ome! Thrice welcome to the presence of
your king! Before me on this night I behold the pride and glory of
Babylon. Here are my nobles who have at all times distinguished
themselves by their valor and great bravery. Let us banish gloom, and let
our hearts overflow with mirth! We may well congratulate ourselves on the
perfect safety of Babylon. Our walls are impregnable and our possessions
are abundant. We laugh to scorn the silly movements of the Persians that
parade before the city. Dark predictions there are, I know, in regard to
the future of Chaldea, but these Hebrew delusions have well-nigh
vanished. I am sorry to confess that my royal grandsire gave too much
countenance to these groundless delusions, in the preferment of the
Hebrew Belteshazzar with his three companions to high offices within the
province of Babylon. This, my lords, was a great mistake of the past, for
which we have already too dearly paid. Since I came to the throne, this
intermeddling of foreigners with the affairs of the nation has received
no countenance; and happy am I to know that to-day all offices under the
government are entrusted to none but native Chaldeans. In this I do not
wish to cast a shade on the memories of the illustrious dead, for truly
no monarch ever distinguished himself more than my lamented grandfather.
The trophies of his victories are to-day visible throughout the empire.
To him, indeed, the gods of Chaldea were propitious, and unmistakable
proof they gave of their superiority to the gods of other nations. We
have heard much of the renowned God of the Hebrews! But, under the
protection of our own, we bid defiance to all other gods! Who is the God
of Israel that I should fear him? Did not my grandfather, under the
guidance of the gods of Chaldea, enter into his territory, destroy his
city and burn his temple? Why did he not then vindicate his power and
glory? Why permit the vessels of his temple to be carried into Babylon,
and there deposited in the temple of Belus? Ah, my lords, those vessels
were worthy of a more trusty god! They are beautiful to behold, and would
well become an occasion like the present. Surely this is well thought!
Let the vessels of the temple of the God of Israel be brought hither, and
from them let us drink wine in honor of the gods of Chaldea! Bring them
hither in haste! My thirst increases with the thought! All praise to our
matchless gods! Again I say, let us banish gloom, and let us be filled
with