The famous and memorable works of Josephus ... / Faithfully translated out of the Latin, and French, by Thomas Lodge, Doctor in Physick.

Josephus

Date:: [1640]

Credit: The famous and memorable works of Josephus ... / Faithfully translated out of the Latin, and French, by Thomas Lodge, Doctor in Physick. Source: Wellcome Collection.

52/866 page 36

$toeyeare ofi without reafon he had care of hisfon Benjamin,in fuch fort as it was not poffible for themto G ht 3 world,2238, get aught out of Pharaoh; countrey which was neceffary for their nourifhment ; that he | bjiechils — oughtalfoto have care ofthe life of Simeon, left whilefthe dallied and delayed tofend Ben- | | A71 jamin on the journey, $imezin the mean time fhould be flain by the Egyptians. Moreover I | 114414. he exhorted him to commit the care of his fonunto God, promiifing to bring him backa- Ed | ue fendeth gain in fafetie,or el{e to die together with him.Moreover he faid,that certain gifts gather- || ich pa ed from the profits of Chanaan,as the juice of Mirabolans, Stacte, Terebinth, and Honey, | | i into Egypt. — fhould be fent as prefents unto lofepb; together withthe double price of theirCorn. Thus | | fhedding teares on both fides., they depart from their father , leaving him miferably tor- e mented forthe health ofhis fons; & contrariwife fufpe&ting with themfelves,left through his abfence their father fhould be flain withforrow. Inthis perplexitie fpent they awhole H T day: Atlaft,theold man remained in his houfe whyelly afflicted and they travellinginto E- | gypt, did mitigate their prefent griefe with the hope of better fortune : where no fooner | | | were they arrived,but they repaired unto /ofeph ; being fore afraid, left it fhould be laidto D P their charge, that under colour of fraud and deceitthey had carried away with them the I wefi6, price of theirformer corne:which prefently,before Zofephs Reward ,they carefully excufed, Jacobs fonnes faying, That they found the money among the Wheat atfuch time as they emptied their | Sypnds. facks; which now, in difcharge of their truth,they had brought back again. But he denying meonisfet at that he ever miffed their money,and they being delivered from this fear,began tobe more | | ee fecure ; fo that Simeon was fuddenly fet at libertie, to converfe among hisbrethren. Now, a when /ofeph was returned from the fervice of the King, they offer him prefents:and inqui- ring of them, how their father did ? they anfwered,that he was in health. Then perceiving that Benjamin was yet alive, whom hefaw among them, he asked, whether that were their younger brother ? & hearing thatit was he, he only uttered thefe words, That God had the __ providence ofall things, and departed from them, being unwilling that any of them fhould Foleph 9 fee him fhed teares,which he could notany longer containe. Inviting them afterwards un- knowne to his toa Banquet,he commanded them to fit down in order, aecordingas they were wont to do | brethren, falu- when they were with their father; and whereas he kindly entertained all of them, he hono- | | d Ben. EE Benjamin with a double fhare. After the Banquet, at fuch time as they were alllayd | ' fo] jamin, down to reft, he commanded the fteward to meafure out the Wheat which every one K | fhould beare away with him, and to hide the pricethereof again in theirfacks : but in Ben- | | jamins fack,he commanded him to put his Cup wherin he moft delighted. Which he there- | D; Hedio & . fore did, with intent to make triall of their lovéstowards Benjamin ; and whetherthey | Rufus. ^ would ftickunto him, being accufed of theft; orleaving him behinde as a malefaétor, re- gue. turnunto their father, as if the matter no wayestouched them. Which being done accord- £23.44.2,94* . : . : 2 H | I Jofcph temp: ing as he had commanded it, early in the morning all Jacobs fons arofe, & taking with them | à tehBenj- — Siaeon, departed onwards of their journey ;rejoycing as wellat his reftitution, as Benjamins - | mins brohe* return whom they both promifed and protefted to bring back again to theirfather; when | | woudafit behold, fuddenly atroupe of horfemen roundly befet them’; amongft whom, was that fer- s mme Vantwho had hid the Cupinthe fack. Now they being troubled by this fudden incurfion, T, | Ps and asking them, why they fet upon them whom they fo lately had both invited and enter- | t inthirjou- tained fo honourably ? The Egyptiansanfweredand exclaimed againft them, calling them It . ! ^ . ES . . . : Jacobs fonnes Nity, were fo wicked,as to return him injuries for his courtefies; threatning them, that they areaccufed of fhould be punifhed fortheirtheft: and telling them, that although foratimethey had de- NUR ceived the Minifter ofthe Table, yet could they not deceive God; and againasking them, whether they were well in their wits, in fuppofing that for this offence they fhould not be incontinently punifhed ? In thefe, or fuch like fpeeches, the fervant infulted over them. | But they who nothing'at allfufpected thisfubtilty,accufed him, faying/T hat they wondred | atthe mans intemperancy,who durft fo rafhly accufe them of theft, who didinot keep back, M 11 No,not the price of their Corne, which they found intheirfacks, whereas none but them- felves knew aught of that money ; fo far were they from purpofely offering any wrong, Yet EB: in that they thought this inquifition would better fatisfie them,then denyal,they bid them | à fearch their facks ; offering themfelves, each of them, 'to fuffer punifhment, if any one of ney. wicked men,who forgetting their late benefits received,and Jofephs gentleneffe and huma- i ; them were found guilty of the theft. This fearch w they offered,the Egyptiansaccepted; — * | i yet referred they the punifhment,to be infli&ed only on him who had done the injury. Af- | . terwards beginning to fearch, and orderly looking into each mans fack, at length they | s came to Benj amin ; not that they were ignorant the Cup was hid in his fack, but that they 14 might feeme to difcharge their dutie more cunningly. Now all the reft being fecured in i1 tà themfelves,they onely as yet were carefull oftheir brother Benjamin; they hoped alfo,that d i$