Excerpt from An Explanatory Commentary on Esther: With Four Appendices Consisting of the Second Targum Translated From the Aramaic With Notes; Mithra; The Winged Bulls of Persepolis; And Zoroaster A word with regard to the translation of the book. I 'have on the whole been faithful to the author, and, as far as the English idiom allowed it, have reproduced the author's style. I am indebted to the Rev. James Neil, m.a., for his kindness in revising the translation, to the Rev. J. H. Bruhl for translating the excursus on Zoroaster, and to the publishers for their patient attention to the whole work. May it prosper on its way, and be blessed by Him who manifested Himself at all times as the Protector and Redeemer of His people. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.