the book of records of the chronicles; [ sitteth at the king's gate; let nothing and they were read before the king. fail of all that thou hast spoken. And it was found written that Mor- Then took Haman the apparel and decai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and two of the king's chamberlains, the brought him on horseback through keepers of the door, who sought to the street of the city, and proclaimed lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. before him, Thus shall it be done And the king said, What honour and unto the man whom the king dedignity have been done to Mordecai lighteth to honour. And Mordecai for this? Then said the king's ser- came again to the king's gate. But vants that ministered unto him, There Haman hasted to his house mournis nothing done for him. And the ing, and having his head covered. king said, Who is in the court? Now And Haman told Zeresh his wife and Haman was come into the outward all his friends every, thing that had court of the king's house, to speak befallen him. unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. And the king's servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in. Ry. Remember me. p. cxv. Lesson II. So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself? And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour, let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head and let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the streets of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour. Ry. We have heard. p. civ. Lesson III. THEN the king said to Haman, Make haste. and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that Ry. Blessed be Thou. p. cix. Of the Book of Esther. So the king and Haman came to Ry. We know. p. cx. Lesson II. THEN the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen. And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. Ry. Strengthen. p. cx. Lesson III. THEN the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face. And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon. So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified. Ry. No hope. p. cxv. FIRST SUNDAY IN OCTOBER. FIRST NOCTURN. Lesson I. Chap. i. AND it happened, after that Alex ander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came out of the land of Chettiim, had smitten Darius king of the Persians and Medes, that he reigned in his stead, the first over Greece, and made many wars, and won many strong holds, and slew the kings of the earth, and went through to the ends of the earth, and took spoils of many nations, insomuch that the earth was quiet before him; whereupon he was exalted, and his heart was lifted up. And he gathered a mighty strong host, and ruled over countries, and nations, and kings, who became tributaries unto him. And after these things he fell sick, and perceived that he should die. Where fore he called his servants, such as were honourable, and had been brought up with him from his youth, and parted his kingdom among them while he was yet alive. Ry. The LORD open your hearts in His law and commandments, and send you peace in your days, * and give you salvation and redeem you from evil. y. The LORD hear your prayers, and be at one with you, and never forsake you in time of trouble. And. Lesson II. Alexander reigned twelve years, and then died. And his servants bare rule every one in his place. And after his death they all put crowns upon themselves; so did their sons after them many years: and evils were multiplied in the earth. And there came out of them a wicked root, Antiochus surnamed Epiphanes, son of Antiochus the king, who had been an hostage at Rome, and he reigned in the hundred and thirty and seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks. Ry. The LORD hear your prayers, and be at one with you and never forsake you in time of trouble. * The LORD our GOD. Y. Give you all a heart to serve Him and do His will. The LORD. Lesson III. IN those days went there out of Israel wicked men, who persuaded many, saying, Let us go and make a covenant with the heathen that are round about us: for since we departed from them we have had much sorrow. So this device pleased them well. Then certain of the people were so forward herein, that they went to the king, who gave them license to do after the ordinances of the heathen: whereupon they built a place of exercise at Jerusalem according to the customs of heathen: and made themselves uncircumcised, and forsook the holy covenant, and joined themselves to the heathen, and were sold to do mischief. Ry. Our enemies are gathered their law, and were attacked by the together, and boast in their strength; enemy on the sabbath day, preferred destroy their might, O LORD, and to expose their unarmed bodies to scatter them: * that they may know wounds, rather than defend themthat there is none other that fighteth selves, lest they should profane the for us, but only Thou, O GOD. . sabbath. And they all therefore gave Scatter them abroad among the themselves cheerfully to death. But people, and put them down, O LORD the Maccabees, considering that, on this our defender. That. Glory. That. principle, the whole nation would perish, avenged the slaughter of their innocent brethren, when they themselves were assaulted, though it was on the sabbath day. Whence king Antiochus was inflamed with anger, and when he afterwards stirred up war by his SECOND NOCTURN. From the Book of Offices of S. Ambrose WARLIKE glory may perhaps have such a firm hold on some persons, that they fancy there is no sort of valour save that in battle, and that my reason for turning to a different subject is because this one does not apply to those of whom we are speaking. How valiant was Joshua the son of Nun, who in one battle overthrew five captive kings, with their people, and took them captives. Then, when he was engaged in fight with the Gibeonites, and feared that night would put an end to his victory, in the greatness of his courage, and his faith, he exclaimed, Sun, stand generals, Lysias, Nicanor, and Gorgias, was so routed, along with his Eastern and Assyrian forces, that forty-eight thousand were overthrown in open field by three thousand. Ry. The heathen are assembled together against us to destroy us; neither