John Trapp on Esther 6:3

Verſe 3. And the King ſaid, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this?] Lyra ſaith that he had waited ſix yeares for a reward, and had none. In Princes Courts men are ſure to meet with two evils, [non-Latin text not transcribed] and [non-Latin text not transcribed], not ſo in heaven. The Butler forgate Joſeph. Solomon ſpeaketh of a poor wiſe man, who by his wiſdome delivered the City, yet no man remembred that ſame poor man, Eccl. 9.15. This is merces mundi, the worlds wages. Mordecai had ſaved the Kings life, and yet is unrewarded. The Kings of Perſia uſed to be very bountiful to thoſe that had well deſerved of them, [illegible: 1 letter]erod. l. 8. or of the Common-wealth: calling ſuch Oroſangae, and ſetting down both their names and their acts in the Chronicles, as Herodotus teſtifieth. Among the reſt he mentioneth one Phylacus, Qui inter benè de rege meritos aſcriptus eſt, & multo tractu ſoli donatus, [illegible: 1 letter]erod l. 3. who was put upon record for his good ſervice to the King, and rewarded with a great deal of land given him. Others had great ſtore of gold and ſilver, and a gallant houſe, as Democedes Crotoniates the Phyſician, who cured Darius, had at Suſis. It is well known out of Xenophon, what rich gifts Cyrus gave to his friends and followers, chains of gold, [illegible: 1 letter]ib 8 Cyro [illegible: 1 letter]ed. armelets, bridles boſſed with gold, Perſian Stoles, called Dorophoricae, &c. Herodotus telleth us, that this Ahaſhuerus (alias Xerxes) gave Megabyzus for his good ſervice at Babylon, a golden Mill weighing ſix talents. Plutarch writeth, that he gave Themiſtocles above two hundred talents, and three Cities beſides, (viz. Magneſia, Lampſacus and M[illegible: 1 letter]untis) to finde him food, [illegible: 1 letter]lut. in Themiſt. and for clothing and furniture two more, viz. Percos and Palaeſcepſis. How came it then to paſſe that good Mordecai was ſo forgotten? Surely it was a great fault in this ungrateful King, but Gods holy hand was in it, that Mordecai ſhould not have no preſent recompence, but that it ſhould be deferred till a fitter opportunity, when God might be more glorified in the preſervation of his people, and deſtruction of their enemies. Let us not therefore be weary of well-doing: for (however men deal by us) we ſhall be ſure to reap in due ſeaſon if we faint not, Gal. 6.9. God beſt ſeeth when a mercy will be moſt ſweet and ſeaſonable. When his people are low enough, and the enemy high enough, then uſually it appeareth, that there is a God that judgeth in the earth, and a rich reward for the righteous. Men may neither remunerate nor remember the good turnes we have done them: but there is a book of remembrance written before the Lord for all them that feare him, and that think upon his name, Mal. 3.16. See my Treatiſe on that text, called, The Righteous mans Recompence, annexed to my Comment upon the Small Ptophets.

Then ſaid the Kings ſervants] The Eunuches or Gentlemen of the bed-chamber: ingenuous men they were, and not diſaffected to Mordecai, whom yet they could not but know to be a great eye-ſore to Prince Haman. Si juvenes iſti vulgari invident[illegible: 2 letters] morbo laborâſſent, ſaith Lavater. If theſe young men had been ſick of that common diſeaſe of envy, they would have extenuated his good ſervice, and have ſaid, Mordecai is a deſpiſed Jew, a ſtranger, a captive. If he revealed the conſpiracy, he did but his duty, and provided thereby well for his own ſafety. Is it not reward enough that he lives, and at Court, where he hath a place, an office, &c? Courtiers, we know, love not to have others come over their heads, but think all loſt which themſelves acquire not,Q[illegible: 1 letter]icquid no[illegible: 1 letter] acquititur dan[illegible: 1 letter] num eſt. [non-Latin text not transcribed]: Xen. Cyrop. l. 8. Ep. Praeſ. Enarr. in Hoſ. as Seneca ſaith Sejanus did. We know how it was in the Courts of Pharaoh, Saul, Herod. That's a rare commendation that is given by Xenephon of Cyrus his Courtiers, that though a man ſhould ſeek or chooſe blindfold, he could not miſſe of a good man. Davids Court might very well be ſuch, Pſal. 101. and Queen Elizabeths, and George Prince of Anhalts, of whom Melancthon writeth, that his chamber was Eccleſia, Academia, Curia, a Church, an Univerſity, and a Court, Palaeſtra pietatis & literarum, as Tremelius ſaith of Cranmers family, a School of Piety and Learning.

There is nothing done for him] And yet the Apocryphal Additions, chap. 12. ver. 5.6. ſay otherwiſe.