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 t