the way, that I might possess myself of his estate. Glad would I have been if some fatal accident had clipped the thread of his life asunder, but it was long before I could come to the resolution of destroying him myself. However, at last, by the advice of a lewd woman, I gave him a poison that stole insensibly into the

mass of blood, and by slow degress stopped up the springs of life. It was long before its effect became apparent, though at last it put a period to his days, and I took possession of his estate, as being his heir at law. Some years I lived in the quiet enjoyment of the fruits of my brother's toil, and of my own unrighteousness, when an unhappy circumstance obli ged me to leave all behind, and seek for safety in a foreign country.

Having contracted an intimacy with the wife of a considerable man in the neighbourhood, I had the misfortune to stay later than usual one evening when the husband was not expected to come home, but to our utter confusion, he entered the chamber and found us conversing criminally together. How nearly alas! is one evil allied to another. To conceal our shame, and prevent him from obtaining legal redress, I rose in a fury, flew to my poignard, and plunged it into his breast before he had time to reflect on his own dishonour. As I had perpetrated the horrid deed, I hasted from the scene of murder, and retired to rest in my own apartment. In the third watch of the night, I was surprised by a supernatural light, which darted into my chamber, and illumined every corner of it. Unused to such phenomena, my blood froze in my veins, my hair stood upright on my head, and all the horrors of my guilt stared me in the face.-The light increased, and I clearly saw my brother Osmyn clad in celestial attire, standing by my bedside, whilst he thus addrest me. "Wretched Labonah, will thy murdering hand never be tired with shedding innocent blood? Was it not enough to possess yourself of my estate by murdering of me; but you must go and violate your neighbour's bed?. And was it not enough that you robbed him of his honour, and his wife of her virtue, but, like a villain innured to bloodshed, you must drench your thirsty sword in his honourable blood? Do not ye fear the awful God, who hates injustice and violence, and with whom no unrepenting murderer can dwell? Can you spare no time from your riot and wantonness, to

think but a little of the tremendous audit, to which you will soon be called? Can you bear an eternity of unspeakable torment, rather, than forego your sensual gratifications? It is an awful choice, Labonah, yet that choice seems to be yours. Arise, guilty man, arise, and flee to some foreign country, where the vengence of man will not be able to reach thee. But remember, the vengeance of God will follow thee even there, and bring thee to condign punishment, both in this life and that which is to come, unless thou repentest of, and forsakest thy vicious habits." So saying, the vision departed, and as soon as somewhat recovered from my fright I collected all my money and jewels,and instantly departed for Egypt; in which kingdomI went through many scenes, too tedious to mention, before I arose to the dignity of my late station. Too late I now see, that honour and integrity shall preserve those who are guided thereby; and that however pleasant sensual indulgencies for the present may be, the end of them is bitter as wormwood."

Early on the third morning a chariot rolled up to the gates of the prison, in which was a reverend old man, whose silver hairs hung down in graceful ringlets upon his shoulders; he was come as Florillo's friend, with special order to restore the cup-bearer to his dignity. Along with this senior prince, Joseph beheld a young lady, who gave him much uneasiness afterwards. She was the beauteous virgin, Asenath, the only daughter of the prince of On, who was also high-priest of Heliopolis. An artless modesty greatly improved the native elegance and matchless graces of her outward form. Her cheeks were a lovely mixture of the rose and lilly, and her eyes a sprightly blue. Her hair in careless elegance descended low, and partly covered the strings of jet and pearl which adorned her comely neck. The first sight of her wounded the youthful son of Jacob, and kindled an uneasy unknown passion in his heart. Till now, he never had felt the vacuum left in his breast for his other self. But now the damsel had fixed her empire in his heart, and the lovely image of the fair

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