Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The III. Chapter.

KYnge Darius made a greate feast vn∣to [ A] his seruaūtes, vnto all his courte, & to all the officers of Media and Per∣sia, yee and to all the debytes & rulers that we¦re vnder him, from India vnto Ethiopia, an hundreth & xxvij, countrees. So whan they had eaten, and dronken beinge satisfied, and were gone home agayne, Darius the kynge wente in to his chambre, layed him downe to slepe, and so awaked.

Then the thre yonge men, that kepte the kynges personne, and watched his body, com¦moned amonge them selues, and spake one to another: Let euery one of vs saye some thin∣ge, and loke whose sentence is wyser and more excellent then the other, vnto him shal kinge Darius geue greate giftes, and clothe him

with purple. He shal geue him vessels of gol¦de to drynke in, clothes of golde and coue∣ringes: he shall make him a costly charett & a brydle of golde, he shall geue him a bonet of whyte sylke and a chayne of golde abou∣te his neck: yee he shal be the seconde & pryn∣cipall nexte vnto kynge Darius, & that be∣cause of his wyszdome, and shalbe called y^e kynges kynsman.

[ B] So euery one wrote his meaninge, sealed it and layed it vnder the kinges pelowe, and sayde: whan the kynge aryseth, we will geue him oure wrytinges: and loke whose worde the kynge and his chefe lordes iudge to be the most wysely spoken, the same shall haue the victory. One wrote: wyne is a stronge thinge. The secōde wrote: The kynge is strō¦ger. The thirde wrote: wemen haue yet more strength, but aboue all thinges y^e trueth bea¦reth awaye the victory. Now whan the kyn¦ge was rysen vp, they toke their wrytinges and delyuered them vnto him, and so hered them. Then sent he forth to call all his chefe lordes, all the debytes & rulers of the coun∣trees of Media and Persia. And whan they were sett downe in the councell, the wrytin∣ges were red before them. And he commaun¦ded to call for y^e yonge mē, y^t they might de∣clare their meanynges thēselues by mouth. So when they were sent for, and came in, y^e kynge sayde vnto them: shew vs and make vs to vnderstōde, what the thinges are that ye haue wrytten.

[ C] Then beganne the first (which had spokē of the strength of wyne) & sayde: O ye men, wyne is maruelous strōge, and ouercōmeth them y^e drynke it: it disceaueth the mynde, & bryngeth both the poore man & y^e kynge to dotage and vanite. Thus doth it also w^t the bondman and with the fre, with the poore & rych: it taketh awaye their vnderstondinge, and maketh them careles and mery, so that none of them remembreth eny heuynes, dett or dewtie: It causeth a man to thinke also that y^e thinge which he doth, is honest and good: and remembreth not that he is a kyn∣ge, nor y^t he is in auctorite, & y^t he ought not to do soch thinges. Morouer, whan men are drynckinge, they forgett all frendshipe, all brotherly faithfulnes & loue: but as soone as they are dronckē, they drawe out the swerde & wil fight: & whā they are layed downe frō the wyne, & so rysen vp agayne, they can not tell what they dyd. Iudge ye now, Is not wyne the strongest? For who wolde els take in hande, to do soch thinges? And whan he had spoken this, he helde his tonge.

Notes

• ••ro. 20. a