The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. II.

[verse 1] Therfor whanne these thingis weren doon, aftir that the indignacioun of kyng [the kyng CN.] Assuerus was coold [swagid I.] [was coold; that is, the passioun of ire, and of trobling was passid. Lire here. C.] , he bithouȝte [bithouȝte him I.] of Vasthi, and what thingis sche hadde do, ethir [and I.] what thingis sche suffride [had suffrid I.] . [verse 2] And [And thanne I.] the children and the mynystris of the

kyng seiden to `the kyng [him I.] , Damyselis [Faire damyselis I.] , virgyns [and virgyns I.] `and faire [Om. I.] , be souȝt to the kyng; [verse 3] and `men ben [be ther men I.] sent [sent forth I.] , that [whiche I.] schulen biholde bi alle prouinces damesels faire and vir|gyns; and brynge thei hem to the citee Susa [of Susa I.] , and bitake thei [thei hem I.] in to the hows of wymmen, vndur the hond [kepyng I.] of Egei, the onest seruaunt and chast, which [the which I.] is the souereyn and kepere of the kyngis wym|men; and take the [tho I.] damesels ournement of wymmen, and other thingis nedeful to vsis [her vsis I.] . [verse 4] And which euer damesele among [of C.] alle [alle hem I.] plesith [plesith moost I.] the iȝen of the kyng, regne sche for Vasti. The [And this I.] word pleside the kyng; and he comaundide to be don so, as thei counceliden. [verse 5] Forsothe [And I.] a man, a Jew, was in the citee Susa [of Susa IX sec. m.] , Mardoche bi name, the sone of Jair, sone [the sone IS.] of Semei, sone [the sone IS.] of Cys, of the generacioun of Ge|myny; [verse 6] that was translatid fro Jerusalem in that tyme, wherynne [in whiche I.] Nabugodonosor, kyng of Babiloyne, hadde translatid Je|chonye, [verse 7] kyng of Juda; which [the which IS.] Mardoche was the nurschere of Edissa, the douȝter of his brothir, which [the which I.] douȝtir [Edissa IS.] was clepid Hester bi anothir name, and sche [bi deth sche IS.] hadde [Om. S.] lost [left or forȝede I. forȝede S.] bothe fadir [hir fadir IS.] and modir [hir modir IS.] ; sche [and sche IS.] was ful fair, and semeli of face; and whanne hir fadir and modir weren deed, Mardoche `purchaside hir in to a douȝtir to hym|silf [toke hir to him, and he made hir his douȝter IS.] . [verse 8] And whanne the comaundement of the kyng was ofte pupplischid, and bi his comaundement [heest IS.] many faire virgyns weren brouȝt to Susa, and weren [thei weren I.] bitakun to Egey, the onest seruaunt and chast, also Hester among othere damesels was by|takun to hym, that sche schulde be kept in the noumbre of wymmen [thilke wymmen I. tho wymmen S.] . [verse 9] And sche [Hester IS.] pleside hym [Egey IS.] , and foond [sche foond IS.] grace in his siȝt, that [so that S.] he hastide [hastide to take to hir IS.] the [an I.] ournement of wym|men, and bitook [he bitook IS.] to hir [Hester IS.] her partis [partis of alle thingis nedeful to hir S.] , and

seuene the faireste damesels of the kyngis hows; and [and in most honest maner to plese the king with S.] he [Egey IS.] ournede and araiede bothe hir and damesels [thilke damesels I. tho damyseils S.] suynge hir feet. [verse 10] And `sche nolde [Hester wolde not I. Hester nuld S.] schewe to hym [Egey IS.] hir puple and [neither IS.] hir cuntrei; for Mardoche hadde co|maundid to [Om. IS.] hir, that in al maner sche schulde be stille of this thing. [verse 11] And he [Mardocheus IS.] walkide ech dai bifor the porche of the dore, in which the chosun virgyns weren kept, and he dide the cure of the [Om. A.] helthe of Hester [hir, of ony maner infirmytee I. hir, if ony infirmyte took hir S.] , and wolde [he wolde IS.] wite, what bifelde to hyr. [verse 12] And whanne the tyme of alle [alle the IS.] damesels bi ordre was comun, that thei schulden entre [go yn IS.] to the kyng, whanne [and whanne IS.] alle thingis weren fillid [fulfillid IS.] that [which S.] perteyneden to wymmens atire, the [and the IS.] tweluethe monethe [monethe of the ȝeer I. moneth which tho damysels sholden apere bifore the king S.] was turned [brouȝt aboute I. turned or endid S.] ; so oneli that [Om. S.] thei weren anoyntid with oile [the oile IS.] of `myrte tre [myrre ISb. myrre tree HX. mirre tree K.] bi sixe monethis, and bi othere sixe monethis `thei vsiden summe [summe vsiden S.] pymentis [pymentis, that is, delicious drinkis S.] and swete|smellynge oynementis. [verse 13] And thei entriden to the kyng, and what euer thing per|teynynge to ournement [her ournement IS.] thei axiden, thei token [token it I. token it with hem S.] ; and thei weren araied as it pleside [pleside to IS.] hem, and [and thanne S.] passiden [thei passiden forth IS.] fro the chaum|bre of wymmen to the kyngis bed. [verse 14] And sche that hadde entrid [entrid thidir IS.] in the euentid, ȝede out [forth IS.] in the morwetid; and fro thennus thei weren led forth in to the secounde housis, that [whiche IS.] weren vndur the hond [kepyng IS.] of Sagazi, onest [the onest IS.] seruaunt and chast, that was gouernour of the kyngis concubyns [concubyns; yt is licly that these that entriden to the kyngis bed, weren hise wyues, netheles they weren seid concubyns, for they weren not principal wyues. Lire here. C.] ; and sche [sche that ȝede fro the kyng IS.] hadde not power to go aȝen more to the kyng, no [Om. I.] but the kyng wolde, `and had comaundid hir to come [haue hir to come to him S.] bi name [name to him I.] . [verse 15] Sotheli [And IS.] whanne the tyme was turned aboute bi ordre, the [and the IS.] dai neiȝede, wher|ynne Hester, the douȝter of Abiahel, bro|ther [the brother IS.] of Mardoche, `whom he hadde pur|chasid in to a douȝter to hym silf [[the S] whiche Hester Mardoche had take to him, and made hir his douȝter IS.] , ouȝte

