THE KING'S MIRROR 



237 



over many realms. He was called by three names, be- 

 cause the languages differed in the lands that he ruled 

 over: in one place he was called Artaxerxes; in another 

 place, Cyrus; and some tell us that to him God spoke 

 these kind words by the mouth of his prophet :" To 

 mine anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have 

 holden to subdue nations before him; and I will loose 

 the loins of kings/' etc.*] Others, however, maintain 

 that it was another Cyrus who is referred to in this 1 

 scripture; but we shall not discuss this any longer, since | 

 we cannot be sure whether it was written about this \ 



Cyrus or another. But in a third place the king was 

 called Ahasuerus. And whereas he himself was mighty 

 and excellent, he also had a wealthy wife named Vashti, 

 who was his queen. Once when the king was absent in 

 distant warfare to extend his dominion, he had ap- 

 pointed Queen Vashti to govern that part of his king- 

 dom where his court resided. On his return home with 

 a wealth of spoils, he made a great feast to gladden all 

 those among his lords who had accompanied him on 

 the campaign; and Queen Vashti made another feast 

 for her own lords, who had remained at home to assist 

 her in the government. Then the king commanded 

 Vashti to appear before him in his hall in all her regalia 

 and arrayed in all the beauty of queenly raiment and 

 thus to show her joy in his home-coming and do honor 

 to his feast. But Queen Vashti refused to obey the king's 

 command, saying that she could not leave her own feast, 

 having invited many good chiefs. When the king saw 



* Isaiah, xlv, 1. In this case the author quotes directly from the Vulgate: 

 " Christo meo Sciro, cujus apprehendi dexteram, ut subjiciam ante faciem 

 ejus gentes et dorsa regum vertam." 





