CHAP. III.
1 The feast of Darius. 16 The three wise sentences.
1 Nowe when Darius reigned, hee made a great
feast to all his subiectes and to all those of his
owne house, and to all the Princes of Media and
Persia,
2 And to all the gouernours and captaines, and
lieutenantes that were with him, from India vnto
-- --
Ethiopia of an hundreth and seuen and twentie
prouinces.
3 And when they had eaten and drunke, and
were satisfied, they departed, and King Darius went
into his chamber, and slept, till he wakened againe.
4 ¶2; In the meane time three yong men of the
gard, keepers of þe; kings body, saide one to another,
5 Let euery one of vs speake a sentence, and he
that shall ouercome, and whose sentence shall appeare
wiser then the others, Darius the King shall
giue him great gifts, and great things in token of
victorie,
6 As to weare purple, and to drinke in gold, and
to sleepe in gold, and a chariot with bridles of gold,
an head tyre of fine linnen, and a chayne about
his necke.
7 And hee shall sit next to Darius for his wisedome,
and shalbe called Darius cousin.
8 Then euery man wrote his sentence and sealed
it, and put it vnder the pillowe of king Darius,
9 And said, when the king rose, they would giue
him the writing, and whose sentence the king and
the three Princes of Persia shoulde iudge to be wisest,
to him should the victorie be giuen, as it was
appoynted.
10 One wrote, The wine is strongest.
11 The other wrote, The king is strongest.
12 The other wrote, Women are strongest, but
trueth ouercommeth all things.
13 ¶2; And when the king rose, they tooke the
writings and gaue them to him, and he read them,
14 And sent and called all the noble men of
Persia and of Media, and the gouernors & the captaines,
and lieutenants, and the consuls,
15 And sate him downe in the counsell, and the
writing was read before them.
16 Then he sayde, Call the yong men, that they
may declare their owne sentences. So they called
them, and they came in.
17 Then hee sayde vnto them, Declare vnto vs
the writings. So the first began, which had spoken
of the strength of wine,
18 And said on this maner, O ye men, how strong
is wine! it deceiueth all men that drinke it.
19 It maketh the minde of the king and of the
fatherlesse both one, of the bonde man and of the
free man, of the poore man and of the rich man.
20 It turneth also euery thought into ioye and
gladnesse, so that one remembreth no maner of sorowe,
nor det.
21 It maketh euery heart riche, so that one remembreth
neither king nor gouernour, and causeth
to speake all things by note talents.
22 When men haue drunk, they haue no minde
to loue either friendes or brethren, and a litle after
they drawe out swords.
23 But when they are from the wine, they doe
not remember what they haue done.
24 O ye men, is not wine strongest, which compelleth
to doe such things? and hee helde his peace
when he had thus spoken.
Geneva [1587], THE BIBLE: THAT IS, THE HOLY SCRIPTVRES CONTEINED IN THE OLDE AND NEWE TESTAMENT. TRANSLATED ACCORDING TO the Ebrew and Greeke, and conferred with the best translations in diuers languages. With most profitable annotations vpon all the hard places, and other things of great importance (Imprinted... by Christopher Barker [etc.], LONDON) [word count] [B07000].
