Esther; A Drama of Jewish History - Being the Story of the Book of Esther (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: with a loud and a bitter cry: and after some aimless wandering, returning to the palace, he came even before the king's gate, but, because he was clad in the garb of woe he was not allowed to pass within: for, since the signs of mourning were not permitted within the walls of the royal residence, or the palace to be saddened with private griefs, none might enter within the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. And, as might be expected, in every province whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting and weeping and wailing; and going to the very extreme in giving expression to their sadness, many lay in sackcloth and ashes. And Esther's maidens and her chamberlains, aware of her interest in Mordecai, though without as yet knowing why, when they saw Mordecai in hismourning garb without the gate, came and told it her; and the queen was exceedingly grieved that her foster father, whom she dearly loved, should have occasion to exhibit such signs of distress. And not being aware of the cause of his sorrow (for the king had not informed her, state affairs being not commonly discussed between an Oriental monarch and a young wife), but thinking that perhaps it was some light matter which he took too much to heart, she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take his sackcloth from off him: but without assigning any reason he received it not, leaving her to infer that the matter was not, as she supposed, of trifling moment, but of serious import. Then called Esther for Hathach, one of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and, unable to rest until she knew the cause of her cousin's distress, charged him to go to Mordecai, to know what this was, and why it was, that is, to know what the mourning g...