ment was Haman found waiting for admission, that he might obtain the royal warrant for the immediate execution of the hated Mordecai! Without waiting to hear what had brought the prime minister thus early to the palace, the king hastily demanded, "what ought to be done to the man whom the king delighted to honour ?" "To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?" thought the vain Haman—“ I, who alone am invited to the banquet of my royal mistress!" An opportunity was offered to display his dignities before the multitude, to receive their adulation, and to add, perhaps, to the envy of Mordecai-and certainly no distinction whatever was beyond his desert: very cheerfully therefore he replied "Let the royal apparel be brought, which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head; and let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the inan withal, whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him, on horseback, through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour!" But how were his proud anticipations reversed, when he was commanded to go himself, and array Mordecai the Jew-to make haste, and let nothing fail of all that he had advised! From the performance of this command, whilst the humble Mordecai returned to his daily resort before the palace gate-Haman went home, convulsed by mortification and hatred, and related to his wife and friends all the circumstances of his bitter disappointment: nor was it at all nitigated by their apprehensive suggestion, that this might be but the prelude to his fall, before the rising fortunes of the despised

Jew. Still the unalterable decree which would afford ample revenge, was before him, and the immediate honour of the queen's second banquet was at hand; and whilst they talked over this unexpected turn in their affairs, the king's chamberlain arrived to attend the most noble Haman to her majesty's apartments. Here, whilst they yet sat at table, the king enquired into the object of this formal preparation, and encouraged Esther to speak freely her petition, for it should be granted, even to the half of his kingdom."Her own life," at last she declared," and the life of her people, was her request! For we are sold”— continued she, no longer apprehending his displeasure; "I and my people are to be destroyed-to be slain. But if we had been sold for bond-men and bond-women, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage." The life of Esther, one of the most beloved of his wives! "Who is he, and where is he," cried the king, in a voice which struck terror to the conscious soul of Haman, "that durst presume in his heart to do so?" "The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman". ---was enough for Ahasuerus---but when he whom prosperity had made insolent, begins to fall, there is no want of accusers. Harbonah, a chamberlain in waiting, now told of the gallows which Haman had already prepared for the queen's uncle, "who had spoken good for the king;" and the decisive sentence, "Hang him thereon," followed instantly.

Thus fell the insolent Haman, in the full tide of his glory, meditating the sacrifice of thousands to his merciless resentment: whilst the sackcloth of the devoted Mordecai was exchanged for princely robes of purpleand his head was crowned with a tiara of gold!

FANNY. But how fared the poor Jews, condemned by the king's edict, which might not be repealed?

MRS. M. Neither the tears of Esther, nor the influence of Mordecai, although his relationship to the queen was now disclosed to the king, could violate a law of the realm of Persia: but they were permitted to send expresses throughout the provinces from Ethiopia to India, with letters under the king's seal, empowering their proscribed brethren to take up arms in their own defence, and to slay all who assaulted them on the thirteenth day of the month Adar-and to possess themselves of their effects. Accordingly on the fatal day the condition of the Jews throughout Asia was completely reversed; seventy-five thousand of their enemies were slain; "but they laid not their hands on the spoil," and in Shushan five hundred more were put to death. Mordecai was advanced to the first place amongst the nobles, and all Shushan rejoiced in the elevation of an upright man.

The fourteenth and the fifteenth days of the month Adar were appointed to continue throughout their generations as a festival* of joy and thanksgiving, for their wonderful preservation, and the Jews now attained so high a standing in Persia, that many of the natives became proselytes to their holy religion.

* This festival is called the feast of Purim, and is kept to this day.

NEHEMIAH.

CONFORMABLY with the reputation which the Jews had obtained in the court of Persia, in consequence of the high character of some individuals of that nation, and of Esther's advancement to the throne-we find Nehemiah, one of the captives, in the honourable place of cup-bearer to the king.

Without any preparatory circumstance of his life, Nehemiah presents himself, in the commencement of his book, as waiting in his office on a certain day, with a countenance so dejected, that his royal patron enquired into the

cause.

Encouraged by this condescension, and by the presence of the queen, he acknowledged that his sadness was occasioned by his having learned from one of his brethren, who had lately returned from Jerusalem, that the province was in great affliction, contending with many difficulties amongst themselves, and exposed to incursions from their enemies, the walls of the city yet lying in ruins. Nehemiah had never himself beheld the celebrated city of David-but it was the sacred country of his ancestors-the consecrated seat of his religion, the object of his solicitude and prayers, and now that a proper opportunity seemed to offer, he ventured his request,-respect

fully prefacing it with the usual invocation, "let the king live for ever," and mentally praying that the heart of the king might be inclined in his favour-that he might be sent to the city of his father's sepulchres, rebuild the walls, and contribute his mite to the welfare of his people."

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CATHERINE. Then I presume Ezra had not yet had sufficient time to rebuild the wall, for provided as he was with facilities, and surrounded by those who were known to be inimical, he would not have neglected that necessary measure of defence.

MRS, M. This was now the twentieth year of Artaxerxes; the commission to Ezra had been given in the seventh, consequently, he had been there about thirteen years, but he had no authority to build the wall; perhaps the prince in that early part of his reign might have questioned the policy of allowing a people, who had been represented as seditious, thus to fortify their capital, and the liberty was withheld, until experience should sanction it. Besides, the duties committed to Ezra were abundantly sufficient to employ his whole time and attention, especially his great work of collecting the sacred books; and the offerings and the contributions which the royal treasurers were commanded to furnish, were chiefly to be applied to the completion of the temple-the maintenance of the priests, and the daily sacrifice.

Nehemiah, however, having obtained his request, set out from Chaldea, with the commission of governor of Judah, superseding that of Ezra, and escorted by a body of horse, as became his state, and the

Letters also to the lieutenants of the

danger of the way.

provinces through

which he had to pass were given him, commanding them