THE HAND WRITING ON THE WALL. 445 on his neck, and shall be the third man in my kingdom." Then came in all the king's wise men, but they could neither read the writing, nor declare the interpretation to the king. Wherewith king Baltassar was much troubled, and his countenance was changed and his nobles also were troubled. : Daniel was now called, at the suggestion of the queen, and when he appeared before the king, and the matter was proposed to him, he answered: SPEECH OF DANIEL TO KING BALTASSAR. Thy rewards be to thyself, and the gifts of thy house give to another: but the writing I will read to thee, O king, and shew thee the interpretation thereof. O king, the most high God gave to Nabuchodonosor thy father a kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and honour. And for the greatness that he gave to him, all people, tribes, and languages trembled, and were afraid of him: whom he would, he slew: and whom he would, he destroyed: and whom he would, he set up: and whom he would, he brought down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit hardened unto pride, he was put down from the throne of his kingdom, and his glory was taken away. And he was driven out from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses, and he did eat grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven: till he knew that the most High ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he will set over it whomsoever it shall please him. Thou also his son, O Baltassar, hast not humbled thy heart, whereas thou knewest all these things: But hast lifted thyself up against the Lord of heaven and the vessels of His house have been brought before thee: and thou, and thy nobles, and thy wives, and thy concubines have drunk wine in them: and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and of gold, and of brass, of iron, and of wood, and of stone, that neither see, nor hear, nor feel: but the God who hath thy breath in his hand, and all thy ways, thou hast not glorified. Wherefore He hath sent the part of the hand which hath written this that is set down. And this is the writing that is written: MANE, THECEL, PHARES. And this is the interpretation of the word. MANE: God hath numbered thy kingdom, and hath finished it. THECEL: thou art weighed in the balance and art found wanting. PHARES: thy kingdom is divided, and is given to the Medes and Persians. The same night, says the book of Daniel, Baltassar, the Chaldean, was slain, and Darius, the Mede, succeeded to the kingdom, being three score and two years old.* * Jeremias had prophesied," one running post shall meet another, and messenger shall meet messenger, to tell the king of Babylon that his city is taken from one end to the other: for I will make her princes drunk, and her wise men, and her captains, and her rulers, and her valiant men: and they shall sleep an everlasting The Babylonian kingdom, which had succeeded to the ancient Assyrian empire, was now at an end. Cyrus, its conqueror, had succeeded in forming the sleep, and shall awake no more, saith the king whose name is Lord of hosts."JER. 51. The Median and Persian army, under Cyrus, which had been engaged upon the siege for two years, had turned the current of the river into an excavated basin, and scaling the walls that adjoined the bed of the river, in which the water was now only knee-deep, the city was taken that night, and the king slain at his banquet. THE PERSIAN PRINCES CONSPIRE AGAINST DANIEL. 447 second of the four great empires which preceded the coming of the kingdom of Messias. This empire is known in history as the empire of the Medes and Persians. After his victory, he left Cyaxares, his father-in-law, with the title of king, to regulate the internal affairs of the kingdom. This Cyaxares, called in the Scripture, "Darius the Mede," took Daniel, who had been a confidential minister of state. during the preceding dynasty, and advanced him to the highest office in the kingdom. Here his wisdom. and capacities for business excited the envy and jealousy of the other princes, who began to scheme his destruction. They said, "We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except perhaps concerning the law of his God." With this view they came to Darius, and persuaded him to sign a decree, according to the law of the Medes and Persians which may not be changed, that "whosoever for the space of three months, shall ask any petition of any God, or man, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions." Then carefully watching Daniel, they obtained evidence of his being found praying and making supplication to his God three times a day as he was wont; on which they went and accused him before the king as disregarding the law. The king hearing this was greatly grieved, and he even laboured till sunset to save Daniel: but the princes perceiving the king's inclination, said to him, "Know thou, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no decree which the king hath m may be altered." : Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of the lions. And the king said to Daniel: "Thy God, whom thou always servest, he will deliver thee." And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den which the king sealed with his own ring, and with the ring of his nobles, that nothing should be done against Daniel. And the king went And the king went away to his house and laid himself down without taking supper, and meat was not set before him, and even sleep departed from him. Then the king rising very early in the morning, went in haste to the lions' den, and coming near to the den, cried with a lamentable voice to Daniel, and said to him: "Daniel, servant of the living God, hath thy God, whom thou servest always, been able to deliver thee from the lions ?" Daniel answering the king said: "O king, live for ever; my God hath sent His angel, and hath shut up the mouths of the lions, and they have not hurt me, forasmuch as before Him, justice was found in me; yea and before thee, O king, have I done no offence.' DANIEL IN THE DEN OF LIONS.-Daniel in the den of lions is a type of our Lord's life upon earth, as also of the work and ministry of his Church upon earth. The work of the Church is twofold, that of the "Priest " and the "Prophet," the continual appeal to God by sacrifice and prayers, to manifest His Divine power and to bestow His Divine gifts, and the continual controversy with the sons of men, to put them in mind that God is the Judge of all the earth, and to bid them fear Him. To hinder and prevent the work of the Church the devil employs threats and terror. "Whoso makes any petition to any god or man save of thee, O King, let him be cast into the den of lions." Daniel however made light of the den of lions. Soon after our Lord's Ascension, the Sanhedrim decreed that no one should teach or preach in the name of Jesus; and they threatened arrest and death as the penalty. St. Peter, however, and the other Apostles made light of their threats, and con |