John Trapp on Esther 2:23

Verſe 23. And when Inquiſition was made of the matter] The King neither ſleighted this accuſation, not over-haſtily believed it. Not this, leſt he ſhould diſcover a needleſſe feare, or precipitate a wrong ſentence. Not that, leſt he ſhould betray his own life, and put all into a confuſion, as Gedaliah did, Jer. 40. and 41. and as he in the hiſtory did, who being forewarned by a letter, of a dangerous plot laid for his life, laid aſide the letter with theſe words, [non-Latin text not transcribed], Tomorrow we will minde theſe ſerious buſineſſes, but ere the morrow he was diſpatched. The matter was here enquired into, ſaith the text, leſt haply it might be miſ-reported, and ſo the innocent be puniſhed. Or, if not innocent, yet Doth our Law condemn any before his cauſe be heard? Surely Pilate and Feſtus were farre better Juſticers then Caiaphas and Lyſias, for they would execute a man in the morning, and then ſit upon him in the afternoon. Aeneas Sylvius, in his twentieth chapter of Europe, tells of ſome places, wherein if any one be ſuſpected of theft, he is forthwith taken and truſſed up. Three dayes after, they judge of the ſuſpicion: and if they finde the man guilty, they let his carcaſſe hang till it rot: as if otherwiſe, they take it down and bury it honourably at the publike charge. This is prepoſterous juſtice, judgement turned into gall, and righteouſneſſe into hemlock.

It was found out] As treaſon uſually is, and ſtrangely: witneſſe thoſe in Queen Elizabeths reign, and the powder-plotters. Creighton the Jeſuite, a Scot, ſailing into Scotland, and being taken by certain Netherland-Pirates, had torne certain papers in pieces. But the torne pieces being throwen out of the ſhip, were blowen back again by the wind and caſt by a Providence into the ſhip, not without a miracle as Creighton ſaid himſelfe.Camd. Eliz. 266. Which being ſet together by Wade, with much labour and ſingular cunning, diſcovered new deſignes of the Pope and his Agents here againſt England. Anno 1585. Detexit facinus fatnus & non implevit, ſaith Tacitus of one about his time. Either the Traitours own tongue ſhall betray him (as it befel thoſe two ſent by Mahomet to kill Scanderbeg) or the foules of heaven ſhall reveal the miſchief,Turk. Hiſt. fol. 60. and that which hath wing ſhall tell the matter, Eccleſ. 10.20. (It was a piece of a wing, a quill that diſcovered that helliſh powder-plot) Or ſome other way it ſhall be found out, as here, and the Conſpiratours brought to condigne puniſhment.

Therefore they were both hanged on a tree] Traitours, like bells, will be never well tuned till well hanged, till they have worne a Tyburne-tippet, as father Latimer phraſed it. Campian that ſpider was ſwept down by the hand of juſtice, and drew his laſt thread in the Triangle of Tyburne. His words in his Epiſtle to the Honourable Counſellours of Queen Elizabeth were theſe, Quamdiu vel unus quiſpiam è nobis ſupererit qui Tyburno veſtro fruatur, &c. As long as there is any one of us left to enjoy your Tyburne, &c. Much joy may they have of it, ſith it is their ambition, and may their quarters be ſet as high, as that falſe Edricks head once was by King Knute, viz. Dan. Hiſt. 19. upon the higheſt part of the tower of London, therein performing his Promiſe to a Traitour, of advancing him above any Lord of the Land.

And it was written in the book of the Chronicles] Heb. in the book of the words of dayes, in the Diary of the Kings, or in the book of remembrance. As the Jewes, ſo the Perſians had their Chronicles or publike Commentaries, wherein all memorable acts were recorded, and Scribes or Hiſtoriographers for that purpoſe appointed and maintained; Plutarch writeth that at that great ſea-[illegible: 1 letter]ight between Themiſtocles and the Perſians, Xerxes ſate in a throne of gold, and ſaw the conflict, having many Scribes about him, whoſe office was to ſet down all that was done that day. This was a commendable cuſtome, and might be a motive to their Kings and great ones to take heed of doing ought that they would not have regiſtred and read by ſucceeding ages Suetonius telleth us,Suet. in Auguſt. that Auguſtus upon this account, forbade his Daughter and Neeces to ſay or do any thing that they would not have to be chronicled.

Before the King] Perhaps in his preſence, and for his ſpecial uſe though Mordecai's good ſervice was ſoon forgotten, God forget not to recompence Ahaſhuerus his love to Fiſther, and courteſie to her people, by detecting and defeating thoſe Conſpiratours that [illegible: 1 letter]ought his life. But he ſoon forgets Mordecai, Gods inſtrument for his deliverance, though the matter were written in a book before him; hence he goes noted with a black coale for his ingratitude. Tamerlane had a catalogue of the names of ſuch as had beſt deſerved of him,Turk. Hiſt. 227. which he daily peruſed, oftentimes ſaying, that day to be loſt wherein he had not given them ſomething. There was a Providence in it, that nothing was yet done for Mordecai. Gods time is the beſt, and we ſhall one day ſay ſo: neither is there any thing loſt by waiting his leiſure. He bottles up our tears, he books up our ſighes, he writes down all we ſay or do in his roll of remembrance, Mal. 3.6, 10. See the Note there, and the Reference.