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to enjoy his father's affection, although the lawgiver Moses said that the affection did not have its beginning in the virtue of the child, but from the time of the birth pangs; for since he was born after the others, he says, and in extreme old age—and such children are longed for, since they are born against expectation—for this reason he was loved. For his father loved him, it says, because he was a son of his old age. But the lawgiver wrote these things, as I at least think, not relating what was, but the father's pretext and excuse. For since he saw the youth was being envied, wishing to assuage the passion of his brothers, he fabricated a cause for his love which would not produce much envy for him. For that this was not the cause of the affection, but the flourishing virtue of his soul, being more vigorous than his age, is clear from Benjamin. For if he was loved for this reason, his younger brother ought to have been loved much more; for after Joseph, he was born, and he was more a son of his old age. But, as I said, it was the father's fabrication. But the flame burned more vehemently, and since for a time they could do nothing, they brought a wicked accusation against him, they enveloped him in a shameful charge, his brothers anticipating the barbarian woman and appearing much worse than her; for she was wicked toward a stranger, but they toward a brother. And they did not stop their wickedness even there, but always vied with their previous deeds. And having taken him alone in the wilderness, they both slaughtered and sold him, and made him a slave instead of free, and into the uttermost slavery; for they gave their brother not to any of their own race, but to foreign-tongued barbarians, who were themselves going to a barbarian land. But God, making him more illustrious, endured the things that were happening and was long-suffering as dangers succeeded dangers; for after envy and shameful slander, they delivered him to be slaughtered and to a slavery more grievous than slaughter. For do not simply pass over what has been said, but consider what it was for a noble youth, raised in his father's house with all freedom, with such great love from his father, to be suddenly sold by his brothers, who had nothing to accuse him of, and to be given over to foreign-tongued barbarians, with strange customs, and more like wild beasts than men, and to become stateless and a migrant and a servant and a foreigner instead of free, and, enjoying such prosperity, to be brought down to the uttermost misery, being unaccustomed to slavery of any kind, to have the bitterest masters and to be carried off to a foreign and barbarian land. But not even here did the terrible things cease, but plots again succeeded plots after those wonderful dreams which foretold the obeisance of his brothers. For having taken him, these merchants did not keep him, but sold him again to other, worse barbarians.

But you know how great a matter of misfortune it is to change from such masters to such masters; for this makes slavery more difficult, when those who buy him again are also foreign and harsher than the previous ones. And he finds himself in Egypt, that land which at that time fought against God and was mad, whence come shameless mouths, whence come blasphemous tongues. And he finds himself among the Egyptians, of whom even one alone was enough to make the great Moses a runaway and a fugitive. And when he had breathed a little there, as the man-loving God who manages paradoxes made the savage beast who bought him into a sheep, straightway a wrestling-pit is prepared for him again, and a stadium and wrestling-bouts and contests and struggles more violent than the former ones. For having seen him with unjust eyes, his mistress, being overcome by the beauty of his appearance and utterly seized by passion, became a lioness instead of a woman because of this licentious desire. And again war was his housemate, having a contrary cause to the former ones. Those

