they and his wonders how mighty are they his kingdome is an euerlastyng kingdome and his power from generation to generation I Nebuchadnezar being at rest in mine house and floryshing in my palace Sawe a dreame which made me afrayde and the conceytes vpon my bed and the visions of myne head troubled me Then I made a decree to bring all the Sages of Babel before me that they myght make knowen vnto me the interpretation of the dreame Then came the Enchanters the Astrologians the Caldeans and the entral-lookers and I colde the dreame before them but they could not make knowen to me the interpretation thereof And at the last came before me Daniel whose name was Belteshasar according to the name of my God who hath the spirite of the holy goddes in him and before him I colde the dreame O Belteshasar Prouost of the Enchanters of whom I know that thou hast the spirite of the holy goddes and no secrete is hard to thee tell the visions of my dreame that I haue seene I meane the interpretation thereof Thus were the visions of my head vpon my bed I behelde and loe there was a Tree in the middes of the Earth and his height was great The Tree was great and strong and his height reached to the heauens and his shewe to the endes of all the earth His leaues were fayre and his fruite much and in it was meate for all vnder it were shadowed the beastes of the feelde and in his branches dwelt the foules of the heauen and from it was fed all flesh I behelde in the visions of my head vpon my bed and loe a watcher and an holy one came downe from heauen He cryed aloude and sayde thus Cut downe the Tree and croppe of his branches shake of his leaues and scatter his fruite Let the beastes flee from vnder it and the foules from his branches But leaue the stumpe of his rootes in the earth and that in a bande of Iron and Brasse in the tender grasse of the feelde and let it be wet with the deawe of heauen and let his portion be with the beastes in the grasse of the earth Let his hart be changed from mans let a beastes hart be geuen to him and let seauen seasons passe ouer him Babel is a tree Dan 4. as before Assur had bene Ezek. â—1 Nabucadnezâ—r driue from his Kingdome liueing with beastes 7. yeares restored to his honour da. 4 This dreame I king Nebuchadnezar haue seene therefore O Belteshasar tel the interpretation therof for as much as all the Sages in my kingdome are not able to shew me the interpretation But thou art able for the spirite of the holy Gods is in thee Then Daniel whose name was Belteshasar was astonied for an houre his thoughtes troubled hym The king spake and sayd Belteshasar Let neyther the dreame nor the interpretation therof trouble thee Belteshasar answered and sayd My Lord the dreame be to them that hate thee and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies The Tree that thou sawest which grew and got hardnesse whose height toâ—ched vnto the heauen and his shew through all the earth Whose leaues were fayre and his fruite mirch and in which was meate for all vnder which the beastes of the helde dwelt and 〈◊〉 branches of which the foules of the heauen kept Thou art it O King who art great and strongâ— for thy greatnes is growen and waâ—heth vnto heauen and thy power to the 〈◊〉 of the earth And whereas the king saw a Watcher an Holy one that came downe from heauen and sayde Cut downe the Tree destroy it yet leaue the stumpe of his rootes in the earth that in a bande of Iron and Brasse in the grasse of the fielde let it be wet with the death of heauen and let his portion be with the beastes of the fieldâ— tyll Hauen â—easons passe ouer it This is the interpretation O King and the decree of the most high which is come vpon my Lorde the king and they haue brought the vessels of his house before thee and thou and thy nobles thy wyues thy concubines haue drunke wine in them hast praysed Goddes of Silver and Golde Brasse Acon Wood and Stone which see not nor heare nor understande But thou diddest not honour God in whose hand thy breath standeth and whose are all thy wayes Then the peece of an hand was sent from before him and this Scripture written And this is the Scripture which is written MENE MENE TEKEL V-PARSIN This is the interpretation of the matter MENE God hath numbred thy kingdome and finished it TEKEL thou art weighed in the ballance and art founde wanting PERES thy kingdome is parted and geuen to Madaj and Paras Then commaunded Belshazar and they