The Young Captives Part 11

"Yea, the years are pa.s.sing! On looking back they seem but short. But where has more been accomplished in so short a period? Ah, King of Babylon, thy career, hitherto, has been a brilliant one. My armies have clothed themselves with glory, which glory reflects back on their king.

Surrounding nations do me homage. My coffers are filled from the wealth of Judah, Egypt, Syria, Phoenicia, and Arabia. What hinders my success?

Babylon is but in the infancy of her greatness. Her glory shall yet reach the heavens! Tea, I will make her a fit place for the residence of the G.o.ds. Selfish? Yea, truly. And who ever succeeded without being selfish?

Yea, the King of Babylon is selfish; but may the G.o.ds a.s.sist me to hide it from the people. To them, may it appear that all my efforts are put forth in their behalf. But have I no regard for the welfare of my people aside from my own glory? I have! The G.o.ds know I have. And yet, I have a strong desire that my name shall be carried down to posterity surrounded by a halo of glory. Is this selfishness? Be it so. It must be done! Am I not deep in the affections of my people? In this I cannot be mistaken.

Never was the Chaldean empire so firmly established. It will stand forever. Forever? Ah, that word has a long meaning. But what power can overthrow us? Is not Babylon the mistress of the world? Is not Chaldea the queen of nations? Will not her prosperity be perpetual? Alas for our brief knowledge! The G.o.ds, in this, have not elevated the king above the beggar. The future is enshrouded in gloom and hid from the gaze of mortals. My wise men say that they can penetrate this gloom. Can they? I have my doubts. The future--the far, far future of Chaldea--I should be glad to know: but who shall sit on the throne one hundred years from to-day, and what shall be the greatness of Babylon in two hundred years, are questions which time alone must solve. Surely, this is a sultry day!

Well, the future we cannot know. It may be all in wisdom. Peradven--Ah, sleep! thou art the great conqueror of conquerors. I surrender. Thy powers are irresistible. Let me not long be thy captive. In one hour, I pray thee, strike my chains asunder, and restore me to my friends."

And the king, quietly yielding to the stern demands of Nature, was soon in the fast embrace of slumber.

"Oh, ye G.o.ds that dwell in light, what a dream!" cried the king, hastily leaving his couch, in agitation. "Oh, what a dream! But, alas, it has gone from me! Oh, ye G.o.ds, why have I not retained it? But can I not recall it to mind? Alas, it has fled! It has vanished! How perplexing! It was not a common dream. Nay, it bore particularly upon the future of my vast empire. And yet not one clear circ.u.mstance is retained in my memory.

What shall I do? How shall the lost dream be restored? My astrologers profess to give the interpretation of dreams. If they can do this, why not as well restore the dream entire?"

And the king, in an agitated state of mind, left the garden and entered the palace.

"Arioch!" cried the king, "haste thee, and without delay let the most noted of the wise men and astrologers of Babylon be commanded to appear in my presence. Let there be no useless tarrying. My demands are urgent.

Haste thee! Away!"

Without asking any questions, the astonished and half frightened officer hastened from the presence of his king, and gave all diligence in the performance of his urgent duty. He found ready access to the prince of the magicians, delivered to him the message of the king, and retired. The astrologer soon sent the message to his numerous companions, and in a short time the concentrated wisdom of the great metropolis stood in the presence of the king.

"Ye have done well," said the king, eying them with a degree of severity, "to be thus punctual; a failure on this point might have involved you in serious difficulties. Ye stand before the king as the representatives of wisdom. Ye profess to be able to bring to light hidden mysteries, and to make known the transactions of the future. The correctness of your professions is about to be tested. If it stands the ordeal, well; if not, woe be unto you!"

"All this thy servants profess," replied the chief astrologer, "and all this they can perform. Let them but learn the desire of the king, and they stand ready to execute his pleasure."

"This day," replied the king, "while slumbering on my bed, I dreamed a peculiar dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the vision."

"Oh, king, live forever!" replied the magicians, well pleased with the nature of their task. "Tell thy servants the dream, and we will show thee the interpretation thereof."

"Will ye, indeed!" answered the king, ironically. "But the thing has gone from me. I have no distinct remembrance of the various features of the dream. And now, as a proof that ye are able to give a correct interpretation, I demand that ye restore to my mind the dream in all its parts. Remember that ye are not able to impose on me a false vision. Now, proceed with your divination, and if in this ye fail, by the G.o.ds, ye shall be cut to pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill."

"Tell thy servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation thereof," answered again the now astonished magicians.

"Ah, indeed!" said the king, disdainfully. "And have I not already told you that the thing is gone from me; and how can I tell you the dream? If I were able to do this, ye would readily produce your lying and corrupt interpretations. Do ye not profess to derive your knowledge and power of interpretation from the G.o.ds? Then let the same G.o.ds reveal unto you the dream itself."

"This is a strange demand, indeed," answered the alarmed astrologers.

"There is not a man on earth that can grant thy desire, and show thee this matter. Be a.s.sured, O king, that thou requirest impossibilities at the hands of thy servants; and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the G.o.ds, whose dwelling is not in the flesh."

