A    ^noteIn the seconde yeare of þe; raigne of Nabuchodonosor, had Nabuchodonosor a dreame, wherethorow his sprete was vexed, ∧ hys slepe brake from him. Then the kyng commaunded to cal together all þe; sothsayers, charmers, witches ∧ Caldees, for to shew the king his dreame. So they came ∧ stode before þe; king. And the king sayd vnto th&ebar;: I haue dreamed a dreame, and my sprete was so troubled therewith, that I haue clene forgotten, what I dreamed. Vpon thys the Caldees aunswered the kynge in the Syrians speach: ^note O king, God saue thy lyfe for euer. Shew thy serua&ubar;tes the dreame, and we shal shewe the, what it meaneth. The kynge gaue the Caldees theyr aunswere, ∧ said: It is gone fro me: Yf ye wyl not make me vnderstande the dreame wyth the interpretacyon thereof, ye shall dye, ∧ youre houses shalbe prysed. But yf ye tell me the dreame ∧ the meanynge therof, ye shall haue of me gyftes, rewardes ∧ greate honoure: onely, shew me the dreame and the sygnifycacyon of it. They aunswered agayne, and sayde: the kynge must shewe his seruauntes the dreame, ∧ so shall we declare what it meaneth. Then þe; kinge auswered, sayinge: I perceyue of a trueth, that ye do but prolonge the tyme: for so muche as ye se, that the thing is gone fro me. B   Therfore ye wil not tell me þe; dreame, ye shall all haue one iudgement. But ye fayne ∧ dyss&ebar;ble with vayne wordes, which ye speake before me, to put of the tyme.

Nabuchodonosor. Therfore tel me the dreame, ∧ so shal I know yf ye can shewe me, what it meaneth. Vpon this, the Caldees gaue answere before þe; king, and sayde: there is no man vpon earthe, that can tell the thynge, whiche the kyng speaketh of, yea there is neyther kyng, prynce nor lord, that euer asked suche thynges at a sothsayer, charmer or Caldeer: for it is a very hard matter, that the kynge requyreth. Neither is there any, that can certyfye the kynge therof, except the Goddes:: whose dwellyng is not among the creatures.

C   For the whiche cause the kyng was wroth with greate indignacyon, and commaunded to destroye all the wyse men at Babylon: and the proclamacyon wente forthe, that the wyse m&ebar; shuld be slayne, They sought also to slay Daniel with hys companions. Then Daniel enquered Arioh the kynges stewarde, of the iudgement and sentence, that was gone forth already to kyll soche as were wyse at Babil&obar;. He aunswered and sayde vnto Arioh brynge then the Kynges debyte: Why hath the kyng proclamed so cruell a sentence? So Arioh tolde Daniel the matter. Vpon this, wente Daniel vp, and desyred the kynge, that he might haue leysoure, to shewe the kynge the interpretacyon: and then came he home agayne, ∧ shewed the thynge vnto Ananias, Misael ∧ Asarias hys companyons: that they shulde beseche the God of heauen for grace in thys secrete, that Daniel and hys felowes wyth other soch as were wyse in Babylon, peryshed not. Then was the mysterye shewed vnto Daniel in a vysyon by nyght And Daniel praysed þe; god of heauen. Daniel also cryed loude, and sayd: O that the name of God myghte be praysed for euer and euer, for wysdome and strengthe are hys owne: he chaunged the tymes ∧ ages: he putteth doune kynges, D   he setteth vp kinges he geueth wysdome vnto the wyse, ^note ∧ vnderstandynge to those that vnderstande, he openeth the depe secretes, he knoweth the thynge that lyeth in darckenesse, for the lyghte dwelleth wyth hym. I thanke the, and prayse the (O thou God of my fathers) that thou haste lente me wysdom and strength, ∧ hast shewed me the thyng, that we desyred of the, for thou haste opened the kynges matter vnto me.

Vpon this went Daniel in vnto Arioh, whome the kynge had ordeyned to destroye þe; wyse at Babylon: he went vnto hym, & sayde: destroye not suche as are wyse in Babylon, but brynge me in vnto the kynge, and I shall shewe the kynge the interpretacyon. Then Arioch broughte Daniel in to the kyng in all the haste, and sayde vnto hym: I haue founde a man amonge the presoners of Iuda, that shall shewe the kyng the interpretacyon. Th&ebar; aunswered the kynge, and sayde vnto Daniel, whose name was Balthasar: Arte thou he, that canste shewe me the dreame, whiche I haue sene, ∧ the interpretacyon therof? Daniel aunswered the kynge to hys face, and sayd: As for this secrete, for the whiche the kynge maketh inquisicion: it is neyther the wyse, the sorcerer, the charmer nor the deuyll coniurer, that can certyfye the kynge of it: ^note Onely God in heauen can open secretes, and he it is, that sheweth the kynge Nabuchodonosor, what is for to come in the latter dayes.

