arriue Where Pharohs Peares and Seruants all doe striue How best their Loues and Seruice shew they may To adde more honour to this happy day When Asenah first kneeling downe begun Oh holy Father of a blessed sonne Blesse me thy Daughter Blessed shall they be Whom thou dost blesse As welcome now to me As dearest Ioseph to his Fathers sight All Egypts glory yeelds not such delight When Iacob Daughter Fitter 't is for me To your great state to bow my humble knee But rightly you of me a blessing craue No other Dower to bestow I haue The Lord on thee from Heau'n all Blessings shower But Iacobs tongue not hauing farther power Now to expresse his Wondrous Ioy and Loue His eyes produce abundant Teares to proue His ioyfull soule for Iosephs happy state When Iosephs Steward tells him it was late And supper time Wherefore they all addrest Themselues in their due order to the feast THE FIFTH BOOKE OF IOSEPH SOone as Aurora with her blushing face Vsherd the Gyant out to run his race His longest Iourney from the East to West Good Ioseph though he ouernight did feast Eu'n all th'astates of Egypt with their traine His father in more state to entertaine Gets vp and with his seruants all repaires Vnto a chappell by to publike praiers Which Pharoh had giu'n Ioseph there to serue God who from famine Egypt did preserue No time to men of action is so free For their deuotions as the Mornings bee Especially for those that liue at Court Where they make Dinners long but Prayers short But they done Ioseph doth his speech direct Thus to his Brethren you perhaps expect That I now for mine owne and houses grace Should raise you all to honourable place And make you Lords at least in Pharohs land But if you wisely things will vnderstand And know that honour ladeth more then graces If wealth and vertues answer not your places No grace nor honour can giue such contents To you as quietly to liue in tents You that haue had your Breeding in such sort Cannot obserue the Niceties of Court They whose ambition would be ouer all The higher climb'd oft take the greater fall Equals enuy Superiours such disdaine Inferiours maligne all seeke their gaine Grace and Preferment by anothers frowne Who get vp seeke to thrust the other downe Courtiers are Dials whilst Sol on them shines Obseru'd of all else but as painted Lines Many Court-honour onely do admire And as another heau'n on earth desire These onely looke on outward splendour showne Our inward cares and dangers are vnknowne None would enuy our glory and content Knew they the weight and cares of gouernment They Altas burthen on their shoulders brare To whom committed is the publique Care Besides most stand in such high slippery places I would not haue their hazard for their graces I speake not to dehort from gouernment The wise for feare of griefes and discontent Vnder this burthen they must bow their backe Lest if the wicked rule all goes to wracke But who are prudent moderate and wise Are rather raisd for worth then seeke to rise And such like tubs on their owne bottome stand Nor neede the least support of others hand When they which want this true worth of their owne No sooner clamberd vp but tumble downe The first like fixed Starres stand firme and fast Last make faire showes like Comets but sonne wast Their matter is pure elementall fire Of these ambitious humour and desire Such is the Humour of Ambition vaine For grace and offices to take much paine Wherein they neuer comfort take nor rest So feare of loosing doth their mind molest When could they their faire Fortunes vse aright They Freedome might enioy with much delight I fiue of you my brethren will present To Pharoh who I know hath an intent To giue you any honour you require But you his Fauour onely shall desire And tell him plainely how you haue been bred And heards and cattell all your life time fed My reason is for that this occupation Is here in Egypt of small reputation Desiring you of his high grace may hold Some pastures onely for your flocks and fold Where you may serue God free from care and strife And pray for Pharohs long and happy life Should I you all now raise to Dignitie Ones Folly ruine might the Family Many vnited stronger are then one But 't is most what more safe to stand alone Especially so high where one mans fall May make a breach and so indanger all Oh happinesse if knowne of country bowers Where in Deuotion they their freer howers