Esther 1

Great^{(i) 1} It fortuned in the dayes of Ahasuerus whych raygned from India vnto Ethiopia (ouer an hundreth and seuen and twenty landes) ² euen in those dayes whan the kyng Ahasuerus sate on his seate royall, which was in Susan the chefe cytie, ³ in the thirde yeare of his raygne, he made a feast vnto all his princes & seruauntes. And the myghtye men of Persia & Media, the capitaynes also & rulers of his countrees were before him, ⁴ & he shewed the riches and glorye of his kyngdome, & the glorious worshippe of hys greatnesse, many dayes longe, euen an hundreth and foure score dayes. ⁵ And when these dayes were expyred, the kyng made a feast vnto all the people, that were in Susan the chefe cytie, both vnto great and small, seuen dayes long in the court of the garden by the kynges palace: ⁶ where there hanged white, grene & yalow clothes, fastened with coardes of fyne sylke & purple in syluer rynges, vpon pylers of Marble stone. The benches also were of golde & syluer made vpon a pauement of grene, white, yalow and black Marble. ⁷ And they dranke in vessels of golde, & chaunged vessell after vessell. And the kynges wyne was moch, accordyng to the power of the kyng. ⁸ And the drinke was so apoynted that none shulde compell anye man, for so the kyng had commaunded by the officers of his house, that euery one shuld do as it liked him. ⁹ And the quene Uasti made a feast also for the wemen in the palace of Ahasuerus. ¹⁰ And on the seuenth daye when the kyng was mery after the wyne, he commaunded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagthan, Zethar & Carchas, the seuen chamberlaynes (that dyd seruice in the presence of kyng Ahasuerus) ¹¹ to fetch the quene Uasti with the crowne regal into the kynges presence that he myght shewe the people and princes her fairnesse, for she was bewtifull. ¹² But the quene Uasthi wolde not come at the kinges word by his chamberlaynes. Then was the kyng very wroth, & his indignacion kyndled in him. ¹³ And the kyng spake to the wyse men, that had vnderstanding in the ordinaunces of the land, for the kynges matters must be handled before all soch as haue knowledge of the lawe and iudgement: ¹⁴ and the next vnto him were, Carsena, Sethar, Admata, Tharsis, Mares, Marsena, & Mamucan, the seuen princes of Persia, and Media, whych sawe the kynges face, & sat aboue in the kyngdom ¹⁵ what lawe (saieth the king) shuld be executed vpon the quene Uasthi, because she dyd not accordyng to the worde of the kyng Ahasuerus, whych he commaunded by his chamberlaynes? ¹⁶ And Memucan answered before the kyng and the princes: the quene Uasthi hath not onely done euell agaynst the kynge, but also agaynst all the princes and agaynst all the people that are in all the landes of kyng Ahasuerus: ¹⁷ for this dede of the quene shall come abrode vnto all wemen, so that they shall despised their husbandes before their eyes, and shal saye: the kyng Ahasuerus commaunded Uasthi the quene to be brought in before hym, but she wold not come. ¹⁸ And so shall the princesses in Persia and Media saye likewyse vnto all the kynges princes, when they heare of this dede of the quene, thus shall there aryse to moch despitefulnes & wrath. ¹⁹ If it please the kyng therfore, let there go a commaundment from him, & let it be written according to the lawes of the Persians and Medians (and not to be transgressed) that Uasthi come nomore before kyng Ahasuerus, & let the king geue her kingdome vnto another, that is better then she. ²⁰ And when this commaundement of the kyng (which shalbe made) is published thorow out all his empire (whych is greate) all wemen shall hold their husbandes in honoure both among great and small. ²¹ This pleased the kyng & the prynces: and the kyng dyd according to the word of Memucan. ²² For he sent letters forth in to all the kynges landes, in to euery land, accordyng to the wryting therof, & to euery people after their language, that euery man shulde be lord in his awne house. And this caused he to be spoken after the language of his people.