Commentaries of the diuine Iohn Caluine, vpon the prophet Daniell, translated into Englishe, especially for the vse of the family of the ryght honorable Earle of Huntingdon, to set forth as in a glasse, how one may profitably read the Scriptures, by consideryng the text, meditatyng the sense therof, and by prayer

6 Therfore the rulers & these gouernours went together to the kyng and sayd thus vnto hym: kyng Darius, liue for euer.

7 All y^e rulers of thy kingdome, the officers and gouernours, the counsellers and dukes haue con∣sulted together to make a decree for the king, and

to establishe a statute, that who soeuer shall aske a petition of any God or mā for thirty dayes saue of thee O kyng, hee shalbe cast into the denne of Lyons.

The rulers of the kyngdome went about by this policie to ouerthrow y^e holy Prophet of God, that either he beyng cast into the denne of Lyons should perish, or els that hée should forsake the outward profession of the worshyp of God. But they thought that he was more constant and of greater courage, then that hee would redeme his lyfe with such wickednes. Therfore they thought that they were sure that he should dye. They thinke thē selues very subtill, but God setteth him selfe agaynst thē and helpeth hys seruant, as we shall sée. Yet this was a detestable malice, that they go about to destroy Daniel vnder this pretēce. For though they did not worshyp the God of Israel, yet did they know that the minde of the Prophet was right and good: and also they had proued by experience the power of that GOD which was vnknowne vnto them. They dyd not cōdemne Daniel therefore in that conscience, neither yet were they able to finde fault with that Religiō which he vsed. Wher∣fore I say that they were so caryed by the hatred of the per∣son vnto this cruelty, that they set them selues against God. For they could not be ignoraunt of this, that God must be worshypped. They them selues worshypped vnknowne Gods, and they durst not condemne the worship of the God of Israel. We sée therefore how the deuill bewitcheth them that they durst lay this crime agaynst the holy Prophet.

Howbeit, it is vnknowen what occasion they abused to this their wicked purpose. Some suppose that this was done because Darius could not well beare the glory of hys sonne in law. For where he was old, and the other was of a florishyng age, he thought hym selfe contemned. Some thinke therefore that Darius him selfe was pricked with some secrete enuy, and that his nobles had therby an entry to deceaue this miserable old man ouer light of belief, and

so blynde his eyes. But this coniecture doth not seme vnto me of any great weight: neither yet do I much trauaile a∣bout this matter. For it may be that they would gratifie their kyng in y^e begynnyng of this new kingdome, and ther∣fore that they would decrée some new and straunge thyng: the which thyng we do sée often tymes to be done by such as do flatter kynges and princes. Wherefore this old man might be deceiued herein now when his Monarchy was so lately encreased. He ruled onely ouer the Medes before: now came the Chaldees, the Assiriās, and many other na∣tions vnder his Empire. Such an encrease of dominion might make him dronken with vaine glory: and the nobles thought that they had a plausible matter in hand to decrée diuine honours vnto their kyng. Me thinke this one cause may suffice. Wherfore I am not to much carefull to search any further: for I do take that which offereth it selfe and is most probable.

We sayd before that the nobles which layd snares for Daniel, were stricken with a maruelous ragyng madnes, when they durst publish this decrée vnto the kyng, which Daniel reciteth. For that was an intolerable sacrilege, that the kyng spoyled all the Gods of their honour: yet dyd he signe and subscribe the decrée, as foloweth, to the intent that he might hereby try the obediēce of his people, whom he lately brought into subiection by the helpe of his sonne in law. For there is no doubt but that he ment to hold vnder the Chaldees, who had bene Lordes vntill this presēt time. For we know how that pride of hart is engendred by pow∣er & authoritie. When as the Chaldees therfore did reigne before this tyme so farre and so wyde, it was hard to bryng them downe and to make them ready to all obedience: espe∣cially when they dyd sée them selues to be their seruauntes, whose equals they were before. For we know that they had often tymes encountered in battaile with the Medes. Although therfore they were now ouercome by the sword, yet were not their hartes conquered. Therfore would Da∣rius proue their obedience. This semeth to be the cause.

For hée doth not of set purpose prouoke the wrath of the Gods agaynst hym selfe, but whiles he regarded men, he for∣gate God & set hym selfe in the place of the Gods, as though he had authoritie to plucke downe the power of the heauēs to him selfe. This was an horrible sacrilege, as I haue sayd. But if any man could try the hartes of kynges, scarsely the hundreth man of thē could be found which doth not after y^e same sort despise all diuine power. For although they cōfesse them selues to reigne by the grace of God, yet will they be worshipped in Gods stead. And heare we sée how easily flat∣terers can persuade princes any thyng that may seme to set out their honors and maiesties.

The Prayer.

GRaunt almighty God, that as thou hast gouerned thy seruaunt Daniel when honours were offered a∣boundantly, and when he was set vp in most high digni∣ty, that he yet alwayes continued in integrity and lyued innocently, where all liberty was geuen vnto all euill: graund we beseech thee, that we may learne to reteyne our selues in that meane state whereunto thou doest re∣strayne vs: and that we being contēt with our pouerty, may the rather endeuour our selues to behaue our selues innocently, both towardes thee and towardes men with whom we haue to do, that so thy name may be glorified in vs, and we beyng defended by thy pro∣tection, may go forward agaynst the malice of men: and howsoeuer Sathan do assaulte vs, and the wicked lay snares and like raging beastes rise vp agaynst vs, that yet we may remaine safe vnder thy defence: yea and though we should suffer an hundreth deathes, that we may learne to lyue and to die vnto thee, that thy name may be glorified in vs through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen.