Part 16 (2/2)
Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility.”
The king, conscious that the Hebrew was under peculiar inspiration, bowed in solemn reverence, dismissed him in the most respectful manner, and then threw himself on his couch, in the deepest agony of mind.
”The fates are against me! What shall I do? Shall I weep like a woman, and sob like a corrected child? Shall the King of Babylon, the great conqueror of nations, turn at last to be a coward? Shall the great sovereign of Chaldea say he is sorry, beg pardon of the G.o.ds, and thus reduce himself to the level of a common subject? Never! Let all the G.o.ds hear it! Never! 'Driven from among men!' Who shall be able to drive Nebuchadnezzar? 'Eat gra.s.s as oxen!' O, ye G.o.ds, is not that laughable?
And yet I cannot laugh! Let it come! I fear not the G.o.ds! Ah, do I not? I fear not the G.o.ds, but still I have a dread of that one G.o.d. I destroyed his temple, I plundered his sanctuary, I carried his vessels to the house of my G.o.d, in the land of s.h.i.+nar. Is he about to retaliate? I shall see.
Shall I humble myself before a strange G.o.d? Shall I now, after having reached the very pinnacle of fame and glory, dishonor myself in the eyes of my n.o.bles? Nay! Sooner than this, I will brave the vengeance of all the G.o.ds and n.o.bly perish in the unequal conflict!”
Twelve months pa.s.sed after the King of Babylon was troubled by his wonderful dream. His grief was not of long duration, and this period had been one of more than usual gayety and hilarity in the great city. The king gave entertainments on a magnificent scale; and, in the midst of his dazzling splendor, the mournful predictions of Belteshazzar were well-nigh forgotten. Occasionally they would rush to the monarch's mind, but with a desperate effort they would be banished as troublesome intruders and unwelcome guests.
The day was beautifully clear. The king, about the ninth hour of the day, walