was given to them by the king, to whom were given victuals openly out of all the barns and garners, and therefore they were not compelled to sell their possessions.  Then said Joseph to all the peoples:  Lo, now ye see and know that Pharaoh oweth and is in possession of you and of your land.  Take to you seed and sow ye the fields that ye may have fruit.  The fifth part thereof ye shall give to the king and four parts I promise to you to sow, and for meat to your servants and to your children.  Which answered:  Our health is in thine hand, let our lord only behold us and we shall gladly serve the king.  From that time unto this present day, in all the land of Egypt the fifth part is paid to the king; and it is holden for a law, except the land longing to the priests which is free from this condition.

Then Israel dwelled in Egypt in the land of Goshen, and was in possession thereof.  He increased and multiplied greatly, and lived therein seventeen years.  And all the years of his life were an hundred and seven and forty years.  When he understood that the day of his death approached, he called to him his son Joseph and said to him:  If I may find so much grace in thy sight, do to me so much mercy as thou promise and swear that thou bury me not in Egypt, but that I may rest with my fathers, and take and carry me from this land, and lay me in the sepulchre of my forefathers.  To whom Joseph answered:  I shall do that thou hast commanded.  Then said he:  Swear to me, and so he swore.  And then Israel adored and worshipped our Lord, and turned him toward his bed’s head.  Then this done, anon after it was told to Joseph that his father was sick and feeble; who anon took his sons Manasseh and Ephraim and came to his father.  Anon it was told to the father:  Lo thy son Joseph cometh to thee, which then was comforted, and sat up in his bed.  And Joseph entered in, and Jacob said:  Almighty God appeared to me in Luz which is in the land of Canaan, and he blessed me and said:  I shall increase thee and multiply thee into tourbes of peoples, I shall give to thee this land and to thy seed after thee in sempiternal possession, therefore thy two sons that be born to thee in this land of Egypt tofore I came hither to thee, shall be my sons Ephraim and Manasseh, they shall be reputed to me as Simeon and Reuben.  The other that thou shalt get after them shall be thine, and shall be called in the name of their brethren in their possessions.  Then he, seeing Joseph’s sons, said to him:  Who be these children?  Joseph answered:  They be my sons which God hath given to me in this place.  Bring them hither, said he, to me that I may bless them.  Israel’s eyes were dimmed and might not see clearly for great age.  He took them to him and kissed them and said to Joseph:  I am not defrauded from the sight of thee, and furthermore God hath showed to me thy seed.  Then when Joseph took them from his father’s lap, he worshipped him kneeling low to the earth, and set Ephraim on his