The Young Captives Part 7

"What are her literary attainments?"

"All that Judah's capital could bestow."

"How will she compare with the refined maids of Babylon?"

"She will compare favorably with the most polished in Chaldea."

"Verily. And the brothers?"

"All thy richest fancies could paint them."

"And yet captives of war!"

"Yea--captives of war."

"The captivity of genius must be of short duration."

The chariot halted. The two officers alighted, and without delay they hastened to the apartments of the Hebrew youths.

"A happy day to the youths of Judah," said Barzello, in a lively tone.

"This is my n.o.ble friend, Ashpenaz, a high officer of the king at the palace. From this hour ye are to be under his special directions."

"Thy servants," replied Daniel, bowing gracefully, "will be greatly delighted to be placed in any spot where they can be of service to their worthy superiors."

"To-morrow, then," said Ashpenaz, "ye shall enter upon new duties, and commence your important studies. Your teachers are in readiness--men of superior powers of mind, and well versed in the art of teaching. The king himself will be greatly interested in your progress, and therefore has prepared apartments for the students within the royal enclosures, where he will at times appear personally to learn of their advancement.

To-morrow, at the third hour, ye will hold yourselves in readiness to be conveyed thither."

"Thy servants will be in readiness at the appointed hour," said Daniel.

"Now for the Egyptians, Barzello," said Ashpenaz, smiling, as they left the apartment.

CHAPTER XI.

AT THE appointed hour, our youths, in company with many others, were conveyed to their new habitation, which was a beautiful building, erected in the vicinity of the king's palace. Here all the students were received with great civility, and commended to their different apartments. The four Hebrews were not separated, but were permitted to remain as heretofore. They found that everything conducive to their comfort and enjoyment had been provided here as well as at the apartments they had left. Hitherto they had no knowledge of the manner in which they were to receive instruction, or the precise nature of their studies. They knew the Chaldeans to be noted for their learning, and they were not without their fears lest the Babylonian youths who were to be their fellow-students should outstrip them, and leave them far in the distance; however, they were fully determined to acquit themselves to the utmost of their ability, and leave the result with the G.o.d of their fathers.

Nothing could have given them greater satisfaction than the course marked out for them by the king. Indeed, if it had been left to their own choice to select, it could not have been otherwise. From the days of their early childhood they had been close students, and they had become well versed in Hebrew lore, and had a fair knowledge of Chaldee, which was often studied in Judah, as an ornamental branch of education. This proved a very favorable item in their experience, but there were numerous studies before them, to which, as Jews, they were utter strangers, and to acquire even a respectable knowledge of which demanded much time and perseverance. The king was aware of this when he appointed the time of their probation to be three years. The Egyptian youths were of royal descent, and had some knowledge of the Chaldee, and were well acquainted with several branches of learning pertaining to their native land. The Chaldean portion of the students were mostly of the city of Babylon, and already somewhat advanced in what was considered the higher branches.

When conducted to their respective rooms, they were given to understand that, at a certain signal, they were all to a.s.semble below, where Ashpenaz would meet them, address them, and enlighten them in regard to the duties of their future course.

The four Hebrews were quietly seated in one of their apartments, each one engaged in satisfying his curiosity by gazing at the richly carved casings and highly ornamented articles of furniture.

"Well, cousins," said Daniel, with a smile, "I trust they will not un-Hebrew us with their Chaldean mysteries."

"If I forget thee, O Jerusalem!" said Azariah, with feeling, "let my right hand forget her cunning."

"Let my tongue be palsied if I forget, for a day, the loved ones at home," said Hananiah.

"When the sweet memories of our beloved Prophet shall be obliterated from this bosom," said Mishael, laying his hand upon his breast, "then let me be utterly forsaken."

"The law of Jehovah shall be the rule of our actions," said Daniel; "to him we yield our hearty and willing obedience."

The grand signal was heard below, and, without delay, the young men, from different parts of the building, were seen hurrying to the commodious apartment set apart for the occasion. Here they found a number of the king's officers a.s.sembled, among whom the youths of Judah recognized the pleasant countenance of Barzello. They were soon seated in perfect order, and Babylon never witnessed, in personal appearance, a more interesting group of youths. They were received by the officers with a smile of satisfaction, and with a look of admiration. Presently, the dignified form of Ashpenaz was seen moving slowly towards the rostrum; he ascended, gracefully bowed to the officers on either side, and proceeded:

"It is of the utmost importance that those who are destined to minister in the king's presence should be well initiated into the ways and manners, maxims and customs of our nation, and be well versed in all the learning of the Chaldeans. Nothing short of this can meet the demands and reasonable expectations of our great monarch; and for this he has carefully provided every facility. Your teachers are of the most superior in the realm, and an ample period is appointed for the perfection of your accomplishments.

"In addition to literary attainments, the king looks for moral integrity, uprightness of character, and true amiability of deportment. Without these, the most learned can never add to the real dignity of the court, nor to the stability of the Empire; but, on the contrary, such a one dest.i.tute of moral principle must prove a dangerous element in any and all communities. Let this be deeply impressed on your youthful minds, and seek earnestly to cultivate those n.o.bler powers of the mind, as well as the intellectual faculties.

