The Young Captives Part 19

CHAPTER XXIII.

IMMEDIATELY after the taking of Babylon, Cyrus ordered a day of public thanksgiving to the G.o.ds, for their wonderful favors and their kind interposition; and then, having a.s.sembled his princ.i.p.al officers, he publicly applauded their courage and prudence, their zeal and attachment to his person, and distributed rewards to his whole army. He also reviewed his forces, which were in a spirited condition. He found they consisted of 120,000 horse, 2,000 chariots armed with scythes, and 600,000 foot.

When Cyrus judged he had sufficiently regulated his affairs at Babylon, he thought proper to take a journey into Persia. On his way thither he went through Media, to visit Darius, to whom he carried many presents, telling him at the same time that he would find a n.o.ble palace at Babylon ready prepared for him whenever he should please to go thither. After a brief stay in Persia, he returned to Babylon, accompanied by his uncle, where they counseled together a scheme of government for the whole empire.

The fame of Daniel, as one who had served under so many kings in Babylon, and also as one to whom the G.o.ds had imparted a miraculous degree of wisdom, was spread throughout the city and provinces of Babylon; and, since his appearance before the king as the interpreter of the mysterious handwriting on the night of the fatal banquet, his name was held in great reverence by all the dignitaries of that city.

In a magnificent apartment of the king's palace in the conquered city of Babylon, sat together, in earnest conversation, Darius the Mede, and Cyrus the hero of Persia.

"Thou well sayest that he is neither a Mede nor a Persian," said Cyrus, "neither is he a Chaldean. He was brought from the land of Judah, a captive, about the commencement of Nebuchadnezzar's reign. From what I can learn of his history, he was soon placed under tutors, and outstripped all his companions and became a great favorite of the, king.

He was soon elevated to posts of honor, and, with the exception of short intervals, he has been the first officer in the kingdom for more than threescore years. He receives wonderful revelations from the G.o.ds, and the fall of Babylon came to pa.s.s according to his predictions. Now, uncle, to me it appears far more important to secure the services of an individual, be he even a foreigner, whose head is filled with wisdom and his heart with charity, than to place far inferior personages to fill important offices because they are Medes or Persians. We have many wise men among us, but among this people, whose manners and customs are so different from our own, I fear we have none that can rule with that profound wisdom which has always marked the course of this Hebrew sage. I consider him by far the safest man to appoint as the chief president."

"In this most surely the ill.u.s.trious son of my brother shall be gratified," replied the Mede. "But why may we not have a short interview with this wonderful man, who appears to have more the attributes of a G.o.d than a mortal? Wouldst thou not be pleased to see him?"

"Well pleased."

"Then I shall send for him without delay."

A messenger was, therefore, hurried to the house of the ex-Prime Minister of the Babylonian empire.

The Hebrew soon made his appearance, and such was the calm dignity of his bearing, as he slowly walked into the presence of his superiors, that both the Mede and the Persian unconsciously found themselves on their feet to receive him.

"Our distinguished friend has readily complied with our request," said the Persian, beckoning Daniel to a seat on his right.

"Throughout the days of my pilgrimage it has been my great pleasure to render strict obedience to the will of my superiors in all things consistent with the law of my G.o.d."

"Then thou considerest the law of thy G.o.d as having stronger claims on thy obedience than the laws of thy king?"

"The law of Jehovah is supreme! By that law my life has been shaped; and now, at its close, it is surely my joy and consolation."

"Precious sentiments from a n.o.ble Hebrew!" cried Cyrus, with feeling.

"And how long hast thou been a resident of Babylon?"

"Threescore and six years have pa.s.sed away since thy servant bade adieu to his native hills in the land of Judah, and came to this great city of Babylon. The companions of my early days have mostly pa.s.sed away, and soon thy servant shall follow them."

"I trust that such a life shall be precious in the sight of the G.o.ds for many years to come. Such is thy deep experience in the affairs of state, that we have purposed in our hearts to appoint thee first president of the provinces. Is Belteshazzar willing to serve the king in this capacity, and shed honor upon the joint reign of the Medes and Persians?"

"My life, for the short period I may tarry among mortals, if ye consider me worthy, will be consecrated to your service."

"Then, O Belteshazzar," answered Darius, "thou art, by our united power and authority, appointed chief of the presidents. May the G.o.ds be thy support!"

Soon after his appointment, Daniel, in humble reverence, left the presence of the royal dignitaries, and slowly directed his footsteps towards his own mansion.

"The praises of this man have not yet reached his real merits, Cyrus,"

said Darius. "Thou well sayest. There is a striking peculiarity in all his movements that convinces the beholder that he is one among ten thousand."

"Thy stay in Babylon must be of short duration. Thou art soon off to the wars. I also must soon return to Media; therefore, this appointing of the presidents must be attended to without delay. On thee, I pray, let this business rest; and whomsoever, in thy wisdom, thou shalt appoint, be a.s.sured the appointment will receive my cordial approbation."

"In this I will strive to do the will of my kind uncle. I will call together my council, and the thing shall soon be accomplished."

In the mansion of one of the presidents, in a delightful part of the city of Babylon, sat together two men in deep and earnest conversation. One of these, whose name was Kinggron, was the owner of the superb mansion. The other, whose name was Fraggood, was his fellow president, under Daniel.

On some point of great moment they appeared to be well agreed; while envy, mingled with anger, rested on each countenance.

"The king will soon be again in Babylon," said Kinggron, "and there is no time to be lost. Whatever measure we resort to in order to replace this old Hebrew, whose eye is upon us continually, must be attended to without delay, for the king's stay among us will be of short duration."

