A Hyve Fvll of Hunnye :: :: University of Virginia Library

Wherfore God hath sent me before,
in this same Land to be,
You to Preserue, and keepe aliue,
and your Posterity.
And by a great deliuerance,
your Liues haue kept, you see.

11

Now then you hither sent me not,
but God who doth foreknow,
Of thinges to come, who hath me made,
a Father to Pharo.

12

And made me Lord of all his House,
and ruler through the Land:
Make hast therefore to Father myne,
and let him vnderstand,

13

And tell him thus: thy Sonne doth say,
who Ioseph is by name,
God hath me made of Egipt Land,
Lord ouer al the same.

14

Come downe to me and tarry not
and thou with me shalt Dwell
In Goshen Land and be neere mee,
And al thinges shall be wel.

15

Thou and thy Children, here shall dwell,
and Childers Children thine,
Thy sheepe, thy Beastes and al thou hast,
bryng it away in tyme.

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16

Also I wil thee nourish there:
for yet Fyue yeares remain
Of Dearth: make hast lest thou and thyne,
doe sterue with pyning payne.

17

And loe, beholde your eyes do see,
and Beniamin likewise,
(Who onely Brother is to mee)
doth see before his Eyes:

18

It is my Mouth that speakes to you
Expounder haue I none
And in such Language doe I speake,
as is to you best knowne.

19

And therefore do my Father tell,
what Honor I possesse,
And eache thing elles that you haue seene,
the same to him expresse.

20

Then fell he on his Brothers Necke,
wyth Teares out from his Eies,
And Beniamin fell on his Necke.
and Wept on him likewise.

21

And Ioseph all his Brethren kyste,
and Wept on them also,
And afterward they spake with him,
as Brethren ought to doe.

22

The Uoyce or Tydinges of the same,
in Pharos House dyd fall,
Iosephs Brethren are come (sayd they)
thus Range it through the Hal.
It pleased Pharo very well,
and eke his Seruauntes all.

23

Then vnto Ioseph, Pharo sayd,
this to thy Brethren say:
Goe, Lade your Beastes and so depart,
to Canaan the waye.

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24

Your Father take, and Household all
and come agayn to mee:
I will you geue of Egipt Lande
the best your Eye may see:
And you shall eate the Chiefest Fruictes,
within the Land that bee.

25

And I commaund thee thus to do:
from hence you Charettes take.
For Children yours, and for your Wiues,
and for your Father sake.
With speede go bringe your Father here,
that wee may merry make.

26

As for your Uessels and your stuffe,
set not your eye theron,
The best of all that's in the Land,
is yours to byde vpon.

27

His Brethren did as he them bad,
and Ioseph to them gaue,
Of Chariottes fayre as Pharo had
commaunded them to haue,
And for their Iourney victail gaue,
theyr Life and soule to saue,

28

He gaue to euery Brother there,
excepting neuer a one,
Chaunge of Apparell for to weare,
theyr bodyes them vppon.

29

But vnto Beiamin he gaue
three hundreth Peeces fayre
Of Syluer fyne, and eke fyue sutes,
of rayment for to weare,

30

And Ioseph to his Father sent,
of Female Asses tenne,
Well Laden all with chiefest things,
that Egipt yeldes to menne,

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31

Tenne Asses more he Laden sent,
wyth Wheat, with Bread, and Meate,
For his good Father by the way,
thereon to Feede and eate.
And fall not out, sayd Ioseph then,
each other well intreate,

32

From Egipt thus they passed thence,
to Canaan the way:
Where they their Father Iacob found,
to whom they thus did say:

33

Our Brother Ioseph is aliue,
wee lette you vnderstand,
And he it is that gouernes al,
and Rules th' Egiptian Land.

34

The hearing of these wordes in deede,
made Iacobs hart to fall,
As one that stoode twene hoope and Dread,
beleu'de them not at all.

35

They further told, by Circumstance,
as Ioseph had them say:
But Iacob yet amazed was,
and stoode in doubtfull staye.

36

But when he saw the Charriottes fayre,
that Ioseph had him sent,
His body easlye for to beare:
it dyd him mutch content.

37

And then his Sprite reuiued fast,
and sayd, ynough I haue
That Ioseph liues: I will him see,
ere I possesse my Graue.