"Those of you from Egypt, and especially those of you from Judah, have no faith in our G.o.ds, or sympathy with our mode of wors.h.i.+p. From your infancy ye have been taught to do homage to the G.o.d of your fathers and to his wors.h.i.+p ye have pledged your future lives. The King of Babylon, in his great wisdom, has seen fit to put no obstacles between you and the wors.h.i.+p of your deities. Ye are at liberty to serve your G.o.ds and adore after the dictates of your own consciences; and, moreover, ye are not required to perform any act that may be contrary to your religious convictions. I trust that this great favor will be rightly appreciated, and never abused. While ye are thus kindly permitted to wors.h.i.+p your own G.o.ds, show no disrespect to those who may differ from you, and on whose good-will and favor your future success must greatly depend.

"As a proof of his high regard for your physical and intellectual prosperity, the king has appointed your meat and drink to be conveyed from his own table. This, indeed, is an honor conferred on but few in Babylon. Thus, ye readily perceive that nothing is wanting that is in the least calculated to enhance your comfort or speed your literary progress.

Ye have but to apply yourselves diligently to your studies and be careful to maintain a correct deportment, and ye shall reap the reward of fidelity, in being permitted to stand in the presence of the king.

"It is the desire of your sovereign that those from Egypt and Judah be known hereafter by names more suitable to the country in which ye now abide. These names ye shall hereafter learn from your teachers. Ye may now return in perfect order to your respective apartments. To-morrow at the second hour, at a given signal, ye will appear at this place again, and formally enter upon your studies."

The four youths, after having reached their rooms, for a while sat in silence; and from the countenance of Daniel it might have been easily gathered that all was not well. The brothers were not slow to notice this, and it caused them some uneasiness. Usually their cousin took the lead in all conversation, but at this time Daniel was mute.

"Well, cousin," said Azariah, "how wast thou pleased with the address of our new master?"

"Highly pleased, upon the whole. He surely is a man of kind feelings and refined taste."

"But my dear cousin seems somewhat disconsolate and much less cheerful than when we left this apartment one hour ago. We are at a loss to find a cause for this sudden change."

"I perceive that a certain part of the address, which struck me as rather unfortunate for us, was not looked upon in that light by my worthy cousins."

"I suppose thou hast reference to that part relating to the change of names. For my part, I am not overtenacious on that point, for to me thou wilt always remain 'Cousin Daniel,' and to thee, I trust, I shall always be 'Cousin Azariah;' and if the Chaldeans prefer to call me Bel-sha-bo-raze-ba-phoo, and my Cousin Daniel Sha-go-mer-zalta-ba-phee, or some other long name, let them by all means be gratified."

"My worthy cousin is mistaken in regard to this point," said Daniel, smiling, while the three brothers, for the first time in Babylon, joined in a hearty laugh. "As far as names are concerned, they are welcome to add on the syllables to their hearts' content; but, seriously, cousins, there is a point that, if not rightly managed, will entangle us in serious difficulties. I have reference to that part which made mention of our meat and drink. How can we, as Hebrews, defile ourselves with meats, portions of which are offered to idols, and with wine sacrificed to the G.o.ds of Chaldea? This would be in direct violation of the law of our G.o.d.

To this we can never consent; and, moreover, we are not accustomed to these dainties, and such high living can never be conducive to our health and happiness. Ye know, cousins, that from beholding the drunken degradation of those in high authority in Judah, our parents, many years ago, arrived at the wise conclusion that their children, in order to escape the pit-falls into which others had fallen, should never be counted among wine-drinkers. To this desire of our fond parents we strictly adhered while in Jerusalem, although often ridiculed by drunken wit, and frowned upon by countenances flushed with strong drink. Shall we, then, in a strange land, forget the covenant of our G.o.d, and violate our sacred obligations to our beloved parents? No, cousins, this must never be. I trust we may yet be excused, for we were informed that we would not be required to perform any act against our religious convictions. Our food must remain simple, as in Judah; and by this we shall not only adhere to the requirements of Jehovah, but we shall also be better able to master those arduous studies which stand before us in such formidable array."

"Right, n.o.ble cousin," cried Azariah, hastening up to Daniel and grasping him affectionately by the hand; "always right! On thee be the sole management of the business; and we are confident that, as usual, under the blessing of our G.o.d, we shall come forth triumphantly."

"First of all, then, I must have an interview with our kind master."

Footsteps were now heard approaching their apartment. Daniel opened the door, and, finding there a servant of Ashpenaz, addressed him:

"Will the servant of our n.o.ble master have the kindness to convey to him a message, in few words, from one of the youths of Judah?"

"The servant of my lord Ashpenaz will always be happy to do all in his power for the comfort and happiness of those from Judah; and any message to my lord I am ready to convey."

"The message is this: Daniel, of the captivity of Judah, asks the favor of a short interview with his kind lord, Ashpenaz."

The servant respectfully bowed and departed, and, in a few moments, Daniel stood in the presence of his kind friend.

"And what is the pleasure of my young friend from Judah?"

Here Daniel explained, in an eloquent manner, the objections he and his three companions had to partaking of the portion of the king's meat and the wine which he drank.

"This is rather a delicate point, my young friend," answered Ashpenaz, with a degree of perplexity visible on his countenance. "If your meat and drink were of my own appointment, your request could be granted with the greatest ease and pleasure; but since the order comes from the king, I see not how it can be granted without disobedience to superior orders.