a canonical book of the Old Testament; containing the history of a Jewish virgin, dwelling with her uncle Mordecai at Shushan, in the reign of Ahasuerus one of the kings of Persia.

The great beauty of this maid raised her to the throne of Persia; whereby she had an opportunity to save her countrymen, whose destruction was plotted by Haman, a favourite of that prince.

The learned are not agreed who this Ahasuerus was. Archbishop Usher supposes him to be Darius Hyllaptes, and Artyphion to be Esther. Scaliger makes him the same with Xerxes, and his queen Hameritis to be Esther. Josephus, on the contrary, positively affirms, that the Ahasuerus of the scriptures, is the Artaxerxes Longimanus of profane story; and the Septuagint, throughout the whole book of Esther, translate Ahasuerus by Artaxerxes. Most people subscribe to this last opinion; and, indeed the extraordinary kindness shewed by Artaxerxes to the Jews, can scarce be accounted for otherwise, than by supposing that they had so powerful an advocate as Esther to solicit for them.