permit himself even to look upon her, wherefore she resorted
to constraint. She had an iron shackle placed upon his chin,
and he was compelled to keep his head up and look her in
the face."[119]


JOSEPH RESISTS TEMPTATION

Seeing that she could not attain her object by entreaties
or tears, Zuleika finally used force, when she judged that
the favorable chance had come. She did not have long to
wait. When the Nile overflowed its banks, and, according
to the annual custom of the Egyptians, all repaired to the
river, men and women, people and princes, accompanied by
music, Zuleika remained at home under pretense of being
sick. This was her long-looked-for opportunity, she
thought. She rose up and ascended to the hall of state, and
arrayed herself in princely garments. She placed precious
stones upon her head, onyx stones set in silver and gold,
she beautified her face and her body with all sorts of things
for the purifying of women, she perfumed the hall and the
whole house with cassia and frankincense, spread myrrh
and aloes all over, and afterward sat herself down at the
entrance to the hall, in the vestibule leading to the house,
through which Joseph had to pass to his work.

And, behold, Joseph came from the field, and he was on
the point of entering the house to do his master's work, but
when he reached the place where Zuleika sat, and saw all
she had done, he turned back. His mistress, perceiving it,