tiphar saw, himself, no fault in Joseph, he suffered his esteem to be suddenly subverted by the misrepresentations of an abandoned wife, and degrading him from all his employments, he cast him into the prison of the guard house! Here too, he obtained the reverence that his virtues deserved. The keeper was probably acquainted with the true character of the slandered Hebrew, and had seen the smile of Providence illuming his captivity. Assured, therefore, of his fidelity, he gave him the charge of his fellow prisoners.

Among others, two officers of Pharaoh, his chief baker, and chief butler, who had offended their master, were consigned to his care. These men were observed by Joseph one morning, when he visited them, to appear remarkably dejected. He inquired the reason, and was told, that they had respectively been disturbed by foreboding dreams, and there was 66 no one in the prison to interpret them." He requested them to tell him their dreams, and piously intimated that God, who alone had the power, would impart the design! The dreams were related, and the unhappy baker was informed, that" in three days, the king would hang him on a tree," but to the more fortunate butler, he predicted his restoration to his office; and he made use of the opportunity to bring his own cause before the king; beseeching his fellow-prisoner to remember him when he should again deliver the cup to Pharaoh. "For indeed,"

said he, "I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here have I done nothing to deserve a dungeon."

Elated by such reviving hopes as the young prophet had infused, the measured days passed not on so rapidly with the expectant of royal favours, as they did in the sad reckoning of the sentenced criminal, who dreaded the arrival of the appointed hour! It came however. It was the birth-day

of Pharaoh, and the last of the poor baker's existence: for on that day he was hanged, while, in strict consonance also, with the prediction, the cup bearer was reinstated; but the enlightened messenger, the virtuous, yet reviled' servant of Potiphar, was forgotten!

CHARLES. Oh barbarous ! could the butler be so very ungrateful?

MRS. M. He was unkind and even unjust, rather than ungrateful. The prophet was in no wise the author or even the instrument of his deliverance. He had indeed relieved him from oppressive apprehensions; for in a despotie government like that of Egypt, where the will of the monarch is the only rule, no man can estimate the measure of his punishment, however light his offence. But he had seen the wisdom and virtue of Joseph in the prison, and knowing that he was the victim of injustice, it was his duty to advocate his cause when he was himself restored to favour.

Two years afterwards the monarch himself was thrown into great consternation by a singular dream, and his magicians and soothsayers were summoned in vain, to declare the mystery. No plausible conjecture occurred to their minds; all was doubt and anxiety, and now the careless butler remembered Joseph and reproached himself. He hastened to his master, and informed him, that he would find in the royal prison a young Hebrew, a servant to the captain, who could interpret dreams; and confessing his own guilty negligence, he related the occurrences that had displayed the inspiration of Joseph. These were joyful tidings to the humbled king, and Joseph was brought out as quickly as he could change his garments and fit himself to appear in the royal presence. "I have dreamed a dream," said Pharaoh, "and I have heard that thou canst interpret it.”

With the same humility with which he had answered his fellow-prisoners on a similar occasion, assuming nothing to himself, Joseph replied, " God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace."

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"In my dream," resumed the king, "I saw seven fat cattle come up out of the river, and feed in a meadow, and seven others, so poor, so ill-favoured as I never saw in all the land of Egypt, came after them, and devoured the fat cattle. And again I saw seven ears of corn come up on one stalk, full and good; and other seven, withered, thin, and blasted by the east wind, sprung up after them and devoured the seven good ears-and the magicians are not able to declare the meaning."

FANNY. If dreams were once so full of meaning, why do we wholly disregard them now?

MRS. M. Because we have now an ample revelation, containing all that is necessary for us to know of the future, and all that we require to direct us for the present. Before that was promulgated, various means were used to instruct mankind. Amongst these were dreams; which though superstitiously observed by the orientalists, who were much addicted to emblems and signs, were often made subservient to the decrees of Providence. Pharaoh, on this occasion, was happily submissive to the divine suggestion; and listened attentively whilst Joseph expounded the mysterious vision.

"GOD," said he, "hath showed Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great plenty shall bless the whole land of Egypt; and afterwards seven years of famine shall so consume it, that the abundance shall be forgotten. And because these things shall surely come to pass, let the king avail himself of this gracious communication, and

appoint a suitable person to lay up corn in the plentiful years, to keep the people alive during the famine that shall follow."

"Can we find," exclaimed the delighted king, "such an one as this, in whom is the spirit of God? He to whom such high knowledge is imparted, is the most wise and most proper to be set over the kingdom." Then taking a ring from his own hand, and putting it on that of Joseph"Thou," continued he, "art ruler of all my people-only in the throne will I be greater than thou." Then turning to his servants, he commanded them to array Joseph in sumptuous apparel, to seat him in the second chariot in the kingdom-and proclaim before him, "Bow the knee !" And yet further to promote his honour and happiness, he gave him in marriage an Egyptian lady-Asenath the daughter of Potipherah, a priest of On. (B. C. 1715.)

FANNY. Then these people worshipped idols, though they acknowledged the God of Joseph !

MRS. M. Believing in a plurality, they thought them not incompatible. Here, you see, they admitted the power and knowledge of one Supreme-yet we know that they were addicted to the basest idolatries.

Elevated now to the second dignity in the empire, and invested with powers to execute his benevolent purposes, Joseph went throughout the provinces of the empire, preparing store-houses, to lay up the surplus food of the plenteous years. They came, according to his foresight, and the earth produced her fruits in immeasureable abundance, and in every city the corn of its district was carefully stored.

The seven years of famine also arrived, and the perishing multitudes cried to Pharaoh for bread. To Joseph

every thing was committed, and he opened his stores and supplied them according to his discretion, and the treasury of Pharaoh was filled with gold.

But the famine was not confined to Egypt; the adjacent countries were equally afflicted; and when they heard that the Egyptians had provided against the general scarcity, they crowded thither for food.

(B. C. 1717.) Amongst those that presented themselves on this momentous occasion, came ten of the sons of Jacob, and prostrated themselves to the ground before the governor of Egypt-little imagining that he whom they now reverenced was their banished brother!

CATHERINE. How could they possibly have forgotten him? One would think that remorse alone would have kept him alive in their memories.

MRS. M. They had not forgotten him-their cruelty to him had penetrated their minds, as we shall presently see: but now they were occupied with more immediate cares.Besides, his person was altered with the progress of his years. To the bloom of his beauty was added the maturity of manhood; nor had they thought of looking for him amidst the splendour of a court, and invested with the power of a sovereign. But he recollected them, and now saw the accomplishment of his prophetic dreams. Thrown thus into his power, and petitioning for bread for themselves and their families, his gentle nature forbade retribution. He thought of his aged father-he thought of Benjamin, his younger brother-and, to conceal the yearnings of his heart, he charged them abruptly with coming to see the poverty of the country! They disclaimed the ignoble purpose! "They were," they said, "twelve brethren, the sons of one man-that the youngest remained at home with