Contemplations. LIB. XXI. !oevcr 1t be, yer,O G6d,what have thy people done~ Oh let it b: thy jull mercy A that I mly pcrith alone ! In rhefe fad thoughts did t.!ltordwi fpend his heart,whiles he walked mournfully in fJckclorb, before that gate,wherein he was womro fir; now his habit bars his approach;no fackcloth might come within the Court:Loe,rhat which is wclcomcll ' in the Court ofheaven, is herecxcluded from the pre!ence of this earth! y royaltie , A broken andcontrite heart,O God, thou wilt not dtf}ifo. Neither did ir a little addeto the farrow <lf Mordecai, to hear the bitter infultations ofhis former moniron: Did ••• mtadvifi thee hemr? Did wenot fore.adm~nifo thee of thy danger ? fie norv the ijfoeof thineobflinacie: now fee, what iris forthine earthen pircher to knock with braOe~ now, where is the man that would needs con. tell with Haman? haft thou not now brought thy matters to a fair paffe ~ Thy fto. B roach had long owed thee a fpight,and now it harh paid thee; who can pity rhy wilfulne!fc~ fincc thou wouldll needs deride our counldl, we will rake leave re laugh at thy fackclorh. Nothing bur [corns, and gricfs, and terrors prefent them. felves to miferable Mordecai . All the exrernall buffets of adverfaries were lldght to thewounds that he bath made, and fdr in his own heart. The perpetuall intelligences that were clofely held bmvixt Ej/htr and Mordtc•i, could not fuffer his publike farrow to belongconcealed from hers The news ofhis fackcloth af!licts her <re fi1e can fufpect thecaufe; her crown dorh but clog her head, whiles fi1e heares ofhis a!bes; True friendthip tr:>nsforms us into the condition of thofe we love; and ifit cannot raife them ro our cheerfulnelfe , drows us down to their dejection: Fain would the uncafe her falter-father of thefe mournfull weeds; and change his fackcloth for tilfue; that yet, at lea it, his cloathes might not hinder C his accefle to her prefeoce, for the free opening ofhis griefs. It is bur a lleight lorrOI'l thar abides to take,in outward comforts; Ul1ordrc4i refufesthat kind offers agd would have Bjlher fee that his affiitlion was fuch, ••s that he might well refolveto putoff his fackcloth and his skin at once 1 that he mull mourn to death rather then fee her face to live. Thegood QQeen is allonilht with this conllant humiliation offo dearc a friend, and now fne fends Hat~th,a trully (though a Pagan) attendant, to inquire into the occafion of this fo irremediable beavine!fe: It thouId feem E/fher inquired not greatly into matters ofState; thatwhieh perplexed all Shu(ban, was not yet known to h.,.; her followers, not knowing her to he a Iewejfe, conceived not how thenews might concern her,and therefore had forborn the relation: Mmkcai firll informes D her, by hermelfenger, of the decrre that was gone outagainft all her nation, of the day wherein they mull prepare to bleed; ofthe fumme which H•man had preferred for their heads,and delivers the copy ofthat bloody Edict; char~ing her,now, if ever, to bdlir her fclf; aodw improve all herlove,all herpowerw1th King Ah•fo· trfl41in a fpeedy and humble fupplication for theCaving of the life (not ofhimfeH fo much,as)ofher people. It was tydings able to confound aweak heart; and hers, fo much the more; as the could apprehend nothing bm impoflibility of redre!fe: the needs but to put M mJecai in mindofthat,which all theKings fervanrs and fubjetlsknewwell enough, that the Perfian law made it no le!fe then death for whomfoever, man, or woman, .. that thould pre!feinro the innercourt ofrbe King,uncalled. Nothing but the roy· E all fcepterextended,could keep that prefumptuous offender from the grave.For her, thirty days was now pa!fcd fincc fl1e was called in to the King ; an iotermiflion, that might be juftly fufpicious; Whether the heat of his firft affetlioo were thus foon(ofit fclfe)allayed towards heq or whether fome fuggell ions of a fccret enc. my(perh~ps his Ag~ite) might have fer him off;or whether fome more plealing ob· ject may have bid hold on his eyes; what ever it might be, this abfence could not but argue fome ftrangenelfe,and this llrangenelfc mull needs imply a danger in ber bold inrrulion: Shee could bewail therefore, !he could ooi hope to remedy this difmall day ofher people. This aofwerin the ears of Mmltc.ci founded truth, but weakoelfe;r.eithercao he take up with [o feeble a return; Thefe oc<A!lio"' require other
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