him, and spake together saying: Lo! see the dreamer cometh. Come and let
us slay him and put him into this old cistern. And we shall say that
some wild evil beast hath devoured him, and then shall appear what his
dreams shall profit him. Reuben hearing this, thought for to deliver him
from their hands, and said: Let us not slay him ne shed his blood, but
keep your hands undefouled. This he said, willing to keep him from their
hands and render him again to his father. Anon then as he came they
took off his motley coat, and set him into an old cistern that had no
water. As they sat for to eat bread they saw Ishmaelites coming from
Gilead, and their camels bringing spices and raisins into Egypt. Then
said Judah to his brethren: What should it profit us if we slew our
brother and shed his blood? It is better that he be sold to Ishmaelites
and our hands be not defouled, he is our own brother and our flesh. His
brethren agreed to his words, and drew him out of the cistern, and sold
him to the Midianitish merchants passing forth by to Ishmaelites for
thirty pieces of silver, which led him into Egypt. At this time when he
was sold Reuben was not there, but was in another field with his beasts.
And when he returned and came unto the cistern and found not Joseph, he
tare his clothes for sorrow, and came to his brethren and said: The
child is not yonder, whither shall I go to seek him? He had supposed his
brethren had slain him in his absence. They told him what they had done,
and took his coat, and besprinkled it with the blood of a kid which they
slew, and sent it to their father saying: See whether this be the coat
of thy son or not, this we have found. Which anon as the father saw it
said: This is my son's coat, an evil wild beast hath devoured him, some
beast hath eaten him; and rent his clothes and did on him a sackcloth,
bewailing and sorrowing his son a long time. All his sons gathered them,
together for to comfort their father and assuage his sorrow, but he
would take no comfort, but said: I shall descend to my son into hell for
to bewail him there. And thus, he abiding in sorrow, the Midianites