May spend and with Groues citizens sweet sing Diuinest praises to the heau'nly King Where free from plots and vndermining Arts All may the Truth speake boldly from their hearts For to a goodman 't is no little paine To flatter for the greatest grace and gaine There may they see their Lambs grow great and more And heauenly blessings on their stocke and store There may they see corne thriue vpon their lands And God to prosper all workes passe their hands Happy whose lot falls in so faire a ground Such pleasures are at Court but seldome found But le ts make hast my brethren to the court My businesse is long my time but short And now had Phoebus climb'd vp to such height His beames did warme the world as well as light When Israell old with trauell wearied Slept sound till waking he much wondred Thinking himselfe at first in his owne tents To see such costly gorgeous ornaments But soone remembring where he did abide He turnes to Leah lying by his side And thus begins Deare wife should I suruay Gods blessings from my birth vnto this day And in a summe his benefits recount They would my dayes nay eu'n my howres surmount His Goodnesse Wisedome Foure Loue in those past Shin'd seuerall but all now in this last Goodnesse in drawing so much good from ill To worke the sound good purpose of his will His powre herein is manifestly showne In raising vp the meeke and throwing downe The prowd his heauenly wisedome did foresee And told vs all by dreames which now we see The Starres eleu'n to Ioseph bow'd long sence Now we the Sunne and Moone him reuerence And lastly here appeares his wondrous Loue That all for 's glory and our good doth proue Thus Israel doth Gods benefits recite Beginning in the morning eu'n till night But whilst he thus Gods Bounty magnifide Like fairest Ewe with twin Lambs by each side Comes Asenah on either hand a sonne Smugge liuely like two Rabbets newly run Which seemd their mothers gracefull steps to guide As two trim Squires that leade to Church a Bride The tender boyes whose mothers pious care Before had taught themselues aright to beare Downe on their knees before their Grandsire fall And sweetly to him for his blessing call The good old man whose heart doth dance for ioyes To see his Nephews thus begins sweete boyes Which like two
Because she gratious was in Iacobs eyes Now him that neuer did or thought you ill Because my father loues me you will kill To him once I confesse I did relate An ill report I heard not for least hate Or malice that my brethren I did beare But that you knowing it might better cleare That which my father did but folly deeme To tell mine idle dreames will you esteeme It capitall oh brethren deare forbeare If not for loue or pittie yet for feare Of vengeance which will follow fratricide Cains curse shall euer on that house abide If all consent your Brother here to slay Iacob hath lost eleu'n sonnes in one day And whence shall then that blessed one proceede God promisd in our father Isaacks seede That cursed Cham from whom these nations come Which here inhabite neuer yet haue done So foule a sinne nor Nimrods cruell sword Was ere in his owne brothers blood engor'd A brothers sight rough Esaus fury chaces And makes him fall to kisses and embraces Looke on my youth not halfe so loth to die As to be slaine by brethrens crueltie Looke on my innocence Behold my teares Respect your and my Fathers grayer haires Who cannot but with griefe and sorrow die For losse of me by Brethrens Butchery Oh! neuer hope this murther to conceale For though you your owne lips should all vp seale These beasts stones trees my bloud to heau'n will cry For vengeance on this bloudy Felony And that which now you thinke in secret done Shall be made plaine and clearer then the Sunne Now Isaack like I lye vnder your knife And willingly as he could leaue my Life Were I perswaded 't were the heaun'ly will But herein Satans purpose you fulfill And your malicious enuy satisfie But Lord accept me as I guiltiesse die These words proceeding from a Soule opprest With anguish wrought so in his Brethrens brest That though they willingly all wish him slaine Yet each from bloud-shed would his hands retaine Wherefore they him into a dry pit cast With cold and hunger there to pine and wast And suddenly they sit them downe to eate Ne're pitying Ioseph that must sterue for meate So haue I seene tenne hounds of bloudy kinde Who long haue chas'd