to perform the whole journey, but with frequent change of horses. The first rider is empowered to "impress," or seize, for the public service, whatever animals he needs on the way, and the head man or chief of every village, is bound to have a horse in readiness for him the very moment he arrives. And, as the king's business requires haste, it is wonderful in how short a time these couriers will perform long journeys. It should be remembered that animals, pressed into the public service by post-riders, are to be paid for by the Government, or commuted for taxes, but such settlements generally inure to the benefit of a man's heirs. The adjustment requires about as much time as a suit in English chancery. The history of posts, as illustrative of Bible allusions, is worthy of a brief notice. Diodorus Siculus (book xix) tells us that the Persians, before the time of Cyrus, that they might have intelligence of what was passing in all the provinces, placed sentinels on high places at convenient distances, where towers were built; and that these sentinels gave notice of public occurrences to one another, with a very loud and shrill voice, and that, by such means, news was transmitted from one extremity of the kingdom to another. The same means are employed by the savage tribes of this continent, with the addition of runners, where the sentinels are so remote as not to be able to communicate. It is wonderful, also, how far the Indian sentinels can throw their voices, so as to make their shrill notes intelligible to their friends. The transmission of intelligence in the wilderness, in the night, by the shrill notes of the savage, from his mountain tower, to his fellow on the opposite peak, in sounds which even a back

HISTORY OF POSTS.

279

woodsman or mountain trapper can scarcely distinguish from the hooting and screaming of wild animals, is no very agreeable discovery to the white man who may be encamped in the neighborhood, as I can testify, from my own experience, in more cases than one. But to go back again to the Persian posts. According to Xenophon (book viii) and Herodotus (book viii) Cyrus was not satisfied with what had been done to transmit news, and established the posts as we have just said. Xerxes, according to the same authorities, planted posts, from Shushan, the city of Esther, to the Egean Sea, on his famous expedition against the Greeks, in order that he might send notice to his capital of whatever might happen in his army. The Greeks borrowed posts from the Persians, and the Romans from the Greeks. It was Augustus who first run post-chariots and horses. Adrian improved the posts, until the post-horses and chariots of the Roman empire were nearly equal to those of Troy or Concord. Charlemagne and Francis XI are distinguished for their efforts to improve the posts of modern Europe. The first postmaster general that I have been able to find any account of, was Taxis, in Germany, in 1616, whose name was quite a good one for his office; nor was it in vain, for he obtained a well-lined patent of the office for his heirs for ever.

It is easily seen, therefore, that this part of our story is credible. Posts were established. The rapid transmission of intelligence, from one part of the empire to another, was as easily done in those days as it is now, and even more so. Accordingly, the king's commandment went forth from the palace, with the royal signature, and was published unto all people, that the Jews,

mer one.

everywhere, should be ready, upon one and the same day, in which it had before been decreed they should be put to death, "that they should gather themselves together, in every city, to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey." This decree is as broad and as long and as deep as the former one. It was intended to meet the forAnd as the former could not be repealed, the king, no doubt, hoped to render it unavailing, by making a new one, just its counterpart, and when once the fatal day named in the decree should be past, then both would fall to the ground. There is no record of the women and children having been killed. Nor is there any probability that such was the fact. The counter decree was intended to make it lawful for the Jews to fight fire with fire; and with the hope, no doubt, that they would save themselves, and prevent any slaughter.

There is nothing uttered here as to the right or the wrong of killing the women and the little ones. If there is any body here to be blamed, it is not Mordecai, nor the queen; nor is it to be charged against our holy books and their authority from this passage, that they are cruel and blood-thirsty. Whatever cruelty attaches to this history is to be laid to the account of the Persian king and court. All our narrative is responsible for is the correctness of the record. And as this second decree was designed to meet the first, so it is its exact counterpart. It is as broad and as long, as bloody and as irrevocable; but not more so. It was intended to give to the Jews the same lawful power to

MORDECAI IN ROYAL ROBES.

281

defend themselves that had been given to their enemies to destroy them. It was and is common in the East to make a man's family, his children, and even his cattle, suffer for his offenses. In the Iliad, we find Ulysses and Diomed killing Dolon in the night excursion, on account of his father, and everywhere, Homer and cotemporary writers, recognize the same law of revenge. And even in the Bible we find such a law carried out in Achan's history, and in the punishment of the Canaanites. And in our own day we see children suffering on account of the sins of their parents. This is a fact of the streets. How will the rejector of the Bible explain it?

"And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple." Esth. viii: 15. There is nothing in this account contrary to reliable history. These are the colors and such the usages that prevailed at the time, and were common with the Persian kings and grandees. Daniel (v. 29) was honored in a similar way by Belshazzar. He was invested with

the insignia of his office-with scarlet and a chain of gold about his neck. In the East, if a person has been called into the presence of a prince, and comes out in a garment different from the one with which he went in, it is always understood that he has been promoted, and is entitled to great honor. Jewels and gaudy colors and fine apparel, are much more highly valued in the East than they used to be in the West. The wealth and distinctions of the Orientals have always consisted

in a great degree of such things. Mordecai being now prime minister, or Grand Vizier, was invested with the robes of his office. The same custom prevailed in ancient Egypt, as we learn both from the Bible (Exo. xxv) and from the ancient monuments; and the same custom is still found there. When a new Sheikh

bellet is made, the Pasha invests him with the robes of his office, and this is as good as a proclamation announcing his authority, and commanding all the village to obey and honor him.

Nor is the great crown of gold any difficulty in our way, for it is admitted that the Persian Princes were sometimes crowned-not, perhaps, allowed to wear the very same crown the sovereign used, but crowns like unto it. And the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad, is so natural a state of things that, if it had not been recorded, we should certainly have been authorized to have added such a statement to our narrative. A majority of the people of the royal city could never have desired to see their streets running in blood; and as the city was perplexed at the promulgation of the former decree against the Jews, so it was glad when the counter-decree was made known. When the wicked perish, there is shouting; when the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. They that sow in tears, reap in joy; and the more joy, the greater the danger threatened, but escaped. Surprise has been expressed -indeed it has been urged as an objection to our history-that, in view of the exposition of the nature of this plot, any Persian was found willing to attempt the execution of the countermanded decree. Doubtless it was known—at least it might have been known—to all