The care of the child had softened him.

It had brought him to look on other children with tenderness, and looking tenderly on other children had led him to think of other fathers with compassion.

Young or old, powerful or weak, mighty or mean, they were all as little children--helpless children who would sleep together in the same bed soon.
Thinking so, Israel would have undone the evil work of earlier years; but that was impossible now.

Many of them that had suffered were dead; some that had been cast into prison had got their last and long discharge.

At least Israel would have relaxed the rigour whereby his master ruled, but that was impossible also.