238 



THE KING'S MIRROR 



her arrogance and pride, he concluded that she esteemed 

 him no more highly for the perilous toil that he had 

 endured while extending his frontiers than she esteemed 

 herself for having remained quietly at home with the 

 regency, which he had left in her hands. Because of this 

 presumption the king became so wrathful, that he de- 

 creed that Vashti had forfeited the office of queen and 

 all the authority which she possessed. And he found a 

 captive maiden of the people of Israel, whose name was 

 Esther, who was then in bondage in his kingdom, though 

 she had sprung from a prominent family in her native 

 land, and this maiden the king placed in Vashti's seat, 

 endowing her with all the power that Vashti had once 

 possessed; and he made Esther queen of all his kingdom 

 A few days later another event occurred at this same 

 court. There was a famous and powerful chief named 

 Haman and he was with King Ahasuerus. So highly did 

 the king esteem Haman that all the people were ordered 

 to obey him and bow down before him as before the 

 king himself. Now there was also a man named Mor- 

 decai, a captive of the people of Israel, who was Queen 

 Esther's uncle; but inasmuch as he was both poor and 

 in bondage, he dared not make known his kinship to 

 the queen; nor dared the queen show greater deference 

 to him than to any other in the royal service. Then it 

 happened one day, when Haman the prince came to see 

 the king, that on his return home his way passed near 

 where Mordecai sat. But Mordecai was brooding over 

 the bondage in which he had been placed along with 

 the people who had been taken captive out of Israel; 

 and being in deep thought he failed to notice that Ha- 