cleathed Daniel with Purple and a chaine of Golde about his necke and made a proclamation concerning him that he shoulde beare rule the thirde in the kingdome The same nyght was Belshazar king of the Chaldeans slayne And Darius ‡ In that there were Parsin partâ—â—s not of Madai onely but also of Elam we must know that Cyrus king of Paras or Elam was fâ—lâ—â— in Empire with Darius And of that we haue expresse warrant in 2. Chr. 36 20. where the Iewes are seruantes to the Chaldeans vntill Paras reigneth And there Cyrus telleth that the Eternall the God of heauen had giuen him all the kingdomes of the earth Which kingdomes if he had gotten them by inheritance quietly had not bin so in speciall sort sayd to be geuen him And this vniting was knowen to the heathen Greekes in whom the Persian armies are called Medes Aesch con Ctes and accordingly the 70. Translaters put for the Hebrew text Paras the terme Medes in this text 2. Chr. 36 20. applying themselues to the prophane Greekes kinde of phrase But Daniel here nameth Darius onely because matter touching him onely of the two Kinges foloweth in the next Chapter that the Reader shoulde not be troubled with any further questions touching Cyrus Whereas yet Arrianus noâ—eth that Cyrus was by Law-worshipped as a God No lesse then the decree folowing here geueth that honour to Darius in Cha. 6. Madai receiued the kingdome being about threescore and two yeeres olde CHAP. 6. The idolatrie of Madaj and Paras in making their Kinges Goddes with brutish penaltie vpon the contemners confuted by Daniel and iudged by the Lyons euen vnto a publique imperiall honour by decree for Daniels God The Chaldy wherein this Chapter is written by Daniel is mixt with Arabique which tongue the Persians here seeme to haue much vsed AND Darius thought it good to set ouer the Kingdome an hundreth and twentie Princes which should rule the whole Kingdome And ouer these three Stewardes of whom Daniel was principall to whom those Princes should giue accompt that the King should haue no damage Than this Daniel vsed authoritie touching the Stewardes and Princes as the
you shew the dreame and the interpretation of it ye shall receiue of me guyftes and rewardes and great honour therefore shew me the dreame and the interpretation thereof They answered the seconde tyme and sayde let the king tell his seruantes the dreame and we wyll shew the interpretation thereof Then the king answered and sayd of a certaintie know I that ye woulde buy the time because you see the thing is gone from me But yf you wyl not make knowen to me the dreame there is but one decree ouer you For ye haue prepared lying corrupt wordes to speake before mee tyll the time be changed Therefore tell me the dreame that I may know if ye can shew me the interpretatiō therof Then the Caldeans answered before the king and sayd there is no man vpon earth that can shewe the thing that the king speaketh off Yea there is neyther King Prince nor Lord that asked such thinges at an Enchanter or Astrologian or Caldean Yea the thing which the king demaundeth is rare and there is none other that can shew it vnto the king except the Goddes whose dwelling is not with flesh Herevpon the king was in anger great furie and commanded to destroy all the Sages of Babel And a decree came foorth and the Sages were killed and they sought Daniel and his felowes that they might be killed Then Daniel stayed the counsell and edict through Arioch the kinges Prouost martial which came forth to kill the sages of Babel He spake and sayd to Arioch the kinges officer Why hasteneth the decree from the king Then Arioch made knowen the matter vnto Daniel So Daniel went and prayed the king that he would giue him time and he would shew the king the interpretation Then Daniel went to his house and made knowen the matter to Hananiah Mishael and Azariah his fellowes That they shoulde beseeche the God of heauen for grace in this secret that Daniel his felowes should not perish with the rest of the sages of Babel Then to Daniel in a vision by nyght was this secret reuealed Then Daniel blessed the God of heauen Daniel spake sayd The name of God be praysed for euer and euer For wisedome and courage are his And he changeth the times and seasons he taketh away kinges and setteth vp kinges he giueth wisedome to the wise and vnderstanding to those that haue vnderstanding He discouereth the deepe and the hid thinges he knoweth what is in the