unknown wantoned perpetually before his eyes, whilst he languished for the absent substance. But hopeless was his passion; he is a prisoner, accused of a capital transgression of the laws, and she a person of elevated rank. This, this, he cried, must confound all my hopes, and I, alas! must languish under a wound incurable.

Florillo replaced in his office, a guard arrived at the king's command, and conducted despairing Labonah to the place of execution, where Joseph's prediction was amply verified upon him. But the courtier, advanced again to favour, forgot the friendship of Joseph the prisoner.

Sabrina's rage had long subsided: her deadly hate returned into female tenderness and kind relentings, Her thoughts repentant, accuse her rashness. And O! her heart is pierced with poignant pain at the thought, that her mad revenge causes him, for whom she languisheth, to lay in an offensive dungeon: whilst she had it not in her power, without exposing her own shame, to administer the least consolation to the injured victim of her rage; or procure the smallest degree of relief for herself. And thus she Janguished away a miserable dying life at home, whilst Potiphar was dealing slaughter and death among the warlike Ethiopians, and Joseph lay negJected and forgot in prison.

"A deep remorse, from conscience of her sin,
"With constant horrors, vex her soul within;
"Her thoughts ten thousand racking torments feel,
"Yet in her treach'rous crime obdurate still;
"Her life and youthful spirits melt away,
"Her beauty withers with a swift decay:
"By day she wildly raves, consumes the night
"In thoughtless watchings, and imagin'd fright,
"While airy terrors glide before her sight:

Pale ghosts with wide distracted eye-balls stare,
And burning spectres, through the darkness glare."

ROWE.

ARGUMENT.

Pharaoh's two prophetic dreams-The convocation of the clergy-The butler confesseth his neglect of Joseph-Informs the king of his sagacity-He is brought into the presence-He interpreteth the dreams-Pharaoh remembers to have seen him in his sleep, as recommended to him as an assistant in government-He is clothed in rich apparel-Potiphar comes to solicit Joseph's enlargement, Sabrina having confessed the truth to him-He is astonished to find Joseph advanced so near the king—Joseph made lord-chancellor of Egypt-Builds granaries for receiving corn-The king proposeth a marriage to him-He is greatly perplexed, being already in love with an unknown lady-The match is proposed to the princess Asenath, who rejects it; having been in love with the Hebrew who rescued Sabrina from the lion, and not knowing that lord chancellor was he-Their astonishment and joy at meeting, when Joseph finds Asenath to be the lady whom he had loved with such vehemence, and Asenath found her lovely Hebrew to be the very person designed for her-The death of Judah's sons—It renews his sorrow for his violence to Joseph.

BOOK THE FIFTH.

THE time of Joseph's sufferings elapsed: on the very night before his enlargement, the monarch had two heaven-inspired dreams, which baffled the skill of all his diviners. He fancied himself by the side of the river Nile, where the monsters of the flood sport themselves on the oozy shore; he saw seven oxen of an enormous size, fat and well-fed, ascend out of the river, and feed upon the herbage of the neighbouring verdant meadow: afterwards arose seven meagre and ill-looking beasts, upon which there seemed hardly to be flesh enough to keep their bones together: they also went and grazed on the same meadow, and presently devoured all its verdure. Still hungry, they set upon the fat oxen and eat up them likewise, and yet continued lean and hungry

as ever. A sight so strange in itself, impressed the monarch's mind so deeply that he awoke in confusion, and sleep departed from his eyes. Towards morning he dreamed again, and lo! he was in the midst of a fertile field, admiring the gifts of Ceres, when to his wonder and surprize, there sprang up instantaneously seven of the largest and loveliest ears of wheat that ever the earth produced; and presently after there sprang up beside them seven thin and blasted ears, which contained nothing at all but dust and chaff; and what was very strange, the thin and blasted ears fell upon and devoured the others, yet still continued thin and blasted themselves as before. Such were the dreams of Pharoah, and the interpretation was given him likewise in his sleep, but awaking in confusion of mind, the interpretation was gone and he retained only the dreams.

