Esther · Chapter 6

[ edit] That nyȝt þe king ladde wiþoute ſlep, and he comaundide to be broȝt to hym ſtories, and þe bokis of ȝeris deedis of raþere times. Þe whiche þingus whan, hym preſent, weren rad, it is come to þat place, wher was write, hou Mardoche hadde told þe aſpies of Gabaþan and Thares, geldingis, coueitende to ſle king Aſſuer. Þe whiche þing whan þe king hadde herd, he ſeiþ, What for þis feiþ of wrſhipe or of mede Mardoche haþ goten? And his ſeruans and myneſtres ſeiden to hym, No þing of mede vtterli he toc. And anoon þe king, Who is, he ſeiþ, in þe porche?

Aman forſoþe wente in þe innere porche of þe kingus hous, þat he make ſuggeſtioun to þe king, þat he comaunde Mardoche to be ficchid on þe iebet, þat to hym was maad redi beforn. And þe childer anſwerden, Aman ſtant in þe porche. And þe king ſeide, Come he in. And whan he was comyn, he ſeide to hym, What owiþ to be do to þe man, whom þe king deſireþ to honouren?

Aman þenkende in his herte, and trowende, þat noon oþer man but hym þe king wolde honouren, anſwerde, Þe man, whom þe king coueitiþ to honouren, owiþ to be clad wiþ kingus cloþis, and to be put vpon an hors þat is of þe kingus ſadil, and to take þe kingus diademe vp on his hed; and þe firſte of þe kingus princis and knyȝtis holde his hors, and bi þe ſtretis of þe cite goende, crie he, and ſeie, Þus ſhal ben honoured, whom euere þe king wile honoure. And ſo þe king ſeide to hym, Heeȝe, and, þe ſtole taken and an hors, do, as þou haſt ſpoke, to Mardoche, Jew, þat ſit befor þe ȝatis of þe paleis; bewar, leſt any þing of þo, þat þou haſt ſpoken, þou leue of.

And ſo Aman toc a ſtole and an hors, and Mardoche clad in þe ſtrete of þe cite, and ſet vp on þe hors, wente beforn, and criede, Þis wrſhipe he is wrþi, whom euere þe king wile honoure. And Mardoche is turned aȝeen to þe ȝate of þe paleys, and Aman heeȝede to gon in to his hous, weilende, and þe hed couered. And he tolde to Sari, his wif, and to frendis, alle þingus þat hadden falle to hym.

To whom anſwerden þe wiſe men, whom he hadde in counſeil, and his wif, If of þe ſed of Jewis is Mardoche, befor whom þou begunne to fallen, þou ſhalt not moun wiþſtonde to hym, but þou ſhalt falle in his ſiȝt. Ȝit hem ſpekende, þe geldingis of þe king camen, and anon hym to þe feſte, þat þe quen hadde maad redi, þei conſtreyneden to gon.