to kill the harmelesse Hinde When they haue lodg'd her in the hunters gin Whence neuer one escapes if enterd in Turne to their Lodge where for their labours meede They on the heart and bleeding intrailes feede Poore Ioseph had thy Brethren now thee slaine Thou long since hadst beene rid out of thy paine But whilst thou seek'st by teares thy life to saue Thou now art buried quicke within thy graue What canst thou looke for in this Dungeon vast But eu'n with cold and hunger here to waste Depriu'd of Sunnes most comfortable Light And euill Sp'rits with horrour thee to fright Yet as a fauour this was done to thee Thus are the wickeds mercies Crueltie But Lord the childe to heau'n cries from the pit And doth to righteous Iudge his cause commit Lord thou dost know how innocent I die Me saue and pardon their iniquitie As when fierce Caine out of base enuying That God should best accept his offering Had Abel slaine His bloud to heau'n did cry So this childs grieuous Lamentations flye Into Gods eares who sends the Ishmaelites First persecutors of the Israelites From Brethrens malice Ioseph to set free And saue his life though lose his Libertie So he that late escaped being slaine Is raised vp out of the pit againe Whom to be rid off and for present pay His Brethren sell to be conueid away And now large shadowes from the Mountaines fall And Heau'n with his blacke mantle couers all Phebus for rest in Sea his Steedes bestowes And from her Sea of rest the Night arose When Iacobs sonnes amongst themselues deuise To couer their inhumane cruelties And as we euer see that one foule sinne Begets another to lye hidden in As some their foule adultery to hide Haue first vs'd Drunkennesse then Homicide So these vniustly 'gainst their Fathers will One of the Kiddes then in his Flocke doe kill And dipping in his blood the colourd coate Of Ioseph it vnto their father brought And say Now see good father dost thou know Whether this be thy Iosephs coate or no As Turtle deare when seeking for her loue She finds at cu'n the feathers of a Doue Begoard with blood late party colourd gay Concluding now her mate hath beene the prey Of cruell hawke sends out most piteous cries And in those dearest blooded feathers dies So good old Israel whose dimmer sight Could scarce discerne of colours by the night Yet seeing Iosephs coate begoared red Which lately was so finely coloured For whom though long he look'd and did enquire Yet saw nor heard least newes of his retire Cries out 't is Iosephs coate with blood defild Some wicked beast deuoured hath the child I sent him out alone vnwittingly And therefore guilty of the crueltie So grieuous were his groanes and lamentation They turne to sorrow all his habitation And though his sonnes and daughters all arise To comfort him the best they can deuise Yet still the good old man doth groane and crie Ioseph is lost I in his coate will die He with wilde beasts is into peeces torne I le sooner cease to liue then cease to mourne Father saith Dina then th' vnlucky maid Why should you without cause be thus dismaid Before times I haue often heard you say Gods Angell you conducted in your way From hence eu'n vnto the Assyrian plaine And thence from Laban brought you home againe Oh why should you despaire then thus and feare As God of yours had not as great a care What because here a bloody coate you see Must it be Iosephs needes or if it bee He may whilst he from cruell beasts did flie Forsake his coate to scape more speedily He that this coate found loose vpon the ground Not any signe of murthering him found Nor found he either hand head foot or bone Onely this bloody coate lay all alone Blooded it seemes with iawes of cruell beast Which on some other prey had made his feast Thus can the whole to sicke good counsell giue And easier 't is to teach well then to liue But Ruben Iudah all his sonnes may rise And daughters all to comfort him deuise He rends his clothes puts sacke cloth on his loines And for his Ioseph long time weepes and pines And mourning will goe downe vnto his graue To Ioseph whom he here shall neuer haue Meane while to Nile the Midian merchants hie Laden with Balme with mirrhe and Spicerie When Ioseph whom if they could truely prize Was farre more worth than all their merchandize Did bondage base vnto his noble minde More bitter then death to his body finde But hauing none to whom to make his mone Goes sighing sobbing to himselfe alone Vntill a merchant willing him to cheare That hee might fairer looke and sell more deare Enquireth of
