LIB. XXI. Haman hanged,&c. A ofthe King interrupts her fentence in the midlt,•nd(as if he had heard too much already,& could tooeafily fupply the reGdueofher complaint) fnatchesthe word our of her mou1h, with a furious demand; Who is /;e,andwhtre ts ht that durjlprr.ftmt. in his htArttOtlot fo? Jc was the imerdt ofQI_een Ejihcrs pcrfon that raifed this ftonn in AhAfutrm;fet that afide)howquietly,howmcrril y was the decermincd mafl~crc of the Jews formerly digefted ~ ACtions have not the f.1me fJce when we look upon them with contrary affeCtions. Now Queen Ej/htr mu!lers up her inward forces, and with an undaunted cou. rage,fixing herangry eyes upon that hated Ag•gite, !he fayes;rhudvtrfary,and ene. my is this wicked flaman. The word was loath ro comc:forch, but it ll:rikeshomeat the la!l. Nev<r till now did HArr.an hear his true title; Before,fome had !lyled him, B noble;othcrs,great; fome magnifie<nr; and fome perhaps, verruous; onely E/lher . gives him his own, wicktd Raman; Ill dcferviog greatndf~ doth in vain promifc: tci it fdfa perperuiryofapplaufe: Ifourways be foul, the rime Ol<lll come, when afrcr all vain Jlaar{ery,afrer all our momentanie glory, our fins fb, ll be ript up, and our iniquities laid before us to our utter confuGon. With what con!lernarion did H•man now !land! How doe wethink he lookt to heare hia1!clfthus enftyled, thus accufcd,yea,thus condemned~ O:rraiolydeatb was in his bee, and horror in every of hi& joynrs;no fenfe, no limmc knows his office: Fain would he fpeak, but his tongue faltcrs,and his lips tremble; fain would he make apologies upon his knees but his heart fails him;and tds him the evidence is too great, and the offence above all pardon: Only guiltindfe,and fear look thr9ugh his eies upon the enraged coun· C tcn:mce ofhis rnaficr,which now bodes nothing to him but rcvengc,and death. In whata paflionare diftempcr doththis banquet Omr up~ King ~h•f•m" flies fromthetabk1 asifhchadbc:c:n hurricdaway with a rcmpcft. His wrath is coo great to come forth at his mouth; only his ei's tell H•man that he hates to fee him, and vows to fee his difpatch: For folitarindfe and not fo~'jlleafure, doth he now walk into his garden; and thinks with himfclf 1 What a111on!\er have I £woured~ Is it poflible that fo much cruelty ond prefumption fhould harbour in : brefr that I thought ingenuous~ Could I be fo bewitched as paffe fo bloody adecree!ls my credulity thus abufed by thetrccherous fubtilty ofamifcreant whom I tru!led ~ I confefTC: it was my weak rafbneffe to yceld unto fo prodigious a motion, but it was the villany ofthis Agagite,to circumventme by falfe fugge!lions ; He !hall pay for my D error ; the world Oull fee, thatas I exceeded in grace, fo I will not comdhort in ju!lice. H•man,thy guilty blood Onll expiate that iMocent blood,which thy malice might havdhcd. In the mean time, HllnJ4n, fa foon as ever he C\luld recover the qualm of his aflanifhment,finding himfelllofr alone with Q!!een Ej/hcr, lof«h no time, fpa· reth no breath to mitigate her anger,which had made WJY to his de!huc1ion.Doubtleffc, with many vows, and rears, and dejerarions. he labours to clear his intentions to her perfon; bewailing his danger1 imploring hc:r mc:rcy,confeffing the unjuft extent ofhis malice,profering indeavours offarisfaClion: Wretched man that I am, I am condemned before I fpeak; acd when I have fpoken,I am condemned: Upon thyfeotence, 0 Q!eeo, I fee deatk awairs fm me, in vain !hall I feek to avoid it; E Iris thy will that'lll1ould peri!h ; butletthatlitrle breath I have left, acquit me fo far with thee , as to call heaven and earth to record, that in r<glrd of thee, I die innoctnt: It is true tbat mine impetuous malicemifcarried me again[l: the nation of the )e\vs, for the fake of one !lubboro offender; but did I know there was the lea!l drop of Ifraelitifh blood in thy facrcd perfon~could I fufpeCl that <JII!Irduai,or that ptople,did ought concern thee~ Let not one death be enough for me if l would ever have entertained any thought ofevil! again!! nation, or man, that fhould have coil bur a frown from thee: All the court ofPerfiacan fufficienrly witnc!fe how I have ma2nificd and adored thee,ever fince th< royal! crown was fet on thy head; • neither did I ever fall to doe thee all good offices unto that my Soveraio Maller, whom thou haft now mortally incenfed againft m<. 0 Q!!een, no band can fave my life,but thine,thathath as good as bereaved it: !hewmercy to him that never meant Xx~xx 3 but
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