Early in the morning he summoned a convocation of all such doctors in the metropolis, that were famous for learning in the Egyptian sciences. Each appeared in the habit of his order, trailing behind him the ensigns of his reverence. But all in vain their

priestly parade; for the dumb idols which they adored could not speak the interpretation of the mystery. Every priest has recourse to different schemes of augury, and each produced different interpretations from his neighbours, but all of them rejected by the king, who well enough knew that none of them agreed with the intepretation that he had seen in his sleep, although he could not remember it himself. All the attempts of the priests became abortive, and Pharaoh's rage kindling against them for their impositions; the cup-bearer recollected his error, hasted before the king, and thus humbly addressed him.

"O king live for ever! I humbly sue for pardon, as I have greatly offended, and have not till now recollected my fault. Your majesty may well remember, that falling under your royal displeasure, the chief baker and I were imprisoned. It came to pass that each of us had a dream on the same night which greatly troubled us, as no interpretation could be

found. I dreamed that before me was a noble vine bearing three luxuriant branches, each of which budded, blossomed, and brought forth large clusters of grapes, which ripened whilst I looked on; I held my lord's onyx cup in my hand, took the grapes and pressed them into it, and gave it into the hand of my lord to drink, your majesty drank, and was highly pleased with the flavour of the wine. The baker also dreamed, and lo! upon his head were three baskets, in the uppermost of which was all manner of baked meat for Pharaoh, and as he brought them to the the royal table, the birds of heaven descended and eat the meats out of the basket, nor could he keep them away. The next morning, as we sat sad and sorrowful, an amiable young man, an Hebrew, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods, and who is there unjustly confined, came in and interpreted both our dreams according to the event. The happy Florillo he restored to his master's favour: but the wretched Labonah he hanged. Will it please my lord the king to order the young man before you, and I doubt not but he will interpret both of your majesty's dreams."

The impatient monarch immediately ordered Joseph to be brought from prison into the royal presence. Clothed in decent apparel, he came ready prepared to give the king an answer, for Gabriel, his friendly guardian, had appeared to him, and related both the dreams and interpretation of them, and withal gave him suitable instructions relative to the government of Egypt. As he approached the throne with reverence, the eyes of all were attracted by the graces of his person, which were greatly enlivened by the blush of modesty which glowed upon his countenance. He bowed before the monarch, and silently waited his commands.

The moment that Pharaoh beheld the face of Joseph, he saw something in his countenance that attracted his friendship: he took him gently by the hand and said; "There is a servant of mine, who has given you the character of a very wise man, especially

in the matter of opening hidden mysteries, of which he says, he has had abundant proof in his own expe. rience. I also have had my dreams, the interpretation of which is dark and difficult, yet portending some great event." Here he related his dreams, and required that Joseph would lay aside all fear, and reveal the simple truth, however disagreeable it might seem.

With a calm and serene countenance, yet with an elevated air, that displayed the majestic dignity of his person, he replied, "Let Pharaoh give glory to the God of heaven, who in his great condescension, makes known unto the king what he is about to bring to pass on the earth: The dreams, my lord, were two in form, yet one in substance and signification. The first seven oxen and ears of corn, both mean the same thing, and reveal to Pharaoh, that there shall be seven years of such excessive plenty of all sorts of grain, as was never known in any kingdom from the beginning; as appears by the bulk and fatness of the first seven oxen, and the largeness and fulness of the first seven ears of corn. The second seven meagre and ill-looking cattle, and the seven thin and blasted ears, denote also seven years of such scarcity, as has never been known in the world, for there shall be neither earing nor harvest; and whereas the latter lean and ill-looking cattle, eat up the fat and wellfavoured, and the thin and blasted ears, devoured those that were ripe and full; it shews that, the seven years of plenty, will not produce sufficient to supply the seven years of famine, unless the best economy is established in the land. Let my lord the king consider, that the great governer of all raiseth up certain men to sovereign rule over their fellow creatures, that they may be as fathers unto them, and provide for their peace, safety and supply. Thy God, O Pharaoh, who established thy throne, hath not revealed this to thee, with a view to afflict thy royal mind, but that by taking proper measures for preserving the luxuriant superfluity of the first seven years, thou mayest be able to supply the wants of