John Trapp on Esther 6:8

Verſe 8. Let the royal apparel be brought, &c.] This was very glorious and gorgeous;Xenoph. l. 8 Plut l. 11. defort Alex. Luc de navig. Dion. [illegible: 1 letter]rat. de [illegible: 1 word] & lib Curt l. 3. & 6. as is to be ſeen in Xenophon, Plutarch, Lucian, Dion, Chryſoſtome, and other good Authours. The Perſian Kings wore on their heads an upright Tiare or Turbant very ſumptuous; a Diademe alſo made of white and purple colour. On their bodies a rich purple Stole, or robe of State, reac[illegible: 2 letters] down to the heeles: this Curtius calleth pallam Perſicam, a Perſian Pall, beſet with gold and precious ſtones, great ſtore, and the pictures of wilde creatures and ſoules of the aire. Curtius deſcribing Xerxes his royal apparel, ſaith, that golden hawkes encountring one another with their beakes adorned his robe made of cloth of gold. Beſides, they wore a rich Caſſock (called Candy) bound to them with a golden girdle, breeches alſo of ſcarlet, reaching to their knees;Ep. ad Fabi[illegible: 1 letter] called therefore by the Greeks, [non-Latin text not transcribed], as Hierome teſtifieth.

And the horſe that the King rideth upon] The King of Perſia did alwayes ride, either on horſeback, or in a charet, and had one ſpecial horſe proper to himſelf, as had alſo David, 1 Kings 1.33. Alexander, Julius Caeſar, &c. At this day the better ſort in Perſia fight, buy, ſell, confer, and do all on horſeback.Cort[illegible: 2 letters]r. trav[illegible: 1 letter] 63. The difference between the Gentleman and the Peaſant is, that the Peaſant never rides, the Gentleman never goes on foot.

And the Crown-royal that is ſet upon his head] This was monſtrous ambition: appoint him the Kingdom alſo, might Ahaſhuerus have ſaid. Lyra noteth here, that Haman aſpired to the Kingdom, becauſe none but the King could have the Crown-royal ſet upon his head: wherefore the King alſo in anſwering to the things propounded by him, ſaith, Take the robe and the horſe as thou haſt ſaid, but of the Crown he maketh no mention. Some of the Hebrews by head here underſtand the horſes head; Nam apud Perſas ſolebat equus deferre diadema regni, the Kings horſe was wont to carry the royal Crown. Vatablus thinks this ſenſe not unlikely, becauſe the Crown is not mentioned, verſe 11. and this might alſo peradventure be the cuſtome and faſhion of Perſia, ſaith Diodate. Merlin noteth here, that Haman maketh no mention of rewards or gifts to be conferred upon him, becauſe he had wealth enough already, and deſired only more honours, inſtancing the utmoſt that could be done to any ſubject, in ſeeking whereof he miſerably failed.