asar; Ananias, Shadrach; Misael, Meshach; and Azarias, Abednego.
These the king had in esteem, and continued to love, because of the
very excellent temper they were of, and because of their application to
learning, and the profess they had made in wisdom.

2. Now Daniel and his kinsmen had resolved to use a severe diet, and to
abstain from those kinds of food which came from the king's table,
and entirely to forbear to eat of all living creatures. So he came to
Ashpenaz, who was that eunuch to whom the care of them was committed,
[17] and desired him to take and spend what was brought for them from
the king, but to give them pulse and dates for their food, and any thing
else, besides the flesh of living creatures, that he pleased, for that
their inclinations were to that sort of food, and that they despised the
other. He replied, that he was ready to serve them in what they desired,
but he suspected that they would be discovered by the king, from their
meagre bodies, and the alteration of their countenances, because it
could not be avoided but their bodies and colors must be changed with
their diet, especially while they would be clearly discovered by the
finer appearance of the other children, who would fare better, and thus
they should bring him into danger, and occasion him to be punished; yet
did they persuade Arioch, who was thus fearful, to give them what food
they desired for ten days, by way of trial; and in case the habit of
their bodies were not altered, to go on in the same way, as expecting
that they should not be hurt thereby afterwards; but if he saw them look
meagre, and worse than the rest, he should reduce them to their former
diet. Now when it appeared that they were so far from becoming worse by
the use of this food, that they grew plumper and fuller in body than
the rest, insomuch that he thought those who fed on what came from the
king's table seemed less plump and full, while those that were with
Daniel looked as if they had lived in plenty, and in all sorts of
luxury. Arioch, from that time, securely took himself what the king sent
every day from his supper, according to custom, to the children, but
gave them the forementioned diet, while they had their souls in some
measure more pure, and less burdened, and so fitter for learning, and
had their bodies in better tune for hard labor; for they neither had
the former oppressed and heavy with variety of meats, nor were the
other effeminate on the same