face behold Without the Lad be there except I would Bring on my Fathers house such wrechednesse As no mans Tongue is able to expresse With that like Iordanes flouds his teares doe fall And as he wept so wept his Brethren all But Ioseph then no longer could refraine But biddes forbeare there may not one remaine Within with him whilst he himselfe declares Vnto his Brethren with such cryes and teares That the Egyptians and Pharoh heare His loud laments and scarcely can forbeare To mourne with him who kept them all from mourning But Ioseph to his Brethren soone returning Saith I am Ioseph doth my Father liue Feare not my Brethren I you all forgiue As when a King that he discouer may Some traitrous plot his body doth array In such an habit as none can descry Him from one of that close Conspiracy Till hearing all the Traitours Coniuring He shewes himselfe to be their Lord and King So that they all stand mute and in a maze And gastly one vpon another gaze So stand the ten one looking on another To see so high their late betraied Brother Thus at the last the wicked men shall hide Their face at sight of him they Crucifide When on his Throne his glory they behold Like Iosephs who shall like to him be sold. But Beniamin poore harmelesse innocent After he had endur'd this chastisement At hearing Iosephs name lifts vp his eyes And lowder now for Ioy then Sorrow cryes So shall the innocent at last appeare To be absolued by their Brother deare Then Ioseph saith my Brethren all draw neare I am your Brother Ioseph doe not feare That very Ioseph you to Egypt sold But be not greeu'd therewith nor doe it hold A cruell thing For God me sent before For to preserue your liues with millions more This is the second yeare fiue are behinde When none shall reape or mow or sheaues vp binde God sent me to preserue your Progeny And saue you by a great deliuery Not you I say but God me hither sent And made me here to your astonishment Great Pharoh's Father and giu'n free command Ore all his House and ouer all his Land Hast to my Father Tell him in a word Thus saith thy Ioseph God hath made me Lord Of Egypt Tarry not but soone come downe And thou shalt dwell on Goshens fruitfull downe Thy Children Childrens children and thy flocke Beasts Asses Camels all thy store and stocke Lo there I sustenance for thee will finde For those fiue yeares of Famine yet behinde Your owne eyes see and Beniamins behold I all in your owne tongue haue truly told My glory here then to my Father tell As you haue seene and hither hast to dwell So weeping he vpon the necke doth fall Of Beniamin and he on his so all He kisses and doth after with them talke Familiarly as they together walke As when a Treasure in the earth is found Fames Trumpet doth it farre and neere resound So Fame this newes in Pharohs Court doth tell Which pleased him and all his seruants well Therefore he thus to Ioseph out of hand Thy Brethren send with Corne into their Land To bring their Father and his family That they may eate my Lands fertilitie Besides I will my Charrets thou command For to conuey your Father to my Land With Wiues and Children let them leaue their stuffe Egypt shall furnish them with store enough Then Ioseph hasting them away to send Peace by the way doth thus to them commend I will not now things past commemorate Your griefe and sorrow more to aggrauate For God hath turn'd your morne of griefe and sadnesse Vnto a day of Feasting Ioy and gladnesse Yet patiently my louing Counsell heare And by your former harmes learne to beware Let not that wicked Enuyer of mankinde Breede discords strifes or quarrels in your minde Nor question or dispute one with another Who 's most in fault for selling of your brother Each of his sinne vnfainedly repent And giue God glory who me hither sent And all the euill you against me thought Turning to good this great deliuerance wrought I send now Charrets by the Kings command To bring my aged Father to this land Ten Asses laden all with Egypts good I likewise send my father for his food And ten she-Asses lade with corne and bread That by the way you may thereof be fed Changes of Rayment I to each assigne These fiue my dearest Beniamin are thine With these three hundred siluer peeces So He hath his right yet you no wrong I do Let not your eye cause