f

cattle and lands, and still wanted sustenance, they offered to become Pharaoh's servants; but Joseph refused to accept of this offer. He seems to have had a great and true insight into things; and could not think, that he should really advance his master's interest by keeping his subjects in poverty and slavery. He was desirous to establish a sufficient revenue for the occasions of the crown; and at the same time to give the subjects a property of their own, as well to excite their industry to improve it, as to raise in them a sense of duty and affection to the government that protected them in the secure enjoyment of it. For this reason Joseph returned back possessions to all the people, upon condition of paying yearly the fifth part of the product of their lands to the king for ever. 2. When he returned the lands back again to the people, he did not put each man in possession of what was his own before; but removed them from one end of Egypt to the other; wisely foreseeing, that few men would have so easy sense of their condition in the enjoyment of what had formerly been their own without tax or burden, but now received upon terms of disadvantage; as they would have in the possession of what never was their own, though they held it upon the same conditions. 3. When Joseph bought in the lands of Egypt for Pharaoh, he bought not the priests lands, for they did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them, and therefore sold not their lands. Therefore, when afterwards the whole kingdom came to be taxed the fifth part, the

f Gen. xlvii. 19.

5 Ver. 24, 26.

h Ver. 21.

i

priests' lands were excepted, because they became not Pharaoh's. A right honourable writer makes the following remark upon this favour shewn the priests. "To what height of power the established priesthood was arrived even at that time, may be conjectured hence; that the crown (to speak in a modern style) offered not to meddle with the church-lands; and that in this great revolution, nothing was attempted so much as by way of purchase or exchange in preju dice of this landed clergy; the prime minister himself having joined his interest with theirs, and entered by marriage into this alliance."k

To this I answer: 1. I have already shewn, That the priests of Egypt were the heads of all the families of the land; not raised to be so by their priesthood, but they became the priests, because they were originally persons of the highest rank. They were reputed almost equal to the kings, consulted upon all public affairs of consequence, and some of them generally upon a vacancy succeeded to the crown; and if this be true, it does not seem likely that they should want Joseph's alliance to strengthen their interest, or to obtain them any favour. 2. Whatever favour was shewn them, Moses represents it as proceeding from the king, and not from oseph. The land of the priests bought he not (ci chock le cohanim meeth Pharaoh) because there was a decree for (in favour of) the priests from even Pharaoh,' i. e.. because Pharaoh had made

i Gen. xlvii. 22. & 26.

Lord Shaftsbury's Characterist. vol. iii. Miscel. 1. 1Gen, xlvii. 22.

m

a decree expressly against it. Or we may translate the words agreeably to our English version, because there was an appointment for the priests from even Pharaoh, and they did eat their appointed or assigned portion, which Pharaoh gave them, wherefore they sold not their lands: take the words either way, the favour to the priests proceeded from Pharaoh. It may perhaps be here asked, why Pharaoh, when he thought fit to lessen the property of his common subjects, did not also attempt to reduce in some measure the exorbitant wealth of the priests, who, according to Diodorous Siculus, were possessed of a third part of the whole land. To this we may answer: the Egyptian priests were obliged to provide all sacrifices, and to bear all the charges of the national religion; and religion was in these days a matter of very great expence to them, who were to supply what was requisite for the performance of the sacred offices. The numerous sacrifices, which were appointed to be offered in these times, could not be provided, nor the preparations and ceremonies in offering them performed, but at a very great charge; so great, that we find in countries where the soil was not fruitful, and consequently the people poor, they did not well know how to bear the burthen of religion; therefore Lycurgus, when he reformed the Lacedemonian state, instituted sacrifices, the meanest and cheapest he could think of, that he might not make religion too expensive for his people.* Egypt was a fertile and rich country, and most pro

m Diodor. Sic. lib. 1. p. 66. ■ Plutarch. in vit. Lycurgi.

bably both king and people were desirous of having the public religion appear with a suitable splendor Now I do not find that even Aristotle could compute, that less than a fourth part of the lands of his republic could suffice for these uses; and suppose we should allow them no more in Egypt, yet there would still remain a difficulty; for the priests of Egypt were the whole body of the nobility of the land. They were the king's counsellors and assistants in all affairs which concerned the public; they were joint agents with him (GUVERY) in some things; in others the king himself was to be directed and instructed by them, in which they are said to be his εισηγηται και διδασκαλοι. They were the professors and cultivators of astromony, a useful science at this time, without which even agriculture itself could not have proceeded. They were the keepers of the public registers, memoirs and chronicles of the kingdom; in a word, under the king, they were the magistrates, and filled all the prime offices. Now if we consider them in some or other of these views, we may possibly allow, that Pharaoh might think they had not too much to support the stations in which they were to act; for which reason he ordered, that no tax should be raised upon them.

As many persons of the neighbouring nations camo to Egypt to buy corn; so amongst others Jacob was

• Aristot. de Republic. lib. 7. c. 10

» Diodor. Sic. ubi sup.

a Diodor. Sic. ubi. sup.

* Δευτερεύοντες μετα Βασιλεα ταιστε δόξαις και Id. ibid.

ταις εξωσίαις.

obliged to send his sons from Canaan.' Joseph, as soon as he saw them, knew them, and upon their bowing down before him, remembered his former dreams. He kept himself for some time very reserved, pretending to suspect them for spies, and several ways seemed to use them with exceeding strictness, so as to make them think themselves in great extremity. At last he discovered himself to them, sent for his father down to Egypt, and obtained for him and his family a residence in the land of Goshen. Here they lived and flourished in favour with the king, and with the Egyptians, on Joseph's account.*

Jacob came into Egypt A. M. 2298, for he was one hundred and thirty years old when he came into Pharaoh's presence ;" and he was born A. M. 2168," so that counting one hundred and thirty years from the year of his birth, we shall come to the year above mentioned. I may here take occasion to fix the chronology of the several transactions we have passed over. 1. Joseph was about thirty-eight years old in the beginning of the famine; for he was thirty when he was first brought into Pharaoh's presence, just at the beginning of the seven years of plenty. He was thirtyeight, two or three years before his father came into Egypt; for he revealed himself to his brethren, and sent for his father at the end of the second year's fa, mine; so that he was thirty-eight about A. M. 2295, and consequently Joseph was born A. M. 2257. 2.

X