Job 4

¹ and Mardochee was a man Jew, that dwellide in the citee of Susa, a grete man, and amonge the firste men of the kyngis halle. ² Sotheli he was of that noumbre of prisoneris, which Nabugodonosor, the kyng of Babiloyn, hadde translatid fro Jerusalem with Jeconye, kyng of Judee. ³ And this was his dreem. Voices and noises and thundris and erthemouyngis and troblyng apperiden on the erthe. 4 And lo! twei grete dragouns, and maad redi ayens hem silf in to batel; 5 at the cry of which alle naciouns weren stirid togidere, to fiyte ayens the folc of iust men. ⁶ And that was a day of derknessis, and of perel, of tribulacioun, and of angwisch, and grete drede was on erthe. ⁷ And the folc of iust men dredynge her yuels was disturblid, and maad redi to deeth. 8 And thei crieden to God; and whanne thei crieden, a litil welle encreesside in to a ful greet flood, and turnede ayen in to ful many watris. 9 The liyt and the sunne roos; and meke men weren enhaunsid, and deuouriden noble men. 10 And whanne Mardochee hadde seyn this thing, and hadde rise fro the bed, he thouyte, what God wolde do, and he hadde fast set in soule, and couetide to wite, what the dreem signyfiede. 12 Forsothe Mardochee dwellide that tyme in the halle of the kyng, with Bagatha and Thara, oneste seruauntis of the kyng, that weren porteris of the paleis. 13 And whanne he hadde vndurstonde the thouytis of hem, and hadde bifor seyn ful diligentli the bisynessis, he lurnyde that thei enforsiden to set hond on kyng Artaxerses, and he telde of that thing to the kyng. 14 And whanne enqueryng was had of euer eithir, the kyng comaundide hem, that knoulechiden, to be led to deth. ¹⁵ Forsothe the kyng wroot in bookis that, that was doon, but also Mardochee bitook the mynde of the thing to lettris. ¹⁶ And the kyng comaundide hym, that he schulde dwelle in the halle of the paleis, and yaf to hym yiftis for the tellynge. ¹⁷ Forsothe Aaman, the sone of Amadathi, a bugei, was moost glorius bifor the kyng, and he wolde anoye Mardochee, and his puple, for the tweyne oneste seruauntis of the king that weren slayn. ¹⁹ The gretteste kyng Artaxerses, fro Iynde til to Ethiope, seith helthe to the princes and duykys of an hundrid and seuene and twenti prouynces, whiche princes and duykis ben suget to his empire. 20 Whanne Y was lord of ful many folkis, and Y hadde maad suget al the world to my lordschip, Y wolde not mysuse the greetnesse of power, but gouerne sugetis bi merci and softnesse, that thei, ledynge lijf in silence with outen ony drede, schulden vse pees couetid of alle deedli men. 21 Sotheli whanne Y axide of my counselours, hou this myyte be fillid, oon, Aaman bi name, that passide othere men in wisdom and feithfulnesse, and was the secounde aftir the kyng,