know we what to do. * O LORD GOD, our eyes are upon Thee that we perish not. V. What things they imagine against us, Thou knowest. How shall we be able to stand against them, except Thou, O God, be our help? O LORD. Lesson VI. thou still: and the sun stood still till COMPUTE the valour of Judas the victory was complete. Gideon, with three hundred men, won a triumph over a mighty people, and an embittered foe. Jonathan, when a youth, displayed great courage in battle. Rz. Fear ye not the assault of the enemies: remember how our fathers were delivered: Now therefore let us cry unto heaven, if peradventure the LORD will have mercy upon us, y. Remember the marvellous works that He hath done to Pharaoh and his o st in the Red sea. Now. Maccabeus, the general, from that of one of his soldiers. For Eleazar, when he perceived that one the others, was adorned with royal of the elephants, much larger than trappings, imagining that the king was set thereupon, threw himself with a sudden rush into the midst of the legion, and having cast away his shield, slaughtered the enemies with and stooping down under it slew it both hands till he came to the beast; with his sword from below. So the falling beast crushed Eleazar, who thus died. How great was his courage and spirit! first, in that he had no fear of death; then, that when compassed by the enemy's legions, he rushed into the thickest of the foe, pierced to the centre of the host, and, more terrible by reason of his con tempt for death, casting away his shield, he bore up and supported with both hands the weight of the wounded beast, till he could get quite under it, in order to get a better stroke at it, and, buried rather than crushed by its fall, he was entombed in his own triumph. Ry. Thine, O LORD, is the power, Thine is the kingdom, O LORD,* and Thou art exalted as Head above all. y. O LORD, LORD GOD, Creator of all things, Who art fearful and strong, and righteous and merciful. Give. Glory. Give. mities of our people and our sanctuary. As. Lesson II. AND after that Antiochus had smitten Egypt, he returned again in the hundred forty and third year, and went up against Israel and Jerusalem with a great multitude, and entered proudly into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar, and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels thereof, and the table of the shewbread, and the pouring vessels, and the vials, and the censers of gold, and the veil, and the crowns, and the golden ornaments that were before the temple, all which he pulled off. R. vii. The sun shone upon the shields of gold, and the mountains glittered therewith: * and the strength of the Gentiles was scattered. Ry. They decked the forefront of the For the army was very great and temple with crowns of gold, and dedimighty then Judas and his host cated the altar to the LORD; : thus drew near, and entered into battle. was there very great gladness among And. the people. y. They praised the LORD with psalms and thanksgiving. Thus. Ry. viii. Two Seraphim. p. xxviii. MONDAY. Of the 1st Book of Maccabees. Lesson I. Chap. i. NOW when the kingdom was established before Antiochus, he thought to reign over Egypt, that he might have the dominion of two realms. Wherefore he entered into Egypt with a great multitude, with chariots, and elephants, and horsemen, and a great navy, and made war against Ptolemee king of Egypt :but Ptolemee was afraid of him, and fled; and many were wounded to death. Thus they got the strong cities in the land of Egypt, aud he took the spoils thereof. Ry. Judas said to Simon his brother, Choose thee out men, and go and deliver thy brethren that are in Galilee, for I and Jonathan my brother will go into the country of Galaad: as the will of GOD is in heaven, so let Him do. V. Arm ye, and be ye valiant men, and see that ye be in readiness for it is better for us to die in battle, than to behold the cala Lesson III. * HE took also the silver and the gold, and the precious vessels : also he took the hidden treasures TUESDAY. Of the 1st Book of Maccabees. Lesson I. Chap. ii. IN those days arose Mattathias the son of John, the son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, from Jerusalem, and dwelt in Modin. And he had five sons, Joannan, called Caddis: Simon, called Thassi: Judas, who was called Maccabeus: Eleazar, called Avaran and Jonathan, whose surname was Apphus. And he saw the blasphemies that were committed in Juda and Jerusalem. Ry. This is a lover of the brethren and of the people of Israel: * who prayeth much for the people, and for the holy city. V. A virtuous and a good man, reverend in conversation, gentle in condition. Who. Lesson II. He said, Woe is me! wherefore was I born to see this misery of my people, and of the holy city, and to dwell there, when it was delivered into the hand of the enemy, and the sanctuary into the hand of strangers? Her temple is become as a man without glory. Her glorious vessels are carried away into captivity, her infants are slain in the streets, her young men with the sword of the enemy. What nation hath not had a part in her kingdom, and gotten of her spoils ? Ry. Thou, O LORD of all things, Who hast need of nothing, wast pleased that the temple of Thy habitation should be among us; therefore now, O holy LORD, keep this house ever undefiled. . Thou, O LORD, didst choose this house to be called by Thy name, and to be a house of prayer and petition for Thy people. Therefore. Lesson III. THEN Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourned very sore. In the meanwhile the king's officers, such as compelled the people to revolt, came Lesson I. Chap. ii. spake with a loud voice, Though all the nations that are under the king's dominion obey him, and fall away every one from the religion of their fathers, and give consent to his commandments: yet will I and my Ry, The sun shone. p. cxxii. NOW when he had left speaking shew his anger according to judgment: trembled, neither could he forbear to wherefore he ran, and slew him upon the altar. Also the king's commissioner, who compelled men to sacrifice, he killed at that time, and the altar he pulled down. Thus dealt he zealously for the law of God, like as Phinees did unto Zambri the son of Salom. Ry. They decked. p. cxxii, |