entre [to entre IS.] to the kyng; and sche axide not wymmenus ournement, but what euer thingis Egei, the onest seruaunt and chast, kepere [and kepere IS.] of virgyns [the virgyns I. the kings virgyns S.] , wolde, he ȝaf these thingis to hir [Hester IS.] to ournement [hir ournement IS.] ; for [certis IS.] sche was ful schapli, and of fairnesse that may not liȝtli be bileuyd, and sche semyde [was seen IS.] graciouse and amyable to the iȝen of alle men. [verse 16] Therfor sche was lad to [in to S.] the bed of kyng Assuerus, in the tenthe monethe, which [that I.] is clepid Cebeth [Feuerȝeer A marg. Tebeth, that is, Janyuer ISX marg.] , in the seuenthe ȝeer of his rewme. [verse 17] And the kyng fer|uentli [Om. I.] louyde hir [Hester IS.] more [more feruently I.] than alle wym|men, and sche hadde grace and mercy bifor hym ouer alle wymmen [othere wymmen I.] ; and he [she L.] settide [sette upon hir heed IS.] the [a I.] diademe [diademe or crowne I. diademe, that is, coroun S.] of rewme [the rewme CEKL. his rewme IS.] `on hir heed [Om. IS.] , and he [Om. IS.] made hir to regne in the stide of Vasthi. [verse 18] And he comaundide a ful worschipful feeste to be maad redi to alle hise princes and seruauntis, for the ioynyng [couplyng IS.] togidere and the weddyngis of Hester; and he ȝaf rest [reste; that is, releessing of tribut. Lire here. C.] to alle prouynces, and ȝaf [he ȝaf CIK sec. m. S.] ȝiftis aftir the worschipful doyng of a prynce. [verse 19] And whanne virgyns weren souȝt also the secounde tyme [tyme to the kyng IS.] , and weren gaderid togidere, Mardochee dwellide [dwellide thanne IS.] at the ȝate of the kyng [kyng, a porter I. king, and was a porter S.] . [verse 20] Hester [And Hester IS.] hadde not ȝit schewid hir cuntrei and puple [hir puple IS.] , bi co|maundement [the heest IS.] of hym [Mardoche IS.] ; for whi [Om. I.] what euer thing he comaundide [comaundide hir IS.] , Hester [sche IS.] kepte [kepte it IS.] , and sche dide so [so thanne IS.] alle thingis, as sche was wont [woned I.] in that tyme, in which he nurschide hir a litil child. [verse 21] Therfor [Thanne S.] in that tyme, wherynne [in whiche IS.] Mardochee dwellide [dwellide porter IS.] at the `ȝate of the king [kyngis gate IS.] , Bagathan and Thares, twei seruauntis of the kyng, weren wrothe [wrothe aȝens the kyng IS.] , `that weren porteris [Om. I. thei weren his porteris S.] [porteris; for al this sen|tence, porteris til thidir, of the paleys, in Ebrew it is, keperis of pur|tenaunce of houshold, and this acordith more to the lettre suynge. The cause of this dyuersite is this, that the Ebrew word here signefieth bothe threis|fold, and pur|tenaunce of houshold, and oure transla|cioun sueth the firste signy|fycacioun, and Ebreys suen the secunde. Lire here. C.] , and [and thei IS.] saten in the first threisfold [threisfold as cheef porters I. threshfoold, or vpon the cheef porters seet S.] of the paleis; and thei wolden rise [haue risen IS.] aȝens the kyng,

and sle [haue sleyn IS.] hym. [verse 22] Which [The which I.] thing was not hid fro Mardochee, and anoon he [Mardoche IS.] telde [telde this I. toold this tresoun S.] to the queen Hester, and sche [sche tolde it IS.] to the kyng, bi [in IS.] the name of Mardochee, that hadde teld the [that IS.] thing to hir. [verse 23] It [And it IS.] was souȝt, and it was foundun [foundun sooth IS.] , and ech [either IS.] of hem was hangid in a iebat; and `it was sent to [this was comaundid to be writen in I. his tresoun was set to be writyn in S.] storyes, and was [it was I.] bitakun [bitakyn bifore the king S.] to bookis [the bookis IS.] of ȝeeris, `bifor the [Om. S.] kyng [kyng, to be entrid I. to be entrid in hem, to haue in mynde this tresoun; and to dreed the king S.] .