I am good be ill 'T is reason good enough to say I will Yet Nature may informe you of another He is my onely brother by my mother Enuy him not because he in mine eyes Most gracious is nor shall he you despise Brethren in loue and amitie combind Are like small stickes we in a fagot bind No force them bends whilst they remaine in one Disioynd a child will breake them all alone Hast Fare-you-well fall not out by the way W'offend against my Father by your stay Lo thus they flie from Nile to Iordans shore To tell their Father all you heard before Ioseph is yet aliue saith Iudah and Is Gouernor of all King Pharohs land Alas saith Iacob come you me to flout Ioseph now liues in heau'n I make no doubt He was the Prey long since of cruell beast I haue his bloody Coate still in my chest Ah! saith Dan to Gods glory we confesse Who hath laid open all our wickednesse That we our brother out of enuy fold When we at Dothan pastured our fold To Ishmaelites who after for their gaine In Egypt where we found him sold againe His colourd Coate which doth with thee abide We dipt in bloud our fowlest sinne to hide Lo now thy sonnes on knees before thee fall And for this our offence beg pardon all Ioseph vnaskd our trespasse did remit Therefore good father also pardon it As Indian merchant on the sodaine told His ship is safe arriu'd all lade with gold Which long since to be cast away he feard Because he neuer tidings of her heard First wauers and it hardly can beleeue Fearing lest he too sodaine credence giue But when he sees the Porters bringing in The golden Oare and Ingots doth begin For to reuiue Eu'n so old Israel Misdoubts when first he heard his children tell Of Iosephs life and glory great at Nile But when he thus had wauered awhile And saw the goodly charrets Ioseph sent To bring him and his houshold from their tent To Egypt and his dearest Beniamin Confirm'd it all for Truth Behold within The old mans spirit doth againe reuiue And cryes with Ioy Ioseph is yet aliue God pardon you all your Iniquitie I will goe downe and see him ere I die The end of the third Booke of Ioseph THE FOVRTH BOOKE OF IOSEPH NOw Iacobs tents abound with such great store Of corne which they had wanted heretofore As if God had
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
in this place And wants Possessions yet in Pharohs grace And he thou know'st deserueth at my hands To haue a part in all my Goods and Lands The reuerend Priest replyes Dread Soueraigne Lo all the Place and honour I obtaine In Egypt I acknowledge from thy grace Which is enough to raise to highest place The meanest But thou dost a match propound Where Vertues more then honours doe abound Amongst the many Fauours thou hast done Thy Seruant this I deeme the highest one A Priest to be so gracious in thy sight To match his Childe with Pharohs Fauorite May 't please your Grace to aske the maids consent But by her lookes I see shee is content For then her vaile where modestly she shrouds Her radiant Rayes as Sol doth his in clouds Put off such heau'nly Beautie did disclose As if another Sunne in Court arose Which as the Rising Sunne the Courtiers all Adore and like a Queene before her fall Then Pharoh saith her taking by the hand By silence thy consent we vnderstand Good daughter thou art like thy Parents faire As of their Goods be of their Graces heire A fitter match for Ioseph none can find If to thy Bodies grace thou suit thy minde So as thine outward Beauties heaun'ly shine Thine inward shall b' Angellicall diuine Oh! Labour to be glorious within So Gods mans Iosephs fauour thou shalt win The King forth with then sends for me in haste And first repeating all things as they past With his owne hand her giues me for my Bride Assuring vs for euer to abide As louing as our Fathers naturall When humbly I vpon my face did fall And first gaue thankes as dutie did require To Pharoh next vnto her holy Sire As when Garden Adam all alone Saw Eue flesh of his flesh Bone of his Bone He her embrac'd kiss'd and so highly priz'd As if all Beautie were epitomiz'd In his faire Rib now with the Body met Two Sunnes which but for sinne had neuer set So I who though in honour was alone In Egypt till I met my flesh and Bone Sweete Asenah in whose faire eyes and face I saw my mother Rachels comely grace This Egypts Gem whose eies I did behold Like radiant Diamonds faire set in Gold Embrace kisse loue her and her Grace