George Leo Haydock, on Esth 1:11

“To bring in queen Vasthi before the king, with the crown set upon her head, to shew her beauty to all the people and the princes: for she was exceeding beautiful.”

“Head. But without any other covering. (Chaldean) Sulpitius entertained perhaps the same idea. Stulto rege consultior, pudens, virorum oculis spectaculum corporis præbere jussa, abnuit. (Haydock) — Some Greek copies assert, very improbably, (Calmet) that she was sent for “to be crowned queen.” — Beautiful. “The Persian ladies were noted for beauty,” (Ammian) insomuch that Alexander called them eye-sores, oculorum dolores. (Curtius) — Only prostitutes appeared publicly at feasts. (Macrob. vii. 1.) (St. Ambrose, de Elia. i. 15.) — In effect, Vasthi’s refusal was conformable to the laws of the country. (Josephus) (Plutarch in Themist.) — Her offence consisted, therefore, rather in her haughty carriage or words. (Haydock) — For the proposal was neither decent nor safe for the king, (Grotius) as the history of Candaules shews. (Herodotus i.) (Not. Var. in Sulpitius)”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.