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

CAP. V.

[verse 1] Forsothe [Certis I.] in the thridde dai Hester was clothid in `the kyngis [real I.] clothis, and stood [sche stood I.] in the porche of the kyngis hows, that was `the ynnere aȝens [withynneforth forn aȝens I.] the kyngis halle; and he [the kyng I.] sat on [upon I.] his trone, in the consistorie of the [his I.] paleis, aȝens the dore of the hows. [verse 2] And whanne he hadde seyn Hester, the queen, stondynge [stondynge there I.] , sche pleside [pleside to I.] hise iȝen, and he helde forth aȝens hir the goldun ȝerde, which [that I.] he helde in the [his I.] hond; and sche [Hester I.] neiȝide [neiȝide niȝ I.] , and kisside [sche kisside I.] the hiȝnesse [ende I.] of his ȝerde. [verse 3] And the king seide to hir, Hester, the queen, what `wolt thou [woltow B. seist thou EL. wilt thou IP.] ? what is thin axyng? Ȝhe, thouȝ [ȝif EL. Om. P.] thou axist [axe CDI.] the half part of my rewme, it schal be ȝouun to thee. [verse 4] And sche answeride, If it plesith [plesith to I.] the kyng, Y biseche, that thou come to me to dai, and Aaman with thee, to the feeste, which [that I.] Y haue maad redi. [verse 5] And anoon the king seide, Clepe ȝe [ȝe anoon I.] Aaman soone [Om. I.] , that he obeie to the wille of Hester. Therfor [And thanne I.] the kyng and Aaman camen to the feeste, which the queen hadde maad redi to hem. [verse 6] And the king seide to hir [Hester I.] , aftir that he hadde drunk [drunken I.] wiyn [Om. I.] plen|teuousli, What [What thing IS.] axist thou [thou of me S.] , that it be ȝouun to thee, and for what thing axist thou [thou now S.] ? Ȝhe, thouȝ thou axist [axe I. axedist S.] the half

part of my rewme, thou schalt [sholdest S.] gete [gete it IS.] . [verse 7] To whom Hester answeride [seyde S.] , My axyng and preieris ben these. [verse 8] If Y haue founde grace in the siȝt of the kyng, and if it plesith the kyng, that he ȝyue to me that [that thing IS.] , that Y axe, and that he fille [fulfille IS.] myn axyng, the kyng and Aaman come [come thei to morewe IS.] to [aȝeyn to S.] the feeste, which [that I.] Y haue maad redi to hem; and to morewe Y schal opene my wille to the kyng. [verse 9] Therfor [Thanne I.] Aaman [Aaman that dai I.] ȝede out [forth thens I. thens S.] glad and swift `in that dai [Om. I.] . And whanne he hadde seyn Mardochee sittynge bifor the ȝatis of the paleys, and not oneli to haue not [Om. S.] rise [risen up IS.] to hym, but sotheli nether moued [he moued him IS.] fro [ones fro S.] the place of his sittyng, he [Aaaman IS.] [verse 10] was [herfore was.] ful wrooth; and `whanne the ire was dissymelid, he [Aaman feynyde him as not wrooth herfore, and IS.] turnede aȝen in to his hows, and he clepide togidire `to him [Om. S.] silf [Om. IS.] [verse 11] frendis [hise frendis CIS.] , and Zares, his wijf; and he de|claride [tolde IS.] to hem the greetnesse of his rich|essis, and the cumpeny of children [his children IS.] , and with hou greet glorie the kyng hadde enhaunsid hym aboue alle hise princis and seruauntis. [verse 12] And he seide after these thinges [thingis to hem IS.] , Also the queen Hester clepide noon other man with the kyng to the [hir IS.] feeste, outakun me, anentis `which queen [whom IS.] Y schal ete also to morewe with the kyng. [verse 13] And whanne [thouȝ IS.] Y haue alle these thingis, Y gesse that Y haue no thing, as long as Y se Mardochee, Jew [the Jew IS.] , sittynge bifor the `kyngis ȝatis [ȝatis of the kyng IS.] . [verse 14] And Zares, his wijf, and othere [his S.] frendis answeriden to hym, Co|maunde thou an hiȝ beem [beem or a galewe tre S.] to be maad redi, hauynge fifti cubitis of heiȝthe; and seie [speke IS.] thou eerly [to morew eerly S.] to the kyng [kyng, preiynge him I. kyng, and axe of him S.] , that Mar|dochee be hangid theronne [ther upon I.] ; and so thou schalt go glad with the kyng to the feeste [queens feeste S.] . [verse 15] And the counsel [counsel of hem I. counceil of these S.] plesyde him, and he co|maundide an hiȝ cros [cros, that is, a jebet S.] to be maad redi.