was upon the well's mouth. And thither were all the flocks gathered and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's mouth in his place. And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we. And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor? And they said, We know him. And he said unto them, Is he well? And they said, and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the

He is well sheep.

But where is she, the bridal flower,

That must be made a wife ere noon?

She enters, glowing with the noon
Of Eden on its bridal bower.

And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep for she kept them. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son: and she ran and told her father. And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things. And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. with him the space of a month.

Wedded love is founded on esteem,

Which the fair merits of the mind engage;
For those are charms that never can decay;

But time, that gives new whiteness to the swan,
Improves their lustre.

And he abode

And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be? And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured. And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another

man abide with me. And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days for the love he had to her.

Oh there is one affection which no stain

Of earth can darken: when two find-
The softer and the manlier that a chain

Of kindred taste has softened mind to mind;
'Tis an attraction from all sense refined;
The good can only know it. 'Tis not blind,

As love is unto baseness. Its desire

Is but, with hands entwined, to lift our being higher.

And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days

And Laban gathered made a feast. And it

are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.
together all the men of the place, and
came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and
brought her to him; and he went in unto her..

Ah that deceit should steal such gentle shapes,
And with a virtuous visor hide deep vice!

And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah : and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the first-born. Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also, for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maid-servants, and men-servants, and camels, and asses. And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.

Leave me, O Love! which reachest but to dust;
And thou, my mind, aspire to higher things,
Grow rich in that which never taketh rust:
Whatever fades, but fading pleasure brings.
Draw in thy beams, and humble all thy might

To that sweet yoke where lasting freedoms be;
Which breaks the clouds, and opens forth the light,
And doth both shine, and give us sight to see.

Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; and he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods

which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padan-aram ; for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

The sea of fortune doth not ever flow,
She draws her favours to the lowest ebb,
Her tides have equal times to come and go,
Her loom doth weave the fine and coarsest web;
No joy so great, but runneth to an end;

No hap so hard, but may in fine amend.

CHAPTER XXIV.

JACOB'S PROPITIATORY PRESENT. HIS WRESTLING PRAYER.

A

HIS PRINCELY TITLE.

APPEARED before mine eyes

A man of God: his habit and his guise
Were such as lofty prophets used to wear:
But in his dreadful looks there did appear
Something that made me tremble: in his eye
Mildness was mixt with awful majesty.

ND Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now and I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and men-servants, and women-servants and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.

Some faiths are like those mills that cannot grind
Their corn, unless they work against the wind.

And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds and the camels, into two bands; and said, If

Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.

Nothing more grateful to the highest eyes,
Nothing more firm in danger to protect us,
Nothing more forcible to pierce the skies,

And not depart till mercy do protect us;
And, as the soul life to the body gives,

So prayer revives the soul, by prayer it lives.

And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.

My lord, I have remembrances of yours,

That I have longed long to re-deliver;

I pray you now receive them.

And with them, words of so sweet breath composed,
As make the things more rich: the perfume lost,

Take these again; for to the noble mind,

Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.

And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother; two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals. And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by themselves; and said unto his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove. And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee? Then thou shalt say, They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, also he is behind us. And so commanded he the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, On this manner shall ye

speak unto Esau, when ye find him. And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me. So went the present over before him; and himself lodged that night in the company. And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two women-servants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.

Come, O thou Traveller unknown,

Whom still I hold, but cannot see!

My company before is gone,

And I am left alone with Thee:
With Thee all night I mean to stay,
And wrestle till the break of day.

Yield to me now, for I am weak;
But confident in self-despair :
Speak to my heart in blessings speak:

Be conquered by my instant prayer.

Speak! or Thou never hence shalt move,

And tell me if thy Name be Love.

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

I will not let Thee go, Thou help in time of need!
Heap ill on ill, I trust Thee still,

E'en when it seems as Thou wouldst slay indeed!
Do as Thou wilt with me, I yet will cling to Thee!
Hide Thou thy face, yet, help in time of need,

I will not let Thee go!