"And do ye not profess to hold intercourse with those G.o.ds?" answered the king, in a pa.s.sion; "thus ye have proved yourselves to be a band of lying hypocrites. Begone from my presence, ye corrupt deceivers, and learn that your guilty career is near its close!"

So the terrified magicians were hurried from the presence of the pa.s.sionate king, and by his orders were confined; and, moreover, a decree was issued, that all the wise men of Babylon should be put to death. Such was the unholy impulse of a king who had hitherto manifested, on most occasions, a commendable degree of self-possession.

The next day, while Daniel was walking in the vicinity of the palace, he was suddenly accosted by the captain of the guard, who informed him that it was his painful duty to apprehend him as an individual who was condemned to die by a late edict of the king.

"My worthy friend must certainly be mistaken in regard to the person,"

answered Daniel, with a smile; "for I am happy to know that in nothing have I transgressed the law of my sovereign."

"It would give me much pleasure on this occasion to find myself mistaken," replied Arioch, "but I fear that it will prove otherwise. Art thou not Belteshazzar, of the captivity of Judah, and art thou not numbered among the wise men?"

"And what can be the nature of my offense?" asked the young Hebrew, nothing daunted. "If in anything I have offended, I ask not to be spared."

"And hast thou not heard the decree?"

"No new decree has reached my ears."

"Then I shall communicate to Belteshazzar all I know concerning the matter." Which he proceeded to do.

"Many thanks to thee, kind officer. I have no desire to escape thy vigilance. Only permit me to see the king, and, peradventure, things may take a different course."

"Any favor I can show, without violating positive orders, will readily be granted. So I will make thy pleasure known to the king."

Arioch hastened into the presence of the sovereign, and informed him that one of the wise men prayed to be admitted into his presence.

"I desire not to see any of the vile race!" answered the king, with a frown. "I was satisfied yesterday that they are a band of lying impostors."

"May the king pardon his unworthy servant," replied Arioch; "but the young man that seeks thy face to-day was not among the number yesterday."

"And by what name is he known?" frowningly inquired the king.

"His name, O king, is Belteshazzar, of the captivity of Judah."

"Belteshazzar! Belteshazzar!" exclaimed the king, suddenly rising to his feet. "May the G.o.ds forgive me! Belteshazzar, whose wonderful display of wisdom astonished the city on the day of examination? Why did I not think of him sooner? Yea, and his three companions! and all at the palace!

close at hand! and far superior in wisdom to all others! Belteshazzar!

Yea, Arioch! By all means let the young Hebrew be admitted."

The captain of the guard hastened from the presence of the king to inform Daniel of his success.

"Belteshazzar, the king grants thy pet.i.tion, and thou art requested to appear before him."

Daniel, with his usual calmness and dignity, walked into the presence of the king, while Arioch was beckoned to retire.

"Belteshazzar," said the king, "thou art thus admitted into my presence, and thou art at perfect liberty to speak freely on whatever subject mostly occupies thy mind. I have heretofore been well pleased with thy superior knowledge and wisdom, as well as that of thy comrades. The army has of late occupied the most of my attention, and among the various affairs of importance it is nothing astonishing if some of my best subjects are partially overlooked. Proceed with thy request."

"A little over four years ago, O king, according to thy direction, thy servant, with his three companions, was brought from the land of Judah to the great city of Babylon. Hitherto, we have been the subjects of thy kind regards. At thy expense we have been taught in all the learning and wisdom of the Chaldeans; and, in the presence of hundreds of thy worthy n.o.bles, thou sawest fit to p.r.o.nounce us superior in the various branches of learning, and, amid enthusiastic cheers, we were escorted to the palace of the king. We have endeavored to prove ourselves worthy of the favors and regard. We have spared no pains to render ourselves agreeable in the eyes of our superiors; and never have we heard a word of complaint. We have made no pretensions to superior wisdom. We are numbered among the wise by the direction of the king. In all things have we aimed to be thy faithful, loyal subjects. Judge then, O king, the astonishment of thy servant when, not half an hour ago, he was apprehended by the captain of the guard as one already appointed to death, according to the direction of the king. I wonder not that thine anger is kindled against the false pretensions of the magicians. But why should the innocent suffer with the guilty? And why, especially, should thy Hebrew servants die without, at least, a trial of their ability through the direct agency of their G.o.d, to restore to the king his lost dream? I, therefore, pray thee, O king, to give thy servant time, and the G.o.d that I worship will give me the knowledge of the dream and its interpretation."

"Belteshazzar," cried the king, "thy request is granted. Go! and may thy G.o.d give thee the knowledge of the vision."

Daniel left the presence of the king and hastened to join his comrades at their apartments.

"What now, fair cousin?" said Azariah. "What am I to learn from such a countenance? Nothing of a joyful nature, I fear!"

"Alas, comrades!" answered Daniel, "unless Jehovah interfere with a miraculous hand, we are undone. The decree has already gone forth from royal lips that all the wise men of Babylon must perish by the sword."

He then gave his companions a full history of the thing, as he had received it from the mouth of Arioch, the captain of the guard.

"In all our trials. .h.i.therto," said Hananiah, "we have found Jehovah to be our sure refuge. In him we trust, and he will surely open to us a way of escape."

"Already I feel the strange a.s.surance that from this conflict we shall come forth triumphant," said Daniel.