Nebuchadnezzar into generous acknowledgment of his error. Shall he not be one of those who shall come from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south, when the children of the kingdom are shut out?

Again, Nebuchadnezzar had dreamt a dream. He saw a magnificent tree, spreading wide, reaching high, sheltering multitudes of animals, and with birds nestling in its leaves. But, in the midst of its glory, one of the holy ones of heaven who bear watch over the earth came down and bade that it should be cut down and overthrown-yet not to utter destruction, the stump should remain in the tender grass of the field. Then, changing from the tree to the person it signified, it was foretold that his heart should be changed from that of a man to that of a beast for seven times, namely years; and this would be a proof to all that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.

Again, Nebuchadnezzar called on his magicians, and on Daniel or Belteshazzar above all. No wonder Daniel stood dismayed and astonished at what such a dream foreboded to the mighty king and conqueror in the midst of his city, "the lady of kingdoms," the glory of the Chaldee's excellency.

Such a city we can scarce conceive. Situated on either side of the Euphrates, it was almost a province enclosed within walls, built of unburnt bricks, with ramparts against them, so broad that four chariots could drive abreast on the top. A deep moat lay beneath, assisting in the admirable system of irrigation. A hundred brazen gates guarded the issues of the streets, which were laid out regularly, with houses of several storeys high, built round courts. The river was protected by gratings of brass, which could be closed in time of war. Gardens were kept in choice order, and Nebuchadnezzar himself had gratified his Median wife with an imitation of her native hills, by raising an artificial mountain laid out in terraces, and planted with shrubs and flowers. These were the “hanging gardens,” reputed as one of the wonders of the world. Their mound can still be traced.

Nebuchadnezzar built a splendid palace for himself, and carried out many valuable works for the "city of his royalty," as he calls Babylon in his inscriptions, quays on the Euphrates, a lake to drain off the waters, many Temples-and, above all, that of Bel. It was

a restoration of what seems to have been the Tower of Babel, and was in seven diminishing stages, faced with shining enamelled tiles in honour of the colours of the seven planets-black, white, purple, blue, red, silver for the moon, and gold for the sun at the top, where was a platform with a Temple, containing a golden table, where dainty food was nightly spread for Bel. Everything here was of gold; and verily both the Temple and the whole Chaldean city was so magnificent; the people so warlike and yet so orderly; the arts had come to such perfection; the sciences * had made such progress, that it seemed as though the old attempt of Babel were being renewed, not by building the fabric to scale the heaven, but by raising human power and skill to measure itself with heavenly might. And, in the midst, came this warning dream!

LESSON CXXIII.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S MADNESS.

B.C. 570.-DANIEL iv. 19-37.

Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonied for one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. The king spake, and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation thereof, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies.

The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;

Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation :

It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.

And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him ;

* Astronomy, till within the last 300 years, went little beyond that of Chaldea; and the treatises on other sciences recently deciphered, prove to us that "the head of gold " was a wise head, far beyond what we are in the habit of ascribing to the Oriental,

This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which is come upon my lord the king :

That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots; thy kingdom shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known that the heavens do rule.

Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.

All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.

At the end of twelve months he walked in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon.

The king spake, and said, Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?

While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee.

And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.

The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar : and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.

And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:

And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me.

Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

COMMENT-Daniel was stunned with sorrow and grief, for the great-hearted king had been a friendly master to him for more than

thirty years; but bad as his tidings were, he boldly told them forth; and it is worth noting that Nebuchadnezzar seems to have listened patiently, without any burst of anger towards the interpreter. And there was hope given him. His kingdom would not be taken from him, and if he broke off his sins, and showed mercy instead of cruelty, he should meet with mercy in judgment.

We may believe that the king did show mercy to his prisoners, but he did not lay aside his pride. Many a wedge-shaped inscription boasts of his magnificent work; and as he walked in his palace he glorified himself: "Is not this great Babylon that I have builded?" O let us beware in all that we achieve of seeing "great Babylons that we have builded!" During his boast, the sentence from heaven came, and he was struck with a disease such as sometimes occurs; a kind of madness, when the unhappy person believes himself an animal-generally a wolf-and adopts, as far as possible, all its habits. The frightful growth of nails and of hair was part of the disease, and so was the desire to eat grass, grovelling on the ground in the dews of night like a wretched outcast beast, instead of the mighty King of the East. It was as great a casting down as that when the tongues were confounded at Babel before. And, very remarkably, a diseased carelessness of the person is said to be often the consequence of disappointed pride.

For seven times the king continued in this horrible state of humiliation. It is questionable how long this means. Some have thought it seven years, but it is much more likely to have been seven months. Bellabarisuk, the father of his daughter's husband, is said in the inscriptions to have governed during this interval, and he even called himself king; but when Nebuchadnezzar awoke to his senses again, he found his kingdom faithful, and thereupon put forth this grand confession, addressed to all his people. It is one of the noblest proclamations ever made by any king-Jew, Gentile, or Christian. "I praise and extol the King of Heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment; and them that walk in pride He is able to abase.” So worthy and excellent are the last words of the great King of Babylon. He died not long after his restoration, having reigned forty-three years; and the kingdom descended to his son, Evil-merodach, of whom we read in the Second Book of Kings, ch. xxv.:

And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;

And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;

And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.

And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.

Zedekiah had probably died in his prison, but his nephew, Jehoiachin, a boy when led away, was now grown old in at least forty years of captivity. He had been written childless by Jeremiah, and it is believed, that, finding himself and Daniel the last of the line of Solomon, he adopted Salathiel the son of Neri, a descendant of Nathan, also a son of David and Bathsheba, and that therefore Salathiel is called his son in our Lord's genealogy in St. Matthew, and the son of his real father, Neri, in that of St. Luke. It was most likely Daniel's influence that led to this relenting towards the repentant king; but Evil-merodach did not reign long, being murdered, B.C. 559, by Neriglissar, son to Bellabarisuk, and husband to one of his sisters. This man only reigned three years, and then was succeeded by his son, a mere boy, who after nine months was set aside and killed by one Nabonad, B.C. 555. There is reason to suppose that this man had also married a daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, and that she was the mother of the son Belshazzar, whom the clay cylinders found on the banks of the Euphrates speak of as joined with him in the throne. Nabonad seems to have reigned at Borsippa, and Belshazzar at Babylon.

LESSON CXXIV.*

DANIEL S VISIONS.

B.C. 537.-DAN. vii. 1—14; viii. 3, 4; 5—11.

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.

*Not for the younger.