Page 41 - The Prophet-statesman a Drama of Daniel

Nebuchadnezzar’s tones now became a shout: “I know certainly that you are trying
to gain time, because ye see that the thing is gone from me. But if you will not make

known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you all. I know that you are
already preparing lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed;
therefore tell me the dream and I shall know that ye can make known the interpretation.”

The Chaldeans, now in desperation pleaded: “There is not a man upon the earth that
can show the King’s matter: therefore there is no lord, king nor ruler that asked such
things of any magician or astrologer of Chaldea. And it is a rare thing that the King
requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the King, except the gods,

whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

But the King was in no mood to be reasonable nor to be reasoned with. The more
they talked the angrier he became. In this frustration he reckoned that the magicians and

necromancers were his best resort, and that since they, particularly, were dealing with
the occult they could be properly required to move into that realm and recover for him
the errant dream. He himself covertly regretted that he had summoned all the wise men
and included them all in his threat of destruction, as penalty for failing to reproduce for

him the vision of his bed. But the divine right of kings and the doctrine of royal
infallibility forbade that he withdraw what he had threatened, so he sent forth a
command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. After this sweeping slaughter the
Magi of Babylon would be an extinct class.

It became the unpleasant duty of Arioch the captain of the King’s guard to notify,
through his subordinates, all of the Wise Men of Babylon on the imminent execution of
this decree. Most of them were not even present at the King’s audience. The news as it

spread, shocked the city. Not a heart but resented the monumental injustice and secretly
imprecated the tyrant who was guilty of such ruthless cruelty. Especially in the house
of the Magi were there bitter tears and baffled rage. Some thought to flee from the
descending stroke, but found that the gates of the city were closed and all egress was

carefully guarded.

The brave and noble Arioch abhorred the task assigned to him, both of informing

the Wise Men of the approaching doom and the prospect of being the chief agent in the
execution of the decree. But regardless of the distastefulness of it, he determined
personally to notify the Wise Men who resided in the near environs of the palace, that
he might let them know of his own hearty disapproval of the whole business, even
though compelled to carry it out.

To the door of a modest litter abode on Palace Way he came, in response to his