Esther 3

¹ Forsothe sche dwellide in the hows of hir hosebonde an hundrid yeer and fyue; and sche lefte hir handmaide fre. And sche was deed, and biried with hir hosebonde in Bethulia; ² and al the puple biweilide hir seuene daies. ³ Forsothe in al the space of her lijf noon was disturblide Israel, and many yeeris aftir hir deeth. 4 Sotheli the day of the victorie of this feeste is takun of Ebreis in the noumbre of hooli daies, and it is worschipid of the Jewis fro that tyme til in to present day. 5 Esther 7 In the daies of kyng Assuerus, that regnede fro Ynde til to Ethiopie, on an hundrid and seuene and twenti prouynces, whanne he sat in the seete of his rewme, ⁸ the citee Susa was the bigynnyng of his rewme. ⁹ Therfor in the thridde yeer of his empire he made a greet feeste to alle hise princes and children, the strongeste men of Persis, and to the noble men of Medeis, and to the prefectis of prouynces, bifor him silf, ¹⁰ to schewe the richessis of the glorie of his rewme, and the gretnesse, and boost of his power in myche tyme, that is, an hundrid and foure scoor daies. 11 And whanne the daies of the feeste weren fillid, he clepide to feeste al the puple that was foundun in Susa, fro the moost til to the leeste; and he comaundide the feeste to be maad redi bi seuene daies in the porche of the orcherd and wode, that was set with the kyngis ournement and hond. ¹² And tentis of the colour of the eir, and of gold, and of iacynct, susteyned with coordis of bijs, and of purpur, hangiden on ech side, whiche weren set in cerclis of yuer, and weren vndur set with pilers of marble; also seetis at the maner of beddis of gold and of siluer weren disposid on the pawment arayede with smaragde and dyuerse stoon; which pawment peynture made fair bi wondurful dyuersite. ¹³ Sotheli thei, that weren clepid to meet, drunkun in goldun cuppis, and metes weren borun in with othere and othere vessels; also plenteuouse wiyn, and the best was set, as it was worthi to the greet doyng of the kyng. ¹⁴ And noon was that constreynede men not willynge to drynke; but so the kyng hadde ordeyned, makynge souereyns of hise princes to alle boordis, that ech man schulde take that, that he wolde. ¹⁵ Also Vasthi, the queen, made a feeste of wymmen in the paleis, where kyng Assuerus was wont to dwelle.