¶ Mardocheus gyueth the quene knowledge of the cruel decr••e of the kynge agaynste the Iewes.
CAPI. IIII.
[ A] WHē Mardocheus perceyued all that was done, he rent his clothes, & put on sack clothe, and asshes, and went out into ye myddes of the cytie, and cried loude and lamē¦tably, and came before the kynges gate: for there might no man entre within the kynges gate, that had sacke clothe on. And in all lan¦des and places, as farre as the kynges worde & commaundement extended, there was great lamentacion amonge the Iewes and many fa¦sted, wept, mourned, and laye in sack clothes and in asshes. So Esthers damoselles, & her chamberlaynes, came and tolde it her. Then was the quene excedingly astonyed. And she sent rayment, that Mardocheus shoulde put [ B] them on, and laye the sacke cloth frome hym. But Mardocheus wolde not take them. Thē called Esther Hathath one of the kynges chā¦berlaynes (whiche stode before her) and gaue him a commaundement vnto Mardocheus, yt he myght knowe what it were, and wherfore he dyd so. So Hathath went forth to Mardo¦cheus vnto the strete of the cytie, which was before the kynges gate.
And Mardocheus tolde him of all that had happened vnto him, and of the summe of sil∣uer that Haman had promysed to weye down in the kynges chamber because of the Iewes for to destroye them, and he gaue him the co∣py of the commaundement, that was deuysed at Susan to destroy them, that he might shew it vnto Esther, and to speke to her and charge her, that she shulde go in to the kynge, & make her prayer and supplication vnto him for her people.
And when Hathath came in, and tolde E∣sther the wordes of Mardocheus, Esther spake vnto Hathath, and commaunded him to saye vnto Mardocheus: all the kynges seruaun∣tes, [ C] and the people in the landes of the kynge knowe, that who so euer commeth within the courte vnto the kynge, whether it be man or woman, which is not called, the commaun∣dement is that the same shall dye immediatly oneles the kynge holde out the golden scepter vnto him, in token of clemencie that he maye lyue. As for me, I haue not bene called to come in to the kynge now this thirty dayes.
And when Mardocheus was certyfyed of Esthers wordes, Mardocheus bad say agayn vnto Esther: thinke not to saue thyne owne lyfe, whyle thou art in the kynges house be∣fore all Iewes: for yf thou holdeste thy peax at this tyme, then shal the Iewes haue helpe [ D] and delyueraunce oute of an other place, and thou and thy fathers house shalbe destroyed. And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kyngdome, for this tymes sake?* 1.1 Esther bad, gyue Mardocheus this answer: go thou thy waye, and gather togither all the Iewes that are founde at Susan, and fast ye for me, that ye eate not and drinke not in thre dayes, neyther daye nor nyght. I and my damoselles will fast lykewyse, and so will I go in to the kynge contrary to the commaundement: yf I perysshe, I perysshe. So Mardocheus wente his waye, and dyd all that Esther had com∣maunded him.