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¹ In the secode yeare off the raigne of Nabuchodonosor, had Nabuchodonosor a dreame, where thorow his sprete was vexed, and his slepe brake from him.² Then the kynge comaunded to call together all ye soythsayers, charmers, witches and Caldees, for to shewe the kynge his dreame. So they came, and stode before the kynge.³ And the kynge sayde vnto them: I haue dreamed a dreame, & my sprete was so troubled therwith, yt I haue clene forgotten, what I dreamed.⁴ Vpon this, the Caldees answered the kynge in the Syrians speach: O kynge, God saue thy life for euer. Shewe thy seruauntes the dreame, and we shal shewe the, what it meaneth.⁵ The kynge gaue the Caldees their answere, ad sayde: It is gone fro me: Yf ye wil not make me vnderstonde the dreame with the interpretacion theroff, ye shal dye, and youre houses shal be prysed.⁶ But yff ye tell me the dreame and the meanynge therof, ye shall haue off me giftes, rewardes and greate honoure: only, shewe me the dreame and the significacion of it.⁷ They answered agayne, and sayde: the kynge must shewe his seruauntes the dreame, and so shal we declare, what it meaneth.⁸ Then the kynge answerde, sayenge: I perceaue off a treuth, that ye do but prologe ye tyme: for so moch as ye se, that the thinge is gone fro me.⁹ Therfore, yff ye wil not tell me the dreame, ye shal all haue one iudgment. But ye fayne and dyssemble with vayne wordes, which ye speake before me, to put off the tyme. Therfore tell me the dreame, ad so shall I knowe, yff ye can shewe me, what it meaneth.¹⁰ Vpon this, the Caldees gaue answere before the kynge, and sayde: there is no man vpon earth, that can tell the thinge, which ye kynge speaketh of: Yee there is nether kynge prynce ner LORDE, that euer axed soch thinges at a soythsayer, charmer or Caldeer:¹¹ for it is a very harde matter, that the kynge requyreth. Nether is there eny, that can certifie the kynge theroff, excepte the goddes: whose dwellinge is not amonge the creatures.¹² For ye which cause the kynge was wroth with greate indignacio, and comaunded to destroye all the wyse men at Babilon:¹³ and ye proclamacion wete forth, that the wyse me shulde be slayne. They sought also to slaye Daniel with his copanyons.

¹⁴ Then Daniel enquered Arioch the kynges stewarde, off the iudgment and sentence, that was gone forth alredy to kyll soch as were wyse at Babilon.¹⁵ He answered, and sayde vnto Arioch beinge then the kinges debyte: Why hath the kynge proclamed so cruell a sentence? So Arioch tolde Daniel the matter.¹⁶ Vpon this, wente Daniel vp, and desyred the kinge, yt he might haue leysoure, to shewe the kynge the interpretacion:¹⁷ and then came he home agayne & shewed the thinge vnto Ananias, Misael & Asarias his companios:¹⁸ yt they shulde beseke the God of heauen for grace in this secrete, that Daniel and his felowes with other soch as were wyse in Babilon, perished not.¹⁹ Then was the mystery shewed vnto Daniel in a visio by nyght. And Daniel praysed ye God of heaue,²⁰ Daniel also cryed loude, and sayde: O that the name of God might be praysed for euer and euer, for wi?dome and strength are his owne:²¹ he chaungeth the tymes and ages: he putteth downe kynges, he setteth vp kynges: he geueth wy?dome vnto the wyse, and vnderstodinge to those that vnderstode²² he openeth the depe secretes: he knoweth ye the thynge that lyeth in darknesse, for the light dwelleth with him.²³ I thanke the, and prayse the (O thou God off my fathers) that thou hast lent me wy?dome and strength, & hast shewed me the thinge, that we desyred off the, for thou hast opened the kynges matter vnto me.

