JOSEPH. 



Ifraelites. In the lafl year of the famine, Jofeph informed 

 the Egyptians that they might expeft a crop during the fol- 

 lowing year ; and that he would enable them lo renew their 

 attention to agriculture, by diilribnting among them frcfh 

 lands, catdo, and corn : but he ftipulated this condition 

 with them, that from henceforwards the fiftii part of all the 

 prodiKls of their lands (hoiJd be referved for the king, and 

 that the relidue (hovild be their own. From this time, 

 (B.C. i'70'2,) a< the people confented to this ri'i'ulation, ft 

 became a law, that remained in force for feveral centuries, 

 that the littli part of the produce of the whole kingdom of 

 Egypt, the lands of the prieli-; cxci pteiJ, fhould belong to 

 the crjwn. After the death of Jacob, and tiic return of his 

 brethren to Egypt from Canaan, whither they had attended 

 the remains of their fa'.her (fee .Jacob), they were appre- 

 he;:live that Jofeph might retaliate the injuries which thev had 

 done him ; and therefore they informed him, by a nicf- 

 fenger, that it was their father's dying rcquell that he 

 would forgive them, and continue to afford them liis pro- 

 tection. Jofeph imm.ediately took an opportunity of re- 

 moving their fiifj)icion and anxiety, by repeated aluirances 

 of his unabated affection and zealous concern for their wel- 

 fare. Having furvived his fath.er about 60 years, he in- 

 formed his brethren (B.C. 163 j), that God, according to 

 his promife, would bring their pollerity from Egypt to the 

 land of Canaan ; and he therefore made them pledge them- 

 felves on oath, to bury him with his anceftors. Jofeph, 

 having occupied under iix fovereigns the office of viceroy of 

 Egypt, during So year?, retained it till his death, which 

 happened when he had attained the age of 1 10 years, in the 

 year 1635 B.C. When the Ifraelites took their departure 

 from Egypt, they obferved his injunelion concerning the 

 removal of his body ; and as we read in Joih. xxiv j2. it 

 was buried at. Schechem, in the field which Jacob bought 

 of Hamor. From Jerome we learn, that the Ifraelites 

 erefted a noble monument to Jiis memory, which was to be 

 feen in his time. We Hiall not enlarge this article by an 

 account of the tales of the Tahuudilfs and of the Koran 

 (chap, xii.), but refer the reader to D'Herbelot's Bibl. 

 Orient, art. Joii/oufih, for fpecimens of thefe legendary 

 tales. Gen. xxx — 1. Anc. Un. Hill. vol. iii. 



Joseph I., in Biography, emperor of Germany, fon of the 

 emperor Leopold, was born in i^jrS. He was declared 

 hereditary king of Hungary, and crowned in 1687. In 

 1690 he v.-as elefted king of the Romans, and afcended the 

 imperial throne on tiie death cf his father, in 170J. He 

 purfued the fyllem of the late emperor, and maintained the 

 alliance againll France, with England, Holland, and Savov, 

 in fupport of the claim of the archduke Charles to the crown 

 cf Spain ; in which war tlie allies were fuccefsful. Jofeph 

 was of a haujjhty and arbitrary difpofition, employed violent 

 ineafures againit all the oppolers of liis authority, and fup- 

 j>orted with a high hand all the claims of his lioufe. In 

 1706 he put the electors cf Bavaria and Cologne to the ban 

 of the empire, for taking part with France ; and having de- 

 priveii thofe princes of a great part of their ellates, he 

 btfto-.ved the fame on his own relations and favourites. He 

 quarrelled with the pope, w horn he afterwards obliged to 

 recognize liis brother tlie archduke Charles as kmg of 

 Spwn. He made himfelf mailer of Italy, and levied con- 

 tributions on Mantua, Parma, Modena, Lucca, Genoa, 

 and other places. His armies defeated the revolted Hun- 

 garians ; but ii» the midll of his fucceflt s, he was carried off 

 by the fmiU-pox, in April 1711, at the age of thirty-three, 

 owing, it was believed, to the unfkilfulnefs of his phyficians. 

 His charafter has been varioufly reprefentcd. He was im- 

 paiieot of oppoStiofl, aAive, and ejiterprifin^ ; aii4 fee- 



q'nently purfued from motives of refentment what he hdS 

 fn-ll undertaken from policy. In his imperial capacit)-, he 

 governed with more defpotifm than any of his predeceilors ; 

 and the houfe of Bavaria was a monument of the inflexibility 

 of his temper. Univer. Hilt. 



JosF.Pi! 11., emperor of Germany, fon of Francis of 

 Lorraine and the einprefs-queen Maria Therefa, was born 

 at Vienna, in March 1741. Great care was taken of his 

 education ; and at the age of niiieteeF., he was married to 

 Ifabella, the infanta of Parma. He had, at an early period, 

 difplayed a delire of diftinguifhing himfelf, and military 

 glory was his iirll pafriini. He was crowned king of the 

 Romans in 1764 ; and having loft his Iirll wife, to whom he 

 was tenderly attached, he married, in 1765, the filter of the 

 eleelor of Bavaria. In this time year, on the death of his 

 father i'"rancis I., he fuocecded to the imperial crown with- 

 out oppoiltion. He now difylaycd gnat talents and ac- 

 tivity, by new-modelling the armies, Ei.d reforming all the 

 departments of government. He travelled through his do- 

 minions, and viiited Pruffia, Italy, France, and RulTia ; 

 snd on,liis return, among many other wife and excellent 

 regulations which he adopted, he fet apart one day in every 

 week for receiving petitions and complaints from all his 

 fuhjeifls, without any diftinclion of birth or fortune ; and 

 the officers of his court were cxprefsly forbidden to repulle 

 any, even the meanell objeft, who came to implore his pro- 

 tection. " It behoves me," faid the emperor, " to do ;uf- 

 tice ; and it is my invariable intention to render it to all the 

 world, without refpect of pcrfons." In the year 1771, 

 Germany fuffered the horrors of a famine, which was more 

 or lefs felt in all the countries of Europe. But in feveral 

 pai-ts of Germany, the fcarcily was fo great, that vail num- 

 bers of people actually perilled for the want of the con- 

 monell neced'aries of life. During thefe calamities, the 

 emperor joined the luonarchs of Prnfila and Rufita in the 

 difmemberment of Poland. The firll treaty for this ini- 

 quitous bufmefs was figiied in 1772, and which finally ter- 

 minated in the total extindtion cf that unhappy kingdom. 

 In 1780. by the death of the emprefs-queen, .lofepli fiic- 

 cccded to the crown of Hungary and Bohemia ; ard in the 

 follov. ing year, he iffued a decree in favour of the liberty of 

 the prefs, wliich was followed by others equally liberal, 

 particularly one in favour of a more liberal toleration. The 

 fnppreflion of the inquilition at Milan may be attributed to 

 the prevalence of a fimilar fpirit in the imperial coiincili. 

 He e.Ktended the privileges of fubjefts to the Jews ; and he 

 Ihewed his attention to economy, by certain regulations re- 

 lative to penlions, and by retrenching many which had been 

 granted by the benevolent facility of his mother. He pro. 

 mulgated a decree in favour of the liberty of the prel's ; and 

 by one of the articles, he allowed a free circulation to li- 

 terary reviews, and other periodical piibhcations : he even 

 permitted that all ftrictures upon the throne itfelf might be 

 publidied with full fecurity, provided they did not defcend 

 to the charafter of libels or pafqninades. •' If," faid he, 

 " they be founded in jnlliec, we (liall profit by them ; if not^ 

 we (liall difregard them.*' In a journey to the Neiherkuids, 

 the emperor gained the love of the people by his courtefy 

 and generofity. He carried into effect a project for re- 

 fuming that line of fortrefTes which was called the Dutch 

 barrier, and vas garrifoncd by their forces. Thefe were all 

 difmantled, and the materials fold. On this vifit he de- 

 clared Oltend a free port, and ordered ieveral improvements 

 to be made in the harbour at his own expence. The em- 

 peror afterwards demanded of the Dutch the free naviga- 

 tion of the Scheldt ; but in tiiis he was unfuccefsful. On 

 hts rijturn to Vij-nna, he abulilhed the fvlleui of vaffalagc ; 

 8 aiKl 