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ἀπολαύειν παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς διαθέσεως, καίτοι γε τὸ φίλτρον ὁ νομοθέτης Μωϋσῆς οὐκ ἔφησεν ἐξ ἀρετῆς τοῦ παιδὸς ἔχειν τὴν ἀρχήν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τοῦ καιροῦ τῶν ὠδίνων· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὕστερον τῶν ἄλλων ἐτέχθη, φησί, καὶ ἐν ἐσχάτῳ γήρᾳ-ποθεινὰ δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα παιδία, ἅτε παρ' ἐλπίδα γεννώμενα-διὰ τοῦτο ἐφιλεῖτο. Ἠγάπα γὰρ αὐτὸν ὁ πατήρ, φησίν, ὅτι υἱὸς γήρως ἦν αὐτῷ. Ταῦτα δὲ ὁ νομοθέτης ἔγραψεν, ὡς ἔγωγε οἶμαι, οὐ τὸ ὂν διηγούμενος, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν σκῆψιν καὶ τὴν πρόφασιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἑώρα φθονονούμενον τὸ μειράκιον, παραμυθήσασθαι τὸ πάθος τῶν ἀδελφῶν βουλόμενος ἔπλασεν ἀγάπης αἰτίαν οὐ πολὺν τίκτουσαν αὐτῷ φθόνον. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ τοῦτο αἴτιον ἦν τοῦ φίλτρου, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀκμάζουσα τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρετὴ καὶ τῆς ἡλικίας ἀκμαιοτέρα οὖσα δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ Βενιαμίν. Εἰ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ἐκεῖνος ἐφιλεῆτο, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸν νεώτερον αὐτοῦ φιληθῆναι ἐχρῆν· μετὰ γὰρ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἐκεῖνος ἐτέχθη καὶ οὗτος μᾶλλον υἱὸς γήρως ἦν αὐτῷ. Ἀλλ', ὅπερ ἔφην, τοῦ πατρὸς ἦν τὸ πλάσμα. Ἀλλ' ἐξεκαίετο σφοδρότερον ἡ φλὸξ καί, ἐπειδὴ οὐδὲν ἴσχυον ποιῆσαι τέως, κατήνεγκαν αὐτῷ ψόγον πονηρόν, αἰσχρᾷ περιέβαλον αἰτίᾳ, τὴν βάρβαρον γυναῖκα προφθάσαντες οἱ ἀδελφοὶ καὶ πολλῷ χείρους φανέντες αὐτῆς· ἡ μὲν γὰρ εἰς ἀλλότριον, οἱ δὲ εἰς ἀδελφὸν ἐγίνοντο πονηροί. Καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἔστησαν τῆς κακίας, ἀλλ' ἐπηγωνίζοντο τοῖς προτέροις ἀεί. Καὶ λαβόντες μόνον ἐν ἐρημίᾳ καὶ ἔσφαξαν καὶ ἀπέδοντο καὶ δοῦλον ἀντ' ἐλευθέρου ἐποίησαν καὶ δουλείαν τὴν ἐσχάτην· οὔτε γὰρ ὁμοφύλοις τισίν, ἀλλὰ βαρβάροις ἑτερογλώσσοις καὶ αὐτοῖς εἰς βάρβαρον ἀπιοῦσι χώραν ἐξέδωκαν τὸν ἀδελφόν. Ὁ δὲ Θεὸς λαμπρότερον αὐτὸν ποιῶν ἠνείχετο τῶν γινομένων καὶ ἐμακροθύμει κινδύνων κινδύνους διαδεχομένων· μετὰ γὰρ τὸν φθόνον καὶ τὴν αἰσχρὰν διαβολὴν σφαγῆναι παρέδωκαν καὶ δουλείᾳ σφαγῆς χαλεπωτέρᾳ. Μὴ γὰρ δὴ παραδράμῃς ἁπλῶς τὸ εἰρημένον, ἀλλ' ἐννόησον ἡλίκον ἦν μειράκιον εὐγενές, ἐν οἰκίᾳ πατρικῇ τραφὲν μετ' ἐλευθερίας ἁπάσης, μετὰ ἀγάπης πατρὸς τοσαύτης, ἀθρόον ὑπὸ ἀδελφῶν ἀπεμποληθῆναι, οὐδὲν ἐχόντων ἐγκαλεῖν καὶ βαρβάροις ἐκδοθῆναι ἑτερογλώσσοις καὶ ἤθεσιν ἀλλοκότοις καὶ αὐτοθηρίοις μᾶλλον ἢ ἀνθρώποις καὶ ἄπολιν καὶ μετανάστην καὶ οἰκέτην καὶ ξένον ἀντ' ἐλευθέρου γενέσθαι καὶ τοσαύτης ἀπολαύοντα εὐημερίας πρὸς τὴν ἐσχάτην κατενεχθῆναι ταλαιπωρίαν, δουλείας ἀήθη ὄντα μεθ' ὑπερβολῆς ἁπάσης, πικροτάτους λαβεῖν δεσπότας καὶ πρὸς ἀλλοτρίαν καὶ βάρβαρον μετενεχθῆναι γῆν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα ἵστατο τὰ δεινά, ἀλλ' ἐπιβουλαὶ πάλιν ἐπιβουλὰς διεδέχοντο μετὰ τὰ ὀνείρατα ἐκεῖνα τὰ θαυμαστὰ καὶ τὴν τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ προσκύνησιν προαναφωνοῦντα. Λαβόντες γὰρ αὐτὸν οὐ κατέσχον οὗτοι οἱ ἔμποροι, ἀλλ' ἑτέροις αὐτὸν πάλιν χείροσιν ἀπέδοντο βαρβάροις.

Οἶσθα δὲ ἡλίκον εἰς συμφορᾶς λόγον τὸ δεσπότας τοιούτους ἐκ τοιούτων ἀμείβειν· τοῦτο γὰρ δυσκολωτέραν ποιεῖ τὴν δουλείαν, ὅταν καὶ ξέονι πάλιν οἱ κτώμενοι καὶ τῶν προτέρων ὦσι χαλεπώτεροι. Καὶ γίνεται ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, τῇ θεομάχῳ τότε ἐκείνῃ καὶ μαινομένῃ, ὅθεν τὰ ἀναίσχυντα στόματα, ὅθεν αἱ βλάσφημοι γλῶσσαι. Καὶ γίνεται παρ' Αἰγυπτίοις, ὧν καὶ εἷς ἤρκεσε μόνος τὸν μέγαν Μωϋσέα δραπέτην καὶ φυγάδα ποιῆσαι. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ μικρὸν ἀνέπνευσεν ἐκεῖ τοῦ φιλανθρώπου Θεοῦ τοῦ τὰ παράδοξα οἰκονομοῦντος τὸν ἄγριον θῆρα τὸν ὠνησάμενον αὐτὸν ποιήσαντος πρόβατον εὐθέως αὐτῷ σκάμματα παρασκευάζεται πάλιν καὶ στάδιον καὶ παλαίσματα καὶ ἀγῶνες καὶ ἱδρῶτες σφαδρότεροι τῶν προτέρων. Ἰδοῦσα γὰρ αὐτὸν ἀδίκοις ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡ κεκτημένη καὶ τῷ κάλλει τῆς ὄψεως αὐτοῦ χειρωθεῖσα καὶ κατὰ κράτος ἁλοῦσα τῷ πάθει λέαινα ἀντὶ γυναικὸς ὑπὸ τῆς ἀκολάστου ταύτης ἐπιθυμίας ἐγένετο. Καὶ πάλιν σύνοικος ὁ πόλεμος ἦν ἐναντίαν τοῖς προτέροις τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἔχων. Ἐκεῖνοι