Daniel of the tribe ^note of Iuda, & ^note royal bloud, about the age of tenne yeares, was caried into Babylon with other children for hostage, when Nabuchodonosor inuaded the kingdom of Iuda, in ^note the third yeare of king Ioakim. ^note His whole life (in al about an hundred and tenne yeares) was most pious, with such zele of Gods honour, and common good of his countrie, that he was called by an Angel, ^note vir desiderior&ubar;, the man of (godlie) desires: ^note whom also Ezechiel, elder in yeares, prophecying part of the same time, ioyned with Noe and Iob for example of holie men; recounting him also the most renowmed of his time for wisdom. ^{note note} VVhose loyal fidelitie towards the king of Babylon, was so clere, that his malignant enimies said expresly of him: ^note We shal not find against this Daniel, anie occasion, vnles perhaps in the law of his God. His booke as wel in respect of various important narrations of thinges done: as of most hiegh diuine Mysteries is very excellent: but withal very obscure, for that manie thinges here inserted, seme hardly to agree with other authentical histories; some thinges also are intricate in themselues; nor placed in order of time as they happened; and manie thinges so briefly related, that they can not be vnderstood, without the knowlege of prophane histories. ^note As S. Ierom affirmeth Epist. 103. ^note But as for an other difficultie which some make, denying the Prayer of Azarias, with the Hymne folowing, & the histories of Susanna, Bel, and the Dragon, to be Canonical Scripture, it is partly solued already, in the Annotations before the Booke of Tobie: where is shewed, that it is no iust exception against these, and other partes of holie Scripture of the old Testament, because they are not in the Hebrew Edition, being otherwise accepted for Canonical by the Catholique Church. And further it is very probable that these parcels were sometimes either in the Hebrew or Chaldee tongue, in which two Languages (part in one, part in the other) the rest of this booke was written. For from whence els could the Septuagint Interpreters, Theodotion, Symmachus, and Aquila translate them? In whose Editions S. Ierom found the same. ^note But S. Ierom, some wil say, calleth these histories fables, and so did not account them Canonical Scripture. ^noteFirst we answer, that he reporting the Iewes opinion vseth their termes, not explicating his owne iudgement, intending only to deliuer sincerely that which he found in the Hebrew: Yet would he not omite to insert the rest, aduertising withal that he had it in Theodotions translation. which answer is clerly iustified by his owne testimonie (li. 2. c. 9. aduersus Ruffinum) in these

wordes: wheras I relate (sayth he) what the Hebrewes say against the historie of Susanna, and the Hymne of the three children, he that for this reputeth me a foole, proueth himself a sycophant. For I did not explicate what myself iudged, but what they are wont to say against me. ^noteSecondly we answer, that if S. Ierom did not thinke these partes to be Canonical, yet seing so manie other ancient Fathers, and now the whole Church hold them for Canonical, we so beleue them to be. For albeit the ancient Councels, and others that recite catalogues of holie Scriptures, do not expresly say, as the councel of Trent lastly doth (Sess. 4.) that al the partes of bookes by them recited, are Canonical; yet they do not except anie partes of this Booke: and therfore speaking indefinitly, do in dede include al, and not exclude anie parcels vsually read in the Church as these are. ^note Moreouer very manie ancient Fathers do expresly alleage these partes as Diuine Canonical Scriptures. Of manie we shal cite some.

The prayer of Azarias is alleaged as diuine Scripture by S. Cyprian, Ser. de lapsis. by holie Ephrem, li. de humilitate comparanda. ca. 9. by S. Chrysostom, ho. de tribus pueris. ^note Leontius Cyptius, apud Eutym. par. 1. Panopliœ, tit. 8. Patianus, Parenesi in Pœnitentiam. S. Augustin, Epist. 122. & li. de natura boni. c. 16. S. Fulgentius, ad Venatiam de pœnitentia. c. 16. Likewise the Hymne of the three children is alleaged by most of the same, and by diuers others. ^note As by S. Ierom himself, in c. 3. ad Galatas, & Epist. 49. de muliere septies icta: S. Ambrose, Præfat. in Psalmos; & li. 6. in Lucanum, c. 2. Concilium Toletanum, c. 13.

In like maner the historie of Susanna is cited as holie Scripture by S. Ignatius, Epist. ad Magnesianos. Tertullian, li. de corona militis. ^note S. Cyprian li. 1. Epist. ep. 8. & 40. S. Chrysostom. Ho. 1. in fine, hath a whole sermon of Susanna, as vpon holie Scripture. S. Ambrose, li. 1. de Officijs, c. 18. li. 3. c. 14. & li. 3. de Spiritu Sancto. c. 7. S. Augustin, Trast. 36. in Ioan. & Ser. 118. & 242.

Finally the histories of Bel, and of the Dragon are iudged Diuine Scripture by S. Cyprian, li. 1. Ep. ep. 4. & li. 3. ep. 1. & li. 4. ep. 6. ^note S. Basil, ho. in diuites auaros. S. Athanasius, in Synopsi briefly explicating the argument of this whole booke, maketh expresse mention of the Hymne of the three children; and of the histories of Susanna, and of Bel, and the Dragon.

To conclude therfore with whom we begane, S. Ierom speaking of this whole Booke, saith: Daniel temporum conscius, & totius mundi philoistor, lapidem præcisum de monte sine manibus, & regna omnia subuertentem, claro sermone pronuntiat. ^note Daniel skilful of times, a studious historiographer, in cleare speach sheweth the stone cut out of the mountaine without handes, which ouerthroweth al kingdomes. Signifying the principal contents of this booke to be, that al other kingdomes

(namely for example sake, the foure great Monarchies, the fist of the Chaldees, the second of the Medes and Persians, the third of the Grecians, and the fourth of the Romanes) should be ouerthrowne, one after an other; and only the kingdom of Christ our Sauiour, borne of a perpetual virgin, shal be permanent for euer. ^note More particularly this Booke may be diuided into three partes. In the first six chapters especially are declared (for most part in maner of historie) certaine actes of Daniel, with the other three Hebrew children, and of the kinges of Babylon. ^note In other six chapters is more directly prophecied of Christ; and of Antichrist; of the perpetual glorie of Christs kingdom, and vtter destruction of the others; with the end of world, and general iudgement. In the two last chapters are conteyned the histories of holie Susanna; and of the idols Bel, and the Dragon.

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