"As soon as our companions come, I trust we shall be able to contrive some measure that will remove this ever-watchful old Israelite far out of our way. Does it not ill become the wisdom of Cyrus the Persian to place over our heads this exacting old stranger, who is neither a Persian, Mede, nor even a Chaldean, but a Hebrew, brought to the country as a captive of war--and behold, surely he stands next to the king! One year has gone. We have borne our grief in painful silence. The time for action has arrived--he must be removed. Our combined wisdom must be brought to bear on this one point, and no rest must we find until it is fully accomplished."

The door opened and four persons silently walked into the apartment. They were of middle age, and appeared to be on familiar terms with the two presidents. They were all Medes, and appeared to be princes of the provinces, and it was very soon evident that with the two superior officers they were favorites.

"Let it be well understood," said Kinggron, "that this Daniel is greatly in the favor of Cyrus; and, moreover, that he stands high in the estimation of the king. Of Cyrus we have no present fear, seeing he is out in the wars. This is well, for before him we would not dare to complain. The king is in possession of far less power of discernment than he, and with him, I trust, we must be successful."

"But," answered Bimbokrak, "we must have some cause--something specific to offer as a ground of complaint against him before the king, or the movement will utterly fail, and prove disastrous to ourselves."

"Thou art right, my good friend," answered the president, "perfectly right. There must be a ground of complaint, and I trust we shall be able to find it. We must find it!"

CHAPTER XXV.

AGAIN the great city of Babylon was all excitement, and expectation was raised to its highest pitch. The long-expected day had arrived, and the grand entry of Darius the Mede was momentarily expected by an enthusiastic and curious throng. By the Babylonians generally, their new king was regarded in a favorable light. Such had been the profligacy and tyranny of their late kings, that any change was hailed with grat.i.tude; and, moreover, the mildness of Darius toward them on a previous visitation, when accompanied by Cyrus the Persian, had won their regard and affection. Thousands of the people had gone without the walls to meet him, and tens of thousands were seen thronging the public grounds in the vicinity of the royal palaces. At last the monarch's triumphal train appeared in the distance, the s.h.i.+ning spears and bright armor of his guard glittering in the clear sunbeams. Nearer and nearer they approached, and entered the city; and, amid enthusiastic shouts, the monarch was escorted to the royal palace.

Darius the Mede was far from being a man of stern moral worth and true decision of character. He was rather weak in mind and easily flattered.

Nevertheless he was a man of tender feelings, and cruelty was no part of his nature. He was greatly elated with the warm reception he had received at the hands of the Babylonians, and now or never was the time for the foul conspirators to try their power with the king.

The two presidents, accompanied by the four princes, soon made their appearance in the presence of the king.

"Welcome into the presence of your sovereign!" said the king in a pleasant mood. "Let the full desires of your hearts be made known to the king, and with pleasure he will grant your every wish."

"O king, live forever!" replied President Fraggood. "Thou art a mighty ruler. Thy dominions are unbounded. Thy rich possessions are found in every clime. The name of Darius falls on the ears of the kings of the earth, and they tremble. In thy wisdom thou hast set over the provinces of Babylon an hundred and twenty princes, and over these thou hast set three presidents, the first of whom is Daniel, a man mighty in wisdom and understanding. Now, O king, thou knowest that these provinces are united, and may the G.o.ds forbid that anything should ever transpire to dissolve this glorious union. Thy servants have some reason to fear that among some of the inhabitants of these northern provinces there is a disposition to think that the commands of the king are not absolute, and that in certain cases they may be disregarded. Far be it from us to think that this feeling prevails to any serious extent. We are happy to know that, in all the southern provinces, they are abundantly loyal; and, indeed, in the northern provinces this rebellious and dangerous disposition is confined to a few mischievous fanatics; but it is a poisonous plant, O king, that must be destroyed in the bud. If such looseness is permitted to go unpunished, how long will it be before our beloved union is s.h.i.+vered to ruined fragments? We have had this subject under our most serious consideration. We have thought over it with throbbing hearts. Some measure must be resorted to that will impress the inhabitants with the matchless greatness of our king, and convince them that, when he commands, he intends to be obeyed. Therefore, O king, with nothing but the good of the nation at heart, thy servants the three presidents, with all the princes, have enacted this law, and it is now presented to thee for thy royal signature and seal:

"'It is hereby enacted, for the safety of the Union: Let no person offer any prayer or pet.i.tion to any G.o.d or man, except the king, for the s.p.a.ce of thirty days; and whosoever shall violate this decree shall be taken and thrown into the den of lions.

"'Given under my hand, at the city of Babylon, on this twelfth day of the ninth month, and sealed with the seal of the Medes and Persians, which changeth not.'"

"In this, surely, there is nothing unreasonable," said the easily flattered king. "My wise presidents and faithful princes could never propose and advocate a measure that was not highly beneficial in its results. That which has any tendency to weaken the glorious bond of our union must be put down, and the safety of the united provinces must be placed on an immovable basis. If, in your superior wisdom, ye have judged that this law is called for, may the G.o.ds forbid that I should refuse to give it countenance."

"The measure shall be hailed with universal joy, O king, among all thy loyal subjects, and let those who dare disobey suffer the consequence!

From this day the name of Darius the Mede shall be a terror to every evil doer, and all his enemies shall be put to shame."

"Let the king have the writing."

The writing was delivered over to the monarch by a hand that trembled with excitement.

"It is surely a peculiar enactment," said the king, as he took the pen in his hand. "I fail to see its strong points, but at this stage of my reign I am not prepared to oppose a measure that is the offspring of the combined wisdom of the realm. If my Persian nephew were present, I would deem it advisable to have his opinion; but, as he is out in the wars, I cannot avail myself of that."

So the king's name was given to the fatal parchment; and, moreover, it was sealed with the seal of the Medes and Persians.