And whereas they
commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots, thy kingdom shall be sure
unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.
Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to thee, and break off
thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the
poor, if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility."
The king, conscious that the Hebrew was under peculiar inspiration, bowed
in solemn reverence, dismissed him in the most respectful manner, and
then threw himself on his couch, in the deepest agony of mind.
"The fates are against me! What shall I do? Shall I weep like a woman,
and sob like a corrected child? Shall the King of Babylon, the great
conqueror of nations, turn at last to be a coward? Shall the great
sovereign of Chaldea say he is sorry, beg pardon of the gods, and thus
reduce himself to the level of a common subject? Never! Let all the gods
hear it! Never! 'Driven from among men!' Who shall be able to drive
Nebuchadnezzar? 'Eat grass as oxen!' O, ye gods, is not that laughable?
And yet I cannot laugh! Let it come! I fear not the gods! Ah, do I not? I
fear not the gods, but still I have a dread of that one God.
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