A   In the firste yeare of Balthazar kinge of Babylon, saw Daniel a dreame, and a visyon was in his head vpon his bed. Whiche dreame he wrote, and the summe of the matter is this: Daniel spake, and sayd: I sawe in my vision by nyght, and beholde: the foure wyndes of the heauen stroue vpon the sea, and foure great beastes came vp from the sea one vnlyke another.

The fyrste was a lion, and yet had he Aegles winges. I sawe, that hys wynges were plucte from him, and he taken awaye from the earth: that he stode vpon hys fete as a man, and that there was geuen him a mans herte.

B    ^noteBeholde, the seconde beaste was lyke a beer ∧ stode vpon the one syde. Amonge his teeth in his mouth he had .iij. greate longe teeth, ∧ it was sayde vnto him: Aryse: eate vp, much fleshe. Then I loked, and beholde, there was another lyke vnto a leoparde: thys had wynges as a foule, euen four vp&obar; the backe. This beaste had foure heades, ^note and there was power geuen him. After this I sawe in a vision by night, and beholde, the fourthe beast was

Balthazar grymme and horrible, and maruelous str&obar;g. It had great yron teeth, it deuoured and destroyed, and stamped the resydue vnder hys fete. It was farre vnlyke the other beastes, þt; were before it: for it had ten hornes, whereof I toke good hede.

^noteAnd beholde, there came vp amonge them another lyke horne, before whom there were thre of the fyrste hornes pluckte awaye. Beholde, thys horne had eyes lyke a man, C   and a mouth speakynge presumptuous thynges. I loked tyl the seates were prepared, and tyll the olde aged sat hym doune. ^noteHis clothynge was as whyte as snowe, and the hearres of hys heade, lyke the pure woll. His trone was lyke the fyrye flamme, and his wheles as the burnynge fyre. There drewe forthe a fyrye streame, and wente out from him. ^noteA thousande tymes a thousande serued him .x.M. tymes ten thousande stode before him. The iudgement was set, and the bokes opened. Then toke I hede therunto, D   because of the voyce of the proude wordes, whyche the horne spake. ^noteI behelde, tyll the beaste was slayne, and his bodye destroyed, and geuen ouer to be brent in the fire.

As for the power of the other beastes also it was taken awaye, but their lyues were prolonged for a tyme and season. I sawe in a vision by nyght, and beholde, there came one in the cloudes of heauen lyke the sonne of a man, whyche went vnto the olde aged, before whome they broughte hym. ^noteThen gaue he hym power and dignitie regal, that al people trybes and tunges shoulde serue him. Hys power is an euerlastynge power, whych shal neuer be put doune, and his kingdome endureth vncorrupte. ^noteMy herte was vexed, and I Daniel had a troubled spirite within me, and the visions of my heade made me afrayed: ^note til I gat me vnto one of them that stode by, to knowe the trueth, concernynge all these thynges. So he tolde me, and made me vnderst&abar;d the interpretacion of these thinges.

E   These foure greate beastes, are foure kynges, whiche shal arise out of the earth. These shall take in the kingedome of the sayntes of the most hyest, and possesse it still more and more for a longe season. After this I requyred dilig&ebar;tly to knowe the trueth, concerning the fourth beast, whiche was so farre vnlyke the other beastes, and so horrible: whose teeth were of yron, and his nayles of brasse: ^note which deuoured and destroyed, and stamped the residue vnder his fete. I desired also to knowe the trueth, as touching the ten hornes that he had vpon hys heade, and thys other, whiche came vp afterwarde, before whose face there fell doune thre: whyche horne had eyes, and a mouthe that spake presumptuous thynges, and loked with a grymmer vysage, then his felowes. F   I behelde, and the same horne made battaile againste the saintes, yea and gat the victorie of them, vntill the tyme that the olde aged came, that the iudgemente was geuen to the chefest sayntes: and till the tyme that the saintes hath the kingedome in possession. He gaue me this answere: That fourthe beast shalbe the fourth kingedome vp&obar; earth: it shalbe more then all other kingedomes, it shall deuoure, treade doune, and destroye all other landes.

^noteThe ten hornes are ten kinges, that shall aryse out of the kingedom, after whom there shall stande vp another, whiche shalbe greater then the fyrste. G   He shall subdue thre Kynges, and shal speake wordes against the hyest of all: he shall destroy the saintes of the most hyest, and thincke, that he may chaunge tymes and lawes. They shalbe geuen vnder his power, vntill a time, two tymes, and half a tyme.

^noteBut the iudgemente shalbe kepte, so that his power shalbe taken from him, for he shall be destroyed, and perishe at the laste. As for the kingedome, power and all might that is vnder the heauen, it shalbe geuen to the holy people of the most hyest, whose kingedome is euerlastinge, ^note yea all powers shall serue ∧ obeye him. Thus farre extende the wordes. Neuertheles I Daniel was so vexed in my thoughtes, that my countenaunce chaunced, but the wordes I kepte styl in my herte. ^note

Previous section

Next section