admire And set her as the Bound of my desire Thinking I now did reape with treble gaine The Crop of all my trauell care and paine Then in the presence of the Court and King I courted her with this speech following Faire Lady whose high Grace and Beautie seene To me your seruant may become a Queene Yet art such is thine humblenesse content To be poore Iosephs without complement I am all yours nor doe I lesse esteeme Your worth because you it so meanely deeme Our Sexes duety to your Sexe I know Is you to Court intreate and humbly woe But since that seruice you to me remit I will so much remaine more in your debt My time is pretious therefore let me show To you in briefe what Iosephs wife must doe It is not this worlds false vaine glittering glory So full of hazard lubrique transitorie At which I aime 'T is an eternall place Where we shall liue for ay in blessed case Whether the gods Th' Egyptians wont to serue Can neuer bring you He that will preserue This Land from Famine by th'interpretation Of Pharoh's Dreames must bring to this saluation One God with Ioseph must his wife adore One God one true Religion and no more God iealous is no Idol-stocke or stone May be his Riuall God and Truth is one These worldly shewes delights and vanitie As Mortall with our Mortall Bodies die The Pleasures which I speake off ay remaine Eternall thus for Temporall we gaine This God my Fathers with their wiues haue serued Who to this day from dangers me preserued This God me from the dungeon deepe did raise To be thy Husband him for euer praise Madame your King and Father are content But your owne mouth must shew your free consent When fairest Asenah long silence breakes And as an Angell sent from Heau'n thus speakes Good sir such is my due and filiall awe My Fathers iudgement is to me a Law Much more my Soueraignes But such worth in you I see and heare of I should rather sue But for my Sexes bashfull modesty For such an honour rather then deny Nor shall I meanely of my selfe thus deeme To honour him whom King and Realme esteeme Their Father and the Kingdomes Fauourite What greater Grace befals a mortall wight Sir that Religion which my holy Sire Taught me his child inform'd my soules desire Worlds Glory Pompe and vainenesse to despise But thy Religion makes men heau'nly wise And brings them by an vpright conuersation To happy euer lasting habitation Therefore as thy Religion our transcends As aiming at more high and happy ends So greater is my Ioy and happinesse To match where I it truly must professe So sure as that whereof thou didst diuine By Dreames shall come to passe so am I thine Thy God shall be my God and mine thy Nation In earth graue heau'n one be our habitation What thou approu'st as good the same doe I With thee Sweete Hebrew let me liue and dye Pardon A womans Tongue knowes no content Yea is enough t' expresse a Maids consent Lo thus Hearts hands words wishes ioin'd in one Two by Consent become one Flesh and Bone Then princely On begins Lo God hath tide These two in one Let no Man them diuide Deare Daughter I to Ioseph thee commit Thou therefore must thy Fathers house forget And people so shall sonnes before thee stand Fit to beare rule as Princes in the Land That God whom Pharoh On and Ioseph serue Who as he all things made doth all preserue God who of things to come to Pharoh told By Dreames which none but Ioseph could vnfold When God him from the Dungeon did aduance To saue vs by a great Deliuerance God Authour sole and end of happinesse This holy Marriage and this Vnion blesse Of the Egyptian and the Hebrew Nations And make them happy in their Generations And honour ay in heau'n our Sou'raigne King As he his Seruants honours in this thing The King thus pleas'd in royall pompe and state With sumptuous Feasts and showes doth celebrate Our Marriage day where all with Musique rings And King and Court a happy Hymen sings Happy I hope though with an Heathen Dame Whose Grace and Vertues I the rather name That you may know we here as elsewhere finde Some good as well as bad of woman-kind As a loose wicked wife of Potiphar So a most pious childe of Putiphar But why should I time in her praises spend Since her owne Workes her best of all commend God me hath giu'n by her two louely Boyes Before the Famine which are all my Ioyes Lo here shee kindly comes with all her traine Her welcome Father for to entertaine For now they all at Iosephs gate