A   There was at Babylon an ymage, called Bel: and there were sp&ebar;t vp&obar; him euery day xij. cakes. ∧ .xl. shepe, and sixe great pottes of wyne. Hym dyd the kynge worshippe hym selfe, ∧ wente dayly to honour hym: but Daniel worshipped his owne God. And the kyng sayd vnto hym: ^note Why doest thou not worshippe Bell? He aunswered and sayde: Because I maye not worshippe thinges that be made wyth handes, but the lyuynge God whiche made heauen and earth, and hath power vpon all flesh. The kynge sayde vnto hym: thynkest thou not, that Bell is a lyuynge God? Or seyst thou not how much he eateth and drynketh euery daye? Daniel smyled, ∧ sayde: O kyng disceyue not thy selfe: this is but made of claye within, and of metall without, neyther eateth he euer any thyng.

B    ^noteThen the king was wroth, and called for his priestes, and sayde vnto theim: If ye tell me not who is this, that eateth vp these expenses, ye shall dye: but if ye can certefie me, ^note that Bel eateth them, then Daniel shall dye, for he hath spoken blasphemy agaynst Bel. And Daniel sayde vnto the kyng: let it so be, accordyng as thou hast sayde. The priestes of Bel were .lxx. beside their wyues and children. And the kyng went with Daniell into the temple of Bel. So Bels priestes sayde: Lo, we will go oute, and set thou the meate there (O kynge) and poure in the wyne: then shut the dore faste, and seale it with thyne owne signet: and to morow when thou commest in, if thou findest not, that Bel hath eat&ebar; vp all, we wyll suffre death: or els Daniell, that hath lyed vp&obar; vs. The priestes thought them selfes sure ynough, for vnder the aultare they had made a preuy intraunce, and there wente they in euer, and ate vp what there was.

C   So when they were gone forth, the kynge set meates before Bel. Now Daniel had c&obar;maunded hys seruauntes too brynge asshes and these he sifted thorow out al the temple, that the kynge myght se. Then wente they out, and sparred the dore, sealyng it with the kynges signet, and so departed. In the night came the priestes with their wyues and children (as they were wonte to do) and eate and dronke vp all. In the mornynge be tymes at the breake of the daye, the kynge arose, and Daniel with hym. And the kyng sayd: Daniel, are the seales whole yet? He aunswered Yea, O kyng, they be whole. Now as soone as he had opened the dore, the kynge loked vnto the aultare, ∧ cried with a loude voyce: Greate arte thou O Bel, and with the is no disceate. Then laughed Daniel, and helde the kyng that he shoulde not go in, and sayd: Beholde the pauement, marke well, whose fotesteppes are these? The kynge sayde: I se the fotesteppes of men, women and chyldren.

D   Therfore the kynge was angry, and toke the priestes, with their wyues and chyldren, and they shewed hym the preuy dores, wher they came in, and ate vp suche thynges as were vpon the aultare. ^noteFor the which cause the kynge slewe them, and delyuered Bel into Daniels power, whiche destroyed hym ∧ hys temple.

And in that same place there was a great Dragon, whych they of Babylon worshipped. And the kynge sayd vnto Daniel: saiest thou, that thys is but a God of metall also? lo, he lyueth, he eateth and drinketh: so that thou canst not saye, that he is no liuing God therfore worshippe hym. Daniel sayde vnto the kyng: I will worship the Lord my God, he is the true liuinge God: as for this, he is not the God of lyfe. But geue me leaue (O kynge) ∧ I shall destroy this Dragon without swearde or staf. The kyng sayde: I geue the leaue. ^noteThen Daniel toke pitch, fatte and hearry wol, and dyd sette them together, and made lompes therof: thys he put in the Dragons mouth, and so the Drag&obar; barst in sonder: and Daniel sayde: lo, there is he whom ye worshipped. E   When they of Babilon herd that, they toke great indignacion, and gathered them together agaynst the kyng, saying: The kyng is become a Iew also, he hath destroyed Bel, he hath slayne the Dragon, and put the priestes to death. So they came to the king, and sayd: let vs haue Daniel, or els we will destroye the and thyne house.

^noteNow when the kyng sawe, that they russhed in so sore vpon hym, and that necessitie constrayned hym, he deliuered Daniel vnto them: which cast him into the Lyons denne, where he was sixe days. In the denne, there were seuen Lyons, and thei had geuen them euery daye two bodyes ∧ two shepe: whiche then were not geuen them, that they myghte deuoure Daniel.

F   There was in Iewry a Prophete called Abacuch, which had made potage, and broken bread in a depe platter, and was goynge into the felde, for to bryng it to the mowers. But the Aungell of the Lord sayd vnto Abacuch: go cary the meate that thou haste into Babylon, vnto Daniel, which is in the Lyons denne. And Abacuch said: Lord, I neuer sawe Babylon: ∧ as for the denne, I knowe it not. ^noteThen the aungel of the Lord toke him

by the toppe, and bare him by the heer of the head, and (thorow a mightye wynde) set him in Babylon vpon the denne. And Abacuch cryed sayinge: ^note O Daniel thou seruaunt of God, haue, take the breakefaste, that God hath sent the. And Daniel saide: O GOD, hast thou thought vpon me? wel, thou neuer faylest them that loue the. So Daniel arose, and ate: and the aungell of the Lorde sette Abacuch in hys owne place agayne immediatly.

G   Vpon the seuenth daye, the kynge wente to bewepe Daniel: and when he came to the denne, he loked in: and beholde, Daniell sat in the myddest of the Lyons. Then cried the kyng with a loude voyce, sayinge: Great art thou, O Lord God of Daniel: and he drew hym out of the denne. ^noteAs for those that were the cause of hys destruccion, he dyd cast th&ebar; into the denne, and they were deuoured in a moment before hys face.

After this, wrote the kynge vnto all people, kynredes and tounges, that dwelt in all countrays, saying: peace be multiplied with you. My commaundement is, in all the dominion of my realme: that men feare ∧ st&abar;de in awe of Daniels God, ^note for he is the liuing God, which endureth euer: hys kyngdome abydeth vncorcorrupte, and hys power is euerlastynge. ^noteIt is he that can deliuer ∧ saue: he doeth wonders ∧ meruelous worckes in heauen ∧ earth, for he hath saued Daniel fr&obar; the power of the Lyons. &rhand; The ende of the story of Bel.

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