gard to drinking. It was according to law. It was a Greek custom to compel every guest to keep the round or leave the company. The rule was drink or be gone, and surely the latter was far the safest and best. The Romans made some advance toward the politeness of the Persians in choosing a ruler of the feast. He was chosen by the casting of a dice, and called the arbiter bibendi, and his regulations were supreme. It was his duty to suit each guest with the wine he preferred, and to mingle water with the drink of a guest who was about to become too much excited. See Hor. Sat. lib. ii, and Latin poets. In health, man's best drink is a little water. But if advanced in life, or afflicted with oft infirmities and a weak stomach, like Timothy's, or if from the pressure of good society, wine as used, then true politeness, as well as morality and religion, forbids the absurd practice of urging people to drink, or to eat, what is not agreeable to them, or more than is to their taste. It is cruelty-it is diabolical to over persuade or allure a friend-especially a youth, into any excess, either of eating or drinking. We must be temperate ourselves, in all things, and do all we can to make others so also.

The length of this feast is not incredible. We have parallels. In modern times, we read of feasts in Persia continuing one hundred and eighty days. We read also of a Chinese Emperor, who frequently gave feasts that continued one hundred and twenty days. The apocryphal Judith says that Nabuchadnosor kept a feast at Nineveh for a hundred and twenty days, in honor of his victory over Arphaxed. And, according to Athenaus, lib. iv: 13, Deip. Ariamnes undertook to feast

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the whole Gaulish nation for a year, and did actually succeed in supplying them during a whole year with tents, meat and wine. The feast of king Ahasuerus was a double one. First, to the princes and nobles, for one hundred and eighty days, and when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan, both great and small, seven days. And also Vashti, the queen, made a feast for the women, in the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus. There is no difficulty in our story, growing out of the polygamy and exclusiveness of the harem of eastern princes. For, though they had several wives, they had only one queen. The patriarchs and Hebrew kings had several secondary wives concubines, who were really their wives— but only the children of one, the first wife, could inherit the birthright or the crown. David and Solomon had but one queen. The Sultan of Turkey may have ninety wives, but there can be but one Sultana. Nor is there any want of proof that ancient oriental queens were crowned, as Vashti and Esther were. The wife of Mithridates was strangled with her own diadem, which was fastened with white and purple bands around the head. But this was by no means the last time that a crown cost a head. They are always dangerous, but they were especially so to English queens, in the days of Henry the Eighth. Observe, also, that, according to oriental custom, Vashti feasts with her women in the female apartments, while the king feasts in the court of the royal gardens. Women did not mingle with the men in public as with us, except on some special occasions. The king held his feast in the

court of the gardens, because no room was large enough, and because, in that climate, it was more pleasant. The Orientals are fond of gardens, and of feasting out of doors. "The sweet waters" of Asia and of Europe are favorite resorts for the ladies of Constantinople. These are public gardens, chiefly used for walking, smoking and eating. The ladies monopolize them, under the guardianship of eunuchs. Open courts are common in eastern houses. Such courts were often paved with colored marbles or painted tiles, and hence our Mosaic, that is, Musive work, for I believe it is admitted the Romans borrowed it from the Greeks, and the Greeks from the Asiatics; and if the Romans got it from the Etruscans and Latins, they learned it from the Egyptians.

To what extent the king's brain became wild with "wine and wassail," as the flashing goblet circulated, is not apparent. He was, however, seized with the desire to have the queen before him, with the crown royal-all in her jewelled robes and with her diadem on, to show the people and the princes her beauty, for she was fair to look on. No doubt he considered her the greatest treasure of his kingdom. He seemed to have designed to shut up the feast by the dazzling sight of the queen, arrayed in all her sparkling robes, so that his princely guests might go away, saying, King Ahasuerus is richer in the beauty and loveliness of his queen than in all the treasures of his one hundred and twenty and seven provinces. We have an instance from Herodotus that explains, in some measure, the king's command to bring in the queen. He tells us that, when seven Persians were sent to Amytas, a Gre

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cian prince, and being hospitably entertained by him, as the Persians began to drink, they said to him: "Prince of Macedonia, it is a custom with us Persians, whenever we have a public entertainment, to introduce our concubines and young wives."

The Targum's rendering, that the king commanded to bring the queen into his presence, naked, is not at all probable, and seems to me to be positively contradicted by the text-to bring the queen before the king, with the crown royal.

queen,

But when the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of the king brought his command to the did she appear before him? Astonishing! The queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by his chamberlains. How can she justify herself for such disobedience? Perhaps she thought within herself, 'for more than six months the king has been carrying on this revelry, and I and my women have had our feasting among ourselves in our apartments. I am sure if the king were at himself, he would not have sent me such a commandment. It will not really honor him to gratify this foolish humor of his; and when he comes to sober reflection he will thank me for saving him from the disgrace of having made such an exhibition of me. It is not the king, but the wine that is in him, that sent the chamberlains to me with this extraordinary message. And as the wit is out when the wine is in, so also I fear all prudence is lost. There is no knowing what excesses are going on in the royal gardens-what insults may be offered to me. The king's commandment is unusual, unsafe, needless and immodest. I will not go.' Well, proud queen, we are astonished at your re

fusal. We sympathise with your modest and virtuous reflections, but we cannot approve of your disobedience. The king has not transcended his lawful power in sending for you. It is according to the laws and constitution of the empire. Nor has he commanded you to sin against your conscience as to any religious scruples. And have you well considered also that the wrath of a king is terrible—especially of a royal despotic husband? Do you remember that the blood once inflamed by strong drink is easily made to boil with rage, even toward those that were most tenderly loved but a few moments before? Do you think how you are mortifying his pride-eclipsing all his glory-in the presence of all the princes and people of his vast empire? Do you suppose, however much he loves you, that he can allow himself to receive such a slight, at such a time and before such a company, from a woman, even if she is his queen? You cannot suppose for a moment that the son of Xerxes and sovereign of such an empire can allow his nobles and guests to retire from such a feast, saying, "How poor and miserable a man is this great Ahasuerus. He may govern one hundred and seven and twenty provinces, but he cannot govern one woman. He rules an empire from India to Ethiopia, but he cannot rule his own bed-chamber."

I do not know queen Vashti's motives-I am not able to fathom her disposition. She was beautiful, and she was a queen* It is not at all strange, therefore, that she had a will of her own. The fair sex are seldom wanting in that. But I do not find any justification of

*Vashti is a Persian name, and signifies a beautiful woman; and the word translated ladies, in this history, is Saroth, our Sarah, and means princesses