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

CAP. VI.

[verse 1] That nyȝt the king ladde withoute slep, and he comaundide to be broȝt to hym stories, and the bokis of ȝeris deedis of rathere times. The whiche thingus whan, [verse 2] hym present, weren rad, it is come to that place, wher was write, hou Mar|doche hadde told the aspies of Gabathan and Thares, geldingis, coueitende to sle king Assuer. [verse 3] The whiche thing whan the king hadde herd, he [Om. AEFH.] seith, What for this feith of wrshipe or of mede Mar|doche hath goten? And his seruans and mynestres seiden to hym, No thing of mede vtterli he toc. [verse 4] And anoon the king, Who is, he seith, in the porche? Aman forsothe wente in the innere [nere AH.] porche of the kingus hous, that he make sugges|tioun to the king, that he comaunde Mardoche to be ficchid on the iebet, that to hym was maad redi beforn. [verse 5] And the childer answerden, Aman stant [stoondith A.] in the porche. And the king seide, Come he in. [verse 6] And whan he was comyn, he seide to hym, What owith to be do to the man, whom the king desireth to honouren? Aman thenkende in his herte, and trow|ende, that noon other man but [than AH.] hym the [verse 7] king wolde honouren, answerde, The man, whom the king coueitith to honouren, [verse 8] owith to be clad [clothed AEFH.] with kingus clothis, and to be put vpon an hors that is of the kingus sadil, and to take the kingus [verse 9] diademe vp on his hed; and the firste of the kingus princis and knyȝtis holde his hors, and bi the stretis of the cite goende, crie he, and seie, Thus shal ben honoured, `whom euere [whom so euere A.] the king wile honoure. [verse 10] And so the king seide to hym, Heeȝe [Heiȝ thee A.] , and,

the stole taken and an hors, do, as thou hast spoke, to Mardoche, Jew, that sit [sittith AH.] befor the ȝatis of the paleis; bewar, lest any thing of tho, that thou hast spoken, thou leue of. [verse 11] And so Aman toc a stole and an hors, and Mardoche clad [clothed EF.] in the strete of the cite, and set vp on the [an AH.] hors, wente beforn, and criede, This wrshipe he is wrthi, whom euere the king wile honoure. [verse 12] And Mardoche is turned aȝeen to the ȝate of the paleys, and Aman heeȝede to gon in to his hous, weilende, and the hed couered. [verse 13] And he tolde to Sari, his wif, and to frendis, alle thingus that hadden falle to hym. To whom an|swerden the wise men, whom he hadde in counseil, and his wif, If of the sed of Jewis is Mardoche, befor whom thou begunne to fallen, thou shalt not moun withstonde to hym, but thou shalt falle in his siȝt. [verse 14] Ȝit hem spekende, the geld|ingis of the king camen, and anon hym to the feste, that the quen hadde maad redi, thei constreyneden to [hym to E pr. m.] gon.