Page 40 - The Prophet-statesman a Drama of Daniel

CHAPTER IX

NEBUCHADNEZZAR SUMMONSM THE WISE MEN

The first official act of the king after taking his seat on his throne was to command

that his heralds be notified that they should summon the leading men of the Magi,
including the scholars, the astrologers and the soothsayers, to present themselves at
eleven o’clock in the presence of the king.

The mandate was flashed abroad and exactly at the time appointed twenty-seven
wise-looking elders were ushered into the King’s presence. There were, of course,
representatives of the various departments of learning and in no sense comprised the
total number of the Wise Men of Babylon. All of the leading scholars who had assisted

the King in the conduct of the imperial examinations were among those present.

The monarch’s first address was in an even tone― reasonable, even conciliatory,
but the fuse was very short and the explosion occurred almost immediately.

“Magi of Babylon, I have summoned you here to assist me in a matter that, I am
convinced, is of great moment, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit is troubled to
know the dream. I have called you, scholars, and especially you soothsayers and

necromancers to recover for me the dream. ”
“O King live forever,” replied the spokesmen of the Wise Men, “Tell thy servants
the dream, and will show the interpretation.”

The black eyes of the King began to flash with his rising wrath, but still with
reasonable self-control he said: “The thing is gone from me, and unless you will make
known unto me to dream and the interpretation thereof, you shall be cut in pieces, and
your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if you can show the dream and the

interpretation of it, you shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour:
Therefore shew me the dream and the interpretation thereof.”

The King’s dilemma and his requirements by this time were plain. He had forgotten
the dream and was demanding that they reproduce it on pain of death and the complete
demolishment of their homes.

They would have done well to temporize at this point and to ask time for

consideration instead of exciting the royal anger still further by insisting: “Let the King
tell his servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation of it.”