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Bath 5: Dec: 1787. I once a great while ago thought of putting the Bible in easy Verse for Babies—but that Mr Hill I met at Milan cured me of the Fancy by repeating the queer Stuff mention’d in Vol 4 of this Thraliana¹ , as I did not know but mine might grow like it. Little Miss Gertrude James however, induced me to finish the Book of Genesis for _her,_ so I shall put it into her hands tomorrow.

The Book of Genesis put in easy Verse for Babies—& abridged into one Sheet of Paper given to little Miss Gertrude James aged six Year[s] This Christmas Time 1787. Bath.by H: L: Piozzi.—

The first Man was Adam, the first Woman Eve,
God made them, & plac’d in fair Eden to live,
But early transgressing his single Command,
They were turn’d from the Garden to till the rough Land.

Then Cain kill’d his Brother for Malice & Spite,
And looked like a Murderer black as the Night.
The World was so wicked and Noah so good,
He was sav’d in the Ark, and they drown’d in the Flood,

Ham hated his Father, and laugh’d him to Scorn,
His Sons were to Slav’ry devoted and born:
But Abram was faithful and found his Reward,
While Angels approv’d him, and God was his Guard.

Lot liv’d in a sad Place, a wicked vile Town,
So the Lord sent his Lightning—& burn’d ’em all down;
Yet his Wife believ’d nothing—Oh! that was a Fault,
For which She was turnd to a Pillar of Salt.

Isaac courted Rebecca, and sent her fine Things,
Rich Jewels for Bracelets, & Diamonds for Rings,
But Jacob and Esau his Sons swell’d with Rage
And griev’d their old Parents when grey with old Age.

Jacob taught by his Mother stole gently away,
And slept on the Ground after walking all day,
There dream’d of a Ladder set up by his Side
Where Angels ascending—descending he spied,

To that Place of Course a great Name was then given
The House of Jehovah—the Gate of high Heaven.
From thence Jacob walk’d till fair Rachel he met,
And abode with her Father her Favour to get,

So he married both Daughters², and grew a rich Man
By trusting to God and a plain honest Plan.
Returning to Canaan when Isaac was dead,
He met his harsh Brother from whom he had fled,

But they made up their Quarrel, & parted good friends,
Having both seen what Comfort on Virtue attends.
Jacob strove with an Angel, and Wrestling obtain’d
A new Appellation when Conquest he gain’d,

From henceforward Israel his Name we must call,
And the Children of Israel his Progeny all.
Twelve Sons & a Daughter compos’d his whole Stock,
While he sojourn’d with Laban and tended his Flock;

There was Reuben and Simeon, and Levi and Gad,
Juda, Nephtali, Zebulon, Asher he had;
Dan Issachar also to him truly dear,
Little Joseph and Benjamin brought up the Rear.

Fair Dinah the Daughter went something astray,
But her Brothers reveng’d her, and fetch’d her away,
Then at Canaan in Peace the old patriarch arriv’d,
Where for many long Years he in Comfort had liv’d,

But his Sons teized his heart out with hating the Boy
He had chose for a Favourite—Joseph his Joy.
Of his own Exaltation poor Joseph had dream’d,
While the Brothers malignant his Ruin had schem’d,

And heated with Rage threw him into a Well,
Whence they drag’d him resolv’d into Afric to sell,
Then made up a Tale the old Sire to deceive,
Said his Son was devour’d and left him to grieve.

Well ! Joseph was sold into Egypt a Slave,
Where a Gentleman bought him, a servant to have,
But treated him most like a fav’rite or Friend,
So here all his Sorrows were soon at an End,—

For Potiphar—(that was his Master) begun
To take pleasure in nothing that he had not done.
His Lady however with Wickedness fir’d,
The Love of our innocent Joseph desir’d,

And being refus’d—She through false Accusation
Fix’d him in the prison for Folks of high Station.
There the Butler and Baker of Pharaoh the King
Dream’d both in one Night an Extraordinary Thing,

But Joseph accustom’d such Matters t’explain,
Interpreted all, and reliev’d them from pain
Yet when the chief Butler was call’d back to Court
Where the Grandees of Egypt made daily Resort,

Two Years had entirely come to an End
’Ere that Statesman ungrateful remembred his Friend
But Pharaoh one Morning awaking with Fright
At the terrible Dreams he had had in the Night,

This Officer soon felt his Conscience affected,
And his poor fellow Pris’ner then first recollected
The Monarch who found that no Sage could succeed
In explaining the Case sent for Joseph with Speed,

Told him all he had heard of his powers & Merit,
While our Hebrew replied with respect & with Spirit.
So I dream’d said the King
how I stood by the Nile,

Whose Banks seemd with Summer’s rich Bounties to smile,
Till strange to relate from the River arose
Smooth fat and well-favour’d sev’n beautiful Cows:
As round our gay Meads I observ’d them to rove,

Seven more from the River to raise themselves strove,
And never my Eyes till that Moment beheld
Such lean-looking Objects at Market or Field;
Yet what seem’d by far most surprizing of all,

The large Cattle soon were eat up by the small:
Who continued no less ugly meagre and thin
Than if no such Provision had enter’d their Skin.
Amaz’d I awoke, but soon dreaming again,

Seven full Ears of Corn seem’d to spring from the plain,
Which quickly were follow’d by others so blasted
That all Cultivation on them would be wasted
These swallow’d the first which came out of the Ground

But no Sage of ours can the Vision expound.

Joseph say’d that ’twas thus the Almighty design’d
To illuminate Pharoah and open his Mind.
For that Plenty and Famine hung over the Nation,
And seven Years of each was th’appointed Duration.

Let our Sovreign’s good Servants then try to produce
One who’ll seize the rich Moments & turn them to Use,
For sure as Abundance now swells the rich Land,
Pale Want Woe and Care are not far from our Hand.

Pharaoh listen’d with Faith, and since none c^d be found
Like this Youth with Widsom and Righteousness crown’d
Henceforward he took none but Joseph’s Opinions,
And made him chief Ruler o’er all his Dominions.

Mean Time the rich Years of fair Plenty were past,
And Famine approaching redoubled her Haste,
The Nations around till’d their Meadows in vain,
Whilst in Egypt alone was there found any Grain.

Poor Israel ’mong others expected his Fate,
But would make one more Effort before twas too late;
So sent his ten Sons over Africk to range
And finding some Corn give their Gold in Exchange.

Now before that poor Brother whose death they had plan’d,
See Joseph’s humiliated Enemies stand,
How hopeless in Egypt’s stern Ruler to trace
One feature fraternal, one Symptom of Grace!

He knew them at once, but concealing his State
Enquir’d of his Father, and Family’s Fate:
Then finding them faithful throughout the Narration,
He thought on the Dreams of his own Exaltation.

With various Devices he now sought to prove<
If their hearts were still harden’d ’gainst Brotherly Love
But wearied at length would no longer perplex,
So kiss’d his sad Suppliants and wept on their Necks.

Then sent for old Jacob from Canaan with Speed,
That with him he might never know Sorrow or Need,
When embracing his Son and surveying his Glory,
We end the first Book of the old Jewish Story:

But ne’er did these worthy good Patriarchs forget,
The God who preserv’d them, & render’d them great;
While surrounded by Infidels, all their desire,
Was to live in his Laws, in his Faith to expire.

I have torne out some Verses I wrote for little Gertrude James—They were too bad even for Thraliana; The Book of Genesis in Verse it was: Will it ever appear against me? I hope not. My Reputation for Wit & Poetry would be ruined.”;

Hester Thrale's later reflection on these verses

Footnotes

1. Page 664.↩︎
2. The other sister was Leah.↩︎