Persia from the Earliest Period to the Arab

78 HISTORY OF PERSIA.
Jerusalem) he was selected as one of the " children in
\vhom was no blemish, but well favoured and skilful
in all wisdom," to be brought up at the king's ex-
pense, and " taught the learning and wisdom of the
Chaldees," during a period of three years. Daniel
then tells how he and they alike rejected the king's
proffered nourishment of meat and wine, lest they
should be defiled by eating what had been offered
to idols; and yet, how, though fed only on pulse
and water, at the end of ten days " their counten-
ances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the
children who did eat the portion oT the king's meat 1 ."
After a while, we learn that they were brought before
the king, and that " in all matters of wisdom and
understanding that the king enquired of them, he
found them ten times better than all the magicians
and astrologers that were in his realm 2 ."
The first direct proof that God was with Daniel
occurred in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar, B.C.
03. On one night we learn that the king dreamed
a dream, which, on awakening, he could not recall,
r.nd when the Chaldean soothsayers failed to tell him
cither what it was or how it was to be interpreted,
Daniel not only declared what he had dreamed, but
explained the meaning of it 3 . The rage of the king
his wise men is characteristic of a man who
ngainst
deiected at once that the soothsayers were shuffling.
*'I know of a certainty," he says, "that ye would
gain time, because ye see that the thing is gone from
me "
but, " if ye have not made known unlo me the
dream, there is but one decree for you ; for ye have
1 Dan. i. 15.
2 Dan. i. 30.
3 Dan. ii. 29.