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

CAP. VIII.

[verse 1] That dai king Assuer ȝaf to Ester, the quen, the hous of Aman, aduersarie of Jewis. And Mardoche wente in befor the face of the king; Ester forsothe knoulechide to hym, that he was hir em [vncle AH. encle F.] . [verse 2] And so the king toc the ring, the whiche of Aman he hadde comaundid to be resceiued, and toc to Mardoche. Ester forsothe sette Mardoche vp on hir hous. [verse 3] Ne with these thingus paȝed, she fel doun at the feet of the king, and wepte, and spac to hym, and preȝede, that the malice of Aman Agachite, and his werste castis, that he hadde thoȝt out aȝen the Jewis, he comaunde to be maad voide. [verse 4] And he of maner the kingus goldene septre strauȝte out with the [Om. A.] hond, with the whiche a tocne of the kingys mercy was shewid. And so she risende stod before [verse 5] hym, and seith, If it plese to the king, and if I haue founde grace in his eȝen, and my preȝeere be not seen to ben con|trarie to hym, I beseche, that with newe epistelis the olde lettris of Aman, spiere and enemye of Jewis, with the whiche he hadde comaundid them to pershen in [verse 6] alle the kingus prouyncis, be mendid; hou forsothe shal I moun suffre the deth and the slaȝter of my puple? [verse 7] And king Assuer answerde to Ester, the quen, and to Mardoche, Jew, The hous of Aman I haue grauntid to Ester, the quen, and hym I haue comaundid [sent E pr. m.] to be ficchid on the cros, for he was hardi to putte hond in to the Jewis. [verse 8] Thanne writeth to the Jewis, as

it plesith to ȝou, in the kingus name, selende the lettris with my ring. For|sothe this was the custum, that to the epistolis, the whiche of the kingus name weren sent, and weren selid with his ring, no man shulde ben hardi to with|seyn. [verse 9] And the scribis and the librarijs of the king clepid; forsothe time was of the thridde moneth, that is clepid Ciban, that is, June, the thre and twentithe dai of it; ben write the epistolis, as Mardoche wolde, to the Jewis, and to the princis, and procuratoures, and iugis, that in an hundrid and seuene and twenti prouyncis, fro Ynde vnto Ethiope, befor seten, to pro|uynce and prouynce, to puple and puple, aftir tungis and ther lettris, and to the Jewis, that thei myȝte reden and heren. [verse 10] And tho epistolis, that in the kingus name wer sent, with his ring ben selid, and sent bi messageris, that bi alle the pro|uyncis rennende shulde come before the olde lettris with the newe messageris. [verse 11] To whom the king comaundide, that thei shulden gadere togidere the Jewis bi alle the cites, and thei shulden comaunden in oon to be gedered, that thei stonde for ther liues; and alle their enemys, with ther wiues and fre childer, and alle ther housis, thei shulden slen, and don awei. [verse 12] And ther is set [sent A.] bi [in A.] alle pro|uyncis [the prouyncis AF.] o dai of veniaunce, that is, the threttenthe dai of Adar, the twelfthe moneth. [verse 13] And the shorte sentence of the epistil was this, that in alle [Om. A.] londis and puplis, the whiche vnderleȝen to the em|pire of king Assuer, it shulde be maad knowen, Jewis to be redi to be take veniaunce of ther enemys. [verse 14] And ther wenten out messageris, berende beforn messagis; and the maundement of the king

heng [henged AEFH.] in Susis. [verse 15] Mardoche forsothe of the paleis and of the siȝte of the king goende out, schynede in kingis clothis, iacinctine, that is, and [Om. AH.] of eir [feir H.] colour, berende a goldene coroun in the hed, and wrappid with a silkene pal and purper; and al the cite ful out ioȝede, and is glad. [verse 16] For|sothe to the Jewis is seen to ben sprungen a newe liȝt, ioȝe, wrshiping, and daunc|ing, [verse 17] anentis alle puplis, cites, and alle prouyncis, whider euere the kingus maun|demens camen, merueilouse out ioȝingis [ioȝing AEFH.] , metys plenteuous, and festis, and feste daȝes, in so myche, that manye of the tother folc and sect to ther religioun and cerimoynes weren ioyned; gret for|sothe drede of Jewis name alle men hadde asalid.