Mordecai, her Uncle, perpetuates the memory of this fignal and most wonderful deliverance, and he writes himself a narrative of all the Plot, and the very extraordinary Providence by which it was discovered and prevented.

Ahafuerus is a name of royal dignity and diftinction rather than a furname. The hiftory informs us,

"A great Monarch, King of Perfia, made a fumptuous Feaft in his Palace at Shufhan, the "Metropolis of his Kingdom, and in high Spirits "all jovial in the banqueting-hall, he fent a mef

fage to Vashti, his Queen, and defired her to

join his Company gorgeously arrayed in all her "royal apparel, and that fhe would take her feat, "now in the fight, of all his Nobles."

A request fo unexpected and very unusual, as the laws of Perfia forbad a wife's appearance before ftrangers, the Queen modeftly declines, and ventures to disobey. The haughty Monarch, unufed to all oppofition, was outrageoufly angry, in his first fury he inftantaneously fummonfed his Grand Council of Seven, lays before them his accufation, and Vashti's disobedience, they, dreading both his paffion and the effects of fuch a conduct

in fo elevated a ftation, paffed a fentence of divorce and condemnation on her Majefty, commanding her to be dethroned immediately.

The King had time to cool, he became all pity and despair, he loved Vashti, fhe was the firft of beauties, her crime was modefty, fhe had violated no law, he had unwittingly done it himself, his vanity and pride the caufe, but the Council were to be honoured, and Vafhti, Queen of Perfia, was dethroned.

The King fell into a ftate of defpondency, and in order to divert his melancholy, and induce him to think the lefs of Vafhti, his Nobles came to him, requesting his Majefty to make choice of another Queen. A number of young virgins were always provided for, in elegant apartments in the Palace, and they regularly underwent a fix months preparation with odours and rich perfumes; from among these the Kings of Perfia made their choice when they married. The winning Beauty and fuperior elegance of Efther inflamed the love of Abafuerus, and He advanced her to the throne of Perfia; fhe was indeed a moft beautiful virgin, an orphan of the Tribe of Benjamin, brought up and adopted by her uncle Mordecai, who was himself a defcendant of thofe who had been

brought

brought captive to Babylon, and as he conftantly attended at the Palace-gate feems to have been one of the King's Porters. Mordecai had interest enough at Court to introduce his Niece into the Palace among other Beauties, Candidates for Roy, alty, and to fucceed Vashti, the late Queen, now in her difgrace.

Haman was firft favourite in the Court of Ahafuerus, haughty, infolent, and vain, an Amalakite, a moft avowed enemy to all the Jews, a wicked minifter, indulgent only to his paffions, with honours next to royal, his pride was daily fed with the base homage of an Afiatic Court. One Officer only of all the houfhold refused to proftrate himself before Haman, Mordecai the Jew; he with virtuous indignation, disgusted with his vanity, and knowing him to be an Amalakite, bowed not, nor did him reverence. Haman was full of wrath, he thought it too little, and Mordecai too contemptible an object, to execute his refentment and wanton cruelty on him alone, he determined to deftroy and totally extirpate all the race of Jews throughout the Kingdom, but to diftinguish Mordecai, and punish his undutifulness, Haman had erected a gallows, 150 feet high, in kis own court-yard for Mordecai.

Juft

ན་

Juft about this time a confpiracy was entered into by fome place-men at Court, and it was difcovered by a Jew, and that Jew revealed it to Mordecai, he told it his Neice, entrusting the fecret with the Queen, a very wife and fure method of preventing the mischief, and acquiring the love and regard of the King. The whole tranfaction was registered in the State Volume, and one night, the King being unusually wakeful, he ordered up the books, and enquired, what had been done for Mordecai? and who was without in waiting? and they said, Haman is just now entering the great Gate, the King fent for him in, and afked him what honour and dignity, He fhould confer on one, who had, with the most loyal zeal and affection, diftinguished his fidelity to him. Haman's good opinion of himself, in his highly exalted station, had conceit enough to apply this Princely favour to himself, and he said,

"Let the royal apparel be brought out, which "the King useth to wear, and the horfe which "the King rideth upon, and the Crown royal "which is fet upon his head, let them be delivered "to one of the King's moft noble Princes, to

array the man whom the King delighteth to "honour-thus leading him, and proclaiming his loyalty, through the high streets of Shushan."

The

The King instantly replied to Haman, make hafte;

" Do you take the apparel, and the horse, and "do you even fo to Mordecai the Jew that fitteth "at the gate, and let nothing fail of all that thou "haft spoken."

Mordecai, after receiving thefe high and diftinguished honours, led in princely ftate by Haman, was fet down at the gate of the Palace. Haman abafhed and mortified, covered up his face, he mourned bitterly, and hafted home to his own houfe; the plot he had lain, and fo cunningly contrived against Mordecai and the Jews, he faw plainly was discovered, and while he was telling his fufpicions, and fad ftory, to a felet party of his friends, and Zerefh his wife, even while they were yet talking, the King's Chamberlain brought a meffage inviting Haman to a Banquet Queen Efther had prepared for the King and him.

The entertainment and invitation to a feaft, was the ufual mode of petitioning the throne, and it lafted two days:

"On the fecond the King enquired of ESTHER "what request she had to make to him, affuredly