²⁴ Vpon this wente Daniel in vnto Arioch, whom the kinge had ordened to destroye the wyse at Babilon: he wente vnto him, and sayde: destroye not soch as are wyse in Babilon, but bringe me in vnto the kynge, and I shal shewe the kynge the interpretacion.²⁵ Then Arioch brought Daniel into the kynge in all the haist, and sayde vnto him: I haue founde a man amonge the presoners off Iuda, yt shal shewe the kinge the interpretacion.²⁶ The answered the kynge, and sayde vnto Daniel, whose name was Balthasar: Art thou he, yt cast shewe me ye dreame, which I haue sene, & the interpretacion therof?²⁷ Daniel answered the kynge to his face, and sayde: As for this secrete, for the which the kinge maketh inquisicion: it is nether the wyse, the sorcerer, the charmer ner the deuell coniurer, that can certifie the kynge off it:²⁸ Only God in heaue ca open secretes, and he it is, that sheweth the kinge Nabuchodonosor, what is for to come in the latter dayes. Thy dreame, and that which thou hast sene in thyne heade vpon thy bed, is this:²⁹ O kynge, thou didest cast in thy mynde, what shulde come herafter: So he that is the opener off mysteries, telleth the, what is for to come.³⁰ As for me, this secrete is not shewed me, for eny wi?dome that I haue, more then eny other lyuynge: but only that I might shewe the kynge the interpretacion, & that he might knowe the thoughtes off his owne herte.

³¹ Thou kynge sawest, and beholde: there stode before the a greate ymage, whose fygure was maruelous greate, and his vysage grymme.³² The ymage heade was of fyne golde, his brest and armes off syluer, his body ad loynes were off copper,³³ his legges were off yron, his fete were parte off yron, and parte of earth.³⁴ This thou sawest, till the tyme that (with out eny hondes) there was hewen off a stone which smote the ymage vpon the fete, that were both off yron and earth, and brake the to poulder:³⁵ then was the yron, the earth, the copper, the syluer and golde broken altogether in peces: and became like the chaffe off corne, that the wynde bloweth awaye from ye somer floores, that they ca nomore be foude. But the stone that smote the ymage, became a greate mountayne, which fulfylleth the whole earth:³⁶ This is the dreame. And now will we shewe before the kynge, what it meaneth.³⁷ O kynge, thou art a kynge off kynges: For the God off heaue hath geue the a kingdome, ryches, strength and maiesty:³⁸ & hath delyuered the all thinges, that are amoge ye children off men: the beastes off the felde, ad the foules vnder the heaue, and geuen the dominion ouer them all. Thou art that golde heade.³⁹ After ye there shal aryse another kingdome, which shal be lesse then thyne. The thyrde kingdome shal be lyke copper, and haue dominacion in all lodes.⁴⁰ The fourth kingdome shal be as stronge as yron. For like as yron brusseth and breaketh all thinges: Yee euen as yron beateth euery thinge downe, so shal it beate downe and destroye.⁴¹ Where as thou sawest the fete and toes, parte of earth and parte off yron: that is a deuyded kyngdome, which neuertheles shal haue some off the yron grounde mixte with it, for so moch as thou hast sene the yron mixte with the claye.⁴² The toes of the fete that were parte off yron and parte off claye, signifieeh: that it shalbe a kyngdome partely stronge and partely weake.⁴³ And where as thou sawest yron myxte with claye: they shall myngle them selues wt ye sede off symple people, & yet not contynue one with another, like as yron wil not be souldered with a potsherde.⁴⁴ In the dayes off these kynges, shall the God of heauen set vp an euerlastinge kyngdome which shall not perish, and his kyngdome shall not be geuen ouer to another people: Yee the same shall breake and destroye all these kyngdomes, but it shall endure for euer.⁴⁵ And where as thou sawest, that without eny hondes there was cut out of the mount a stone, which brake the yron, the copper ye earth, the syluer and golde in peces: by that hath ye greate God shewed the kynge, what wyl come after this. This is a true dreame, and the interpretacion of it is sure.

⁴⁶ Then the kynge Nabuchodonosor fell downe vpon his face, and bowed him self vnto Daniel, and commaunded that they shulde offre meatoffrynges and swete odoures vnto him.⁴⁷ The kynge answerde Daniel, and sayde: Yee off a treuth, youre God is a God aboue all goddes, a LORDE aboue all kynges, and an opener of secretes: seynge thou canst discouer this mysterie.⁴⁸ So the kynge made Daniel a greate man, and gaue him many and greate giftes. He made him ruler off all the countrees of Babilon, and lorde of all the nobles, that were at Babilon.⁴⁹ Now Daniel intreated the kynge for Sydrac, Misac and Abdenago, so that he made them rulers ouer all the offyces in the londe off Babilon: but Daniel himself remayned still in the courte by the kynge.