Mordecai, her Uncle, perpetuates the memory of this fignal and moft 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 sent a mes

sage 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, unused to all oppofition, was outrageously angry, in his firft fury he inftantaneously fummonfed his Grand Council of Seven, lays before them his accufation, and Vashti's difobedience, they, dreading both his paffion and the effects of fuch a conduct

out, leave was given them to return and rebuild Jerufalem and the Temple.

NEHEMIAH either fucceeded his Father, or accepted fome other Promotion at Court; he held a Poft of great Profit and highly honourable about the person and prefence of the King and Queen, and from the Royal favour and his lucrative employ, NEHEMIAH became very rich,

His Father Hechaliah was one of the captive Jews, he himself was probably born at Shufhan or Babylon, a man of publick fpirit, learning, and piety, and his appointment was, cup-bearer to the King of Perfia.

NEHEMIAH was taking an evening walk near Sufa, and seeing fome Travellers, who seemed Strangers, going towards the city gates, and (as they paffed him, talking Hebrew) he spoke to them, You come from a great distance, from what Country pray and they said, from Jerufalem. He enquired after the people and the city, and they told him of the broken Walls, and of the riotous Banditti that came plundering every night, and there was no poffibility of keeping them out; of a morning (they faid) the roads were ftrewed with the dead bodies.

NEHE

NEREMIAH Could not fupprefs his tears, his fighs, his fobs burft forth, the diftreffes of his poor countrymen fo afflicted him, he offered up, (juft as he ftood) a fervent prayer to God on their behalf; while thus employed and agitated, a fervant ran to tell him the King was going to Supper. NEHEMIAH haftens to the Palace, never wiped away his tears or wafhed his face; he went in to wait upon his Majefty, and very luckily Queen Efther was prefent; the King had noticed. NEHEMIAH, and after Supper, in a very pleasant humour, he asks,

"What is the matter with you, NEHEMIAH? "what cause have you for forrow and tears?"

and he now took courage, and told the King of all that had fo diftreffed him: Jerufalem was the City of his Ancestors, all their monuments were there, its gates and all its walls were down, and the robbers were infefting and murdering its inhabitants. NEAEMIAH's forrowful ftory ended in a Petition to his Majefty, that he might be commiffioned and empowered to go walls of his City.

and rebuild the

The King iffued out immediate orders to Sanballat, and other officers of his Court, to fupply

NEHEMIAH from the royal Treafury with Money and every neceffary material, and now fays the King.

"Dry up your tears NEHEMIAH, and be chear"ful."

He fell down on his face, overflowing with joy and gratitude. NEHEMIAH excufed from his attendance and daily duty, fet out immediately for Babylon, and there he raises a fufficient Number of Men and Women to accompany him on his Journey, and the King appointed him an Escort of Troops for his Guard. NEHEMIAH and all his Company arrived fafe at Jerusalem. He here fhut himself up three whole days, after which he fallied out towards evening, and made his obfervations on the City and its Walls. The report he received from the Travellers he had met at Shufhan, proved exactly true. The very next morning, NEHEMIAH affembled the Heads, Elders, and Magiftrates, and before a numerous body of the People, purposely convened, he opened his new commiffion, required their affiftance to put it in force, and aid the execution of his orders respecting the city walls, he engaged a numerons body of workmen, and their families, diligently prefided every day himself over all the work, and in two and fifty days, they had all completed their

task,

tafk, repaired and fortified the Walls: with true piety NEHEMIAH caufed a Dedication of it to be celebrated with the ufual Solemities by the Priests and Levites.

NEHEMIAH found the People in a deplorable condition, oppreffed with poverty, involved in debts, overwhelmed with usurers and extortioners, who took a base advantage of the diftrefs of their countrymen, and made them mortgage or fell their lands for prefent bread, for themselves and their children. NEHEMIAH, by perfuafion and authority, removed the iniquity and oppreffion, obliged all perfons to make reftitution, and by a folemn Oath compelled them to do fo no more. He exhibited his Courage on all occafions, fignally. expofing himself to the most dangerous fituations, and even to drudgery. He kept a body Guard about his perfon, but it was not for fear of being killed, but left his fellow-citizens fhould not finish the building of the walls.

He made the Labourers work in Armour, both the Mason and his Man wore fwords, and fhields lay by them, and trumpeters were fixed at proper diftances to found an alarm whenever an enemy approached. NEHEMIAH was once told of a confpiracy formed against him, of Affaffins deter