Thy dreame, ∧ that whiche thou hast sene in thyne heade vpon thy bed, is thys: O kyng thou dyddest caste in thy mynde, E   what shulde come hereafter: So he that is the opener of misteryes, telleth the, what is for to come. As for me, thys secrete is not shewed me, for anye wysdome that I haue, more then anye other lyuynge: but onelye that I myghte shewe the kynge the interpretacyon, and that he myghte know the thoughtes of his owne herte. Thou kynge sawest, ∧ behold, there stode before the a greate Image, whose fygure was marueylous greate, and hys vysage grymme. The Image head was of fyne golde, hys breste ∧ armes of siluer, his body and loynes were of copper, his legges were of yron, his fete were parte of yron, and parte of earthe.

^noteTis thou sawest, tyll the tyme that (wyth oute any handes) there was hewen of a stone whiche smote the Image vpon the fete, that were both of yron and earth, and brake them to poulder: then was the yron, the earthe, the copper, the syluer and gold broken altogether in peces: and be came lyke the chaffe of corne, that the wynde bloweth awaye from the somer floores, that they can no more be founde. But the stone that smote the Image, became a greate mountayne, whiche fulfilleth þe; whole earthe: Thys is the dreame. And nowe wyll we shewe before the kynge, what it meaneth.

F    ^noteO kynge, thou arte a kynge of kynges: For the God of heauen hath geuen þe; a kyngdome, ryches, strengthe and maiestye: ∧ hathe delyuered the all thynges, that are amonge the childr&ebar; of men: the beastes of the feld, and the foules vnder the heauen, and geuen the dominyon ouer them al. Thou arte that golden head. After þe; there shall aryse another kyngdome, whiche shall be lesse then thyne. The thyrde kyngedome shalbe lyke copper, ∧ haue dominacyon in all landes. The fourthe kyngdome shalbe as stronge as yron. For lyke as yron br&obar;seth and breaketh all thynges: Yea euen as yron beateth euery thynge doune, so shall it beate doune and destroye.

Where as thou sawest the fete and toes, parte of earthe, and parte of yron: that is a deuyded kyngedome, whiche neuertheles shall haue some of the yron grounde myxte with it, for so muche as thou haste sene the yron mixte with the claye.

The toes of the fete that were parte of yron and parte of claye, sygnifyeth, that it shalbe a kyngdome partely stronge and partly weake. And where as thou sawest yron myxte wyth claye: they shall myngle them selues wyth the sede of symple people, ∧ yet not contynue one wyth another, lyke as yron

Nabuchodonosor ∧ the thre children wyll not be souldered with a potsherde.

G   In the dayes of these kinges shall the God of heauen set vp an euerlastynge kyngdome whiche shall not peryshe, ^note and hys kyngdome shall not be geuen ouer to another people: yea the same shal breake and destroy al these kingdomes, but it shall endure foreuer.

^noteAnd where as thou saweste, that withoute any handes there was cut oute of the mounte a stone, whiche brake the yron, the copper, the earthe, the syluer and golde in peces: by that hath the greate God shewed the kynge, what wyll come after thys. This is a true dreame, and the interpretacyon of it is sure.

Then the kynge Nabuchodonosor fell doune vpon hys face, and bowed hym self vnto Daniel, and commaunded that they shuld offre meate offerynges and swete odours vnto hym. The kynge aunswered Daniel, and sayde: yea of a trueth your God is a GOD aboue all Goddes, a Lorde aboue all kynges and an opener of secretes: seynge thou canste dyscouer thys mysterye. So the kynge made Daniel a greate man, and gaue hym many ∧ greate gyftes.

He made hym ruler of all the countrees of Babylon, and Lorde of all the nobles, that were at Babylon. Now Daniel intreated the kynge so: Sidrach, Misach and Abednago, so that he made them rulers ouer all the offyces in the lande of Babylon: But Danyel hymselfe remayned styll in the courte by the kynge.

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