darknes and lyght dwelleth with him I thanke and prayse thee O God of my fathers that thou hast giuen me wysedome and courage and hast made knowen to me now the thing wherfore we prayed to thee making knowen vnto vs the kinges matter Hereupon Daniel went to Arioch whom the king had appoynted to destroy the sages of Babel he came and sayd thus vnto him Destroy not the sages of Babel but bring me before the king and I wyll shew the king the interpretation Then Arioch in all haste brought Daniel before the king and thus sayd vnto him I haue found a man of the captiues of Iudah that wyll make knowen to the king the interpretation Then answered the king and sayd vnto Daniel whose name was Belteshazar Art thou able to make knowen vnto me the dreame which I haue seene and the interpretation thereof Daniel answered before the king and sayd The secrete which the king hath demaunded no Sages Astrologians Enchanters entral-lookers are able to shew vnto the king But there is a God in heauen that reuealeth secretes and maketh knowen to the king Nebuchadnezar what shall be in the dayes folowing The dreame and the visions of thine head vpon thy bed are thus O king thy thoughtes on thy bed ascended what should come hereafter and he that reuealeth secretes maketh knowen to thee what shall come to passe As for me not for any wisedome that I haue more then any other liuing is this secret reuealed vnto me but that the king may knowe the interpretation and that thou mightest know the thoughtes of thine hart O king thou behewest and soe there was a huge Image this Image was great and his brightnesse was excellent it stoode before thee and was terrible to beholde The Kingdomes that ouerruled the holy Ebrewes Babylō .70 yeares Medes Persianes .150 Alexander state .6 Magog Egypt .294 y ◠Image reigned .500 y◠This Image had his Head of fine Golde his Brest and Armes of Siluer his Bellie and his Sides of Brasse His Legges of Iron and his Feete part of Iron and part of Clay Thou beheldest tyll a Stone was cut without handes which smote the Image vpon his feete of Iron and Clay and brake them in peeces Then was broken togeyther the Iron the Clay the Brasse the Siluer and the Golde and became like the chaffe of a sommer batne-floore and the winde caried them away and no place was founde for them and the Stone that smote the Image became a great Mountayne and filled the whole earth This is the dreame and the interpretation thereof wyll we tell before the king O King thou shalt be a King of Kinges For the God of heauen giueth thee a kingdome power and strength and glory And of all places where the chyldren of men dwell the beastes of the fielde the foules of the heauen giueth he into thy handes and maketh thee ruler ouer them all thou art the Head of Golde And after thee shall arise another Kingdome vnder thee of Siluer and another a thirde kingdome of Brasse which shall rule ouer all the earth And the fourth kingdome shall be hard lyke iron For as much as iron breaketh and beateth to powder all thinges Euen as iron bruseth all these shall it breake and bruse Whereas thou sawest the feete and tooes part of the Potters clay part of Iron it shalbe a deuided kingdome and there shalbe in it some of the rigour of Iron as thou sawest Iron mixed with earthy clay As the tooes of the feete were part of iron part of clay the kingdome shalbe partly hard and shalbe partly brittle Also whereas thou sawest iron mixed with earthy clay they shall mingle them selues in the seede of man but they shall not cleaue one to another euen as iron can not be mixed with clay And in the dayes of these kinges shall the God of heauen set vp a kingdome which shall neuer be corrupted and the kingdome shall not be giuen to an other people but it shall breake and finishe all these kingdomes and it shall stande for euer Whereas thou sawest that the Stone was cut out of the Mountaine without handes and that it brake in pecces the Iron the Brasse the Clay the Siluer and the Gold the great God maketh knowne to the king what shall come to passe hereafter Thus the dreame is true the interpretation therof is sure Then the king Nebuchadnezar fell vpon his face and worshypped Daniel
introductions to his whole summe and Graces and ioyne the kings and Pictures for him pictures afore set in another booke which coming foorth greater with greater lendeth Daniel the former willingly To him they beloÌ„g The summe and graces of Daniel THe holy Prophet Daniel telleth what Kingdomes shall oppresse Dauids house from Iudahs captiuitie vnto the birth of our Lord and endeuour to controll their Religion Also of our Lord he sheweth his continuall protection and payment of his foes his coming into the world his making strong the Couenant for all nations his precious death his glorious ascention and his kingdome ouer all nations And lastly how he will destroy the Citie and Temple finishing the policie which he gaue by Moses that Iewes and Gentiles may be equally Gods people Those kingdomes which Daniel setteth forth are first the Chaldeans who destroyed the Citie Temple Kingdome and house of Salomon and meant in Babel to haue set vp idolatrie The next is a ioynt power of the Medes and Persians who ouerthrew them and would haue made their owne kings as Gods stayed the building of Gods Temple and sought to destroy the Iewes nation The third is compact of all the States of Greeke-land who put downe the former In Alexanders power which King in his pride earnestly laboured to be holden as a God and caused the Leuites to name their sonnes Alexanders and all the Iewes to take their dates from his reigne The fourth and last is of the same natioÌ„ for their Kings called Seleucidae and Lagidae by the first of their houses dwelling North and South from Iuda situated betwixt them both By these Iuda was most vexed and endeuour vsed to haue abrogated the holy Couenant At our Lords birth these nations were fully spoyled of all gouernement and another set vp to whom tribute was payd ouer all the world In plentifull varietie Daniel setteth them forth First in a huge image of foure mettals beaten to powder and he expoundeth the Image so that by a prophane king he is therefore highly aduaunced Long after he seeth them in a sort fit for a spirituall man to iudge of in foure sauage beasts cast into the fire ioyneth a most heauenly exposition and comfort of his nation how from his people an eternall kingdome shall fill all the earth Againe the kingdome of Babel is figured by a Tree touching in height the heauens in breadth the corners of the earth and to that also Daniel affordeth an exposition Likewise the other kingdomes are semblanced by a Ramme and Goat-bucke and both in sundrie hornes and now all the Nations are plainly named who be therein contained So sixe times euery one State is declared all ouer the later declarations adding clearenesse to the former Moreouer the seuenth Narration most plaine as teaching in proper language is not wanting for the coming vp idolatrie chastisement and ouerthrow of these kingdomes A skilfull Reader must fetch from others the dayly dealings which the wisedome of God knew at needlesse to foretell by Daniel and therefore he passeth them ouer in their due places the Reader shall find them marked in obseruations vpon the Prophet The comfort of the holy people is most sweete in this Booke Christ in prophane eyes is a base stone and heathen Kings goodly mettals but he beateth them to dust and becometh a great mountaine In Daniels eâ—en they are beasts cast into fire and the Sonne of man coming in the clouds into the world afterwards going vnto the Ancient of dayes he sitteth on an eternall throne Sundry other heauenly apparations Daniel hath as when the wonderfull Numberer called in Daniel Palmoni calleth an Angel Gabriel and biddeth him teach Daniel the verie dayes from the first of the rage against Moses lawes vnto the last of the Grecians dealing against the Temple And after that his senses had bene acquainted with so exact an accompt vnto the very day for a particular hinderance of the truth he seeth a hand writing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 MENE MENE and soone the former Angel numbreth most exactly the time vnto our Lords death And againe soone after he hath a vision like that of Christ in the Reuelation and of three Angels one silent another teaching him the summe of his booke in plain speeches another asking a question of times and taking an answer with the very particular dayes of two famous neare matters These two confirme the wonderfull accompt of Christ his owne set time for redemptioÌ„ Dan. 9.24 Farther then which the date of times might not go in the Prophets beyond the glorifying of the King but therein it was to rest By like reuolutions men might know that Christ would graunt them the like space to repentance that they losed not their land as he gaue in the wildernesse to prepare them that should enter into the land And so it fell out alike 40. yeares they spent in the wildernesse 40 after our Lords death in the land And so the whole warning that Daniel gaue the Iewes to beware of their Deluge is iust in space the same that Lamech gaue to the old world at Noahs birth 600 yeares afore the flood From Nebuchadnezers first yeare 70 of captiuitie thence 7 times that space in expressed wordes layd downe in Scripture and 40 afterwards not recorded nor to haue bene recorded in scripture but marked of heathen by the euent This is the compasse of Daniels times which they that cast not aright shal be disturbed The state of the world when he wrote and the tongues vvhich he vsed call vs to farther admiration His Prophecie was written in the most distressed times of the world to be such a iewell that being seene it might haue redressed the calamities of those dayes For when the kingdome of Iudah was to be plagued by the tust God all the world was plagued also with more alterations of kingdomes and warres then had bene afore And then God by Daniel writeth first in the heathens language the Syriaque or Chaldy tong which East South best knew In that he sheweth how the Image of the worldly poÌ„pe all the wicked are made as dust before the winde and prophane Empires are as beasts troubling the sea of life perishing at the last in a fierie lake froÌ„ the throne of a Iudge euerlasting with whom there is no shadow of change Also he telleth of the kingdome that cannot be corrupted set vp by one like the Sonne of man coming in the cloudes and going againe vnto the ancient of dayes to sit for euer in glory All this and other matters of the present Age Daniel penneth in the language most knowne of any one that the heathen might be benefited Notwithstanding the Iewes haue in this worke their prerogatiue For in the tongue vsed onely of them he penneth the selfe same matter naming plainly what people he afore spake off and that in sundrie sortes for exact certaintie And he limiteth the
hand vnto heauen and sware by him that liueth for euer that it shalbe for a time times an halfe at the finishing of brusing the hand that is vpō the holy people all these things shalbe finished Daniels demaundes concerning the time when the Iewes should begin to recouer their state from the Greekes with speeches of Christ touching the darknesse of all the oration and counsel for the afflictions of the godly And I heard but vnderstood not then said I ô my Lord when shalbe the end of these things And he said go thy way Daniel For the words are closed vp and sealed till the end of the time Many shalbe purified whited and tryed But the the wicked will do wickedly and none of the wicked will vnderstand but the wise will vnderstand And from the time of taking away the continuall sacrifice and of setting vp the lothsome of desolation dayes shalbe a thousand two hundreth and ninetie Happie is he that is patient and commeth vnto dayes a thousand three hundreth thirty and fiue And thou go to the end and rest and stand in thy lot vnto the end of the dayes The Conclusion Thus Daniel had a sufficient Cathechisme for all the world bringing the heauens downe vnto the earth that the earth might be exalted vnto heauen Daniel would teach heathen to season their humane stories with diuinitie Strabo knew that Nebuchadnezar was an Hercules reached vnto Spaine and brought a Colonie vnto Pontus But Daniel was to tell him who gaue the Lion such wings Diodorus thought the Chaldeās great Philosophers but Daniel telleth what deceiuers they were recordeth their own kings censure and how yong Ebrewes were found ten times better then they how corruptiō leasing was their practise how whē the king had forgotten his dreame they promise an exposition when he forgot it not but told them they could say nothing how a matter written from heauen on the wall chap. 5. passed their skill Hence Diodorus might haue bene wised Likewise Abydenus who recordeth Nauocodrosors traūce might by Daniel haue seene it clearer And so Herodotus might haue gottē more hearers in Olympia if to Cyrus surprising of Babel he could haue ioyned Daniels 5. chap. The same text would haue made Xenophōs Muses more Attique shewing how in bāquetting the Chaldeā king was kild Athenaeus with his Berosus and Ctesias for the same feast might see God serue with sauce So for Cyrus death Herodotus might haue learned the cause with learning Daniels fasting And the writers of Susan the Citie of Darius Hystaspis made the glory of Persia might see in Daniels visions chap. 8. Susans honours confirme his booke Aeschylus Herodotus might haue penned the one his Tragoedy the other his story more plentifully then they did of Gods stroke in Xerxes fall if they had looked into Daniel much they marked but might more Diodorus again with Arrianus for Alexander might haue seene all told in Daniel And Diodorus might haue marked frō what curse Alexanders Captaines made such a slaughter among thē selues Here he might haue seene why he should say that Ptolemy Lagides came vp by helpe frō heauē why Seleucus became soone greatest and haue brought true Prophecies for that Pausanias might behold to what vse he noted the affinitie and league betwixt Lagidas and Seleucidas and how Philadelphus name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 made famous the mariage beginning betwixt the two legges Appian and Iustin might haue made not Polybius Trogus but Daniel their author Polybius in the pleading for Syria might haue beheld Iudah cast as a bone betwixt two dogs Here Liuy had for him by whō it fell out that Antiochus came into the West with a camp of nations scant heard of in Italy Medes Cadusians such many names strange in West eares by whō Antiochus wanted counsell that he was soone brought to losse of almost all his death in Strabo Iustin should haue bin referred to Gods counsell in Daniel Iason of Syren that noted Church robbing in Seleucus should haue noted the text in Daniel And in Antiochus Epiphanes his comming vp into Syria his 3. voyages into Aegypt his crossing of Ebrewes lawes his death his vile nature Polybius Liuie Athenaeus Florus Appian all might know these dealings foretold Also Tully that termed Iudahs Religion a Barbarous superstition and the people a nation borne to bondage might guesse by Daniel that the iudge on the fierie throne the stander vp for Daniels people would haue his tongue pricked for those speeches And the same orator might haue guessed by skill in Daniel why the Romanes feared to helpe Aegypt the clay legs by their faigned Sybilles was heard by some Iewes counsell who would tell that when the legges were broken from God all assisters of them should be as resisters of God So Brennus of our nation with his great campe was plagued as a resister while the legges were iron and Antiochus that droue his company out of Asia was syrnamed Soteria Sauiour And therein Pausanias might haue seene the counsell of God Again where Vergil bringeth in Augustus triumph ouer Cleopatra and Antonie euen vltima Bactra frō East hence Extremos hominum Morino◠he might haue seene how God called nations from the rising of the sunne vnto the going downe to behold the breaking of Daniels image to thinke of a child comming from heauen as Vergil peruersly heard By Daniel not Venus Neptune Minerua nor Actius Apollo should haue bene the giuer of victorie but the God of heauen Daniel must needes be holden a stately authour that hath all these so much belonging to him and the goodliest part of all Vergils wit that in Augustus triumph licking the dust of the toes of Daniels image Yea former Romane affaires of Pompey and Iulius Caesar the one kild in Aegypt for helping the king the Piper out of the dust the other for Cleopatra those duly looked vnto would iustifie the firie throne of Daniel Yea all the stories of the Romanes comming vp being here yet not as enemies to Gods holy couenant but men rewarded for plaguing the legges all commenteth vpon Daniel Besides Augustus iest in Macrobius how it was better to be Herodes hog then his sonne that iustifieth the storie of persecution at our Lordes comming from the cloudes to make a tabernacle among vs. Ouer and besides all this the speech of wicked Tacitus against Christ crucified vnder Pontius Pilate and of Christian Religion these haue a good vse for Daniel and all the declaration of the Iewes calamities in the last destructiō of Ierusalem or euer since written by prophane heathen all serue Daniel alike And the matters are so plaine that if men would but grope they might haue found Christ in Daniel where the pompous of this world be fanned as chaf the wicked as beastes burne in fire vnquenched and the humble may finde iustice Eternal to shine like the sunne in the kingdome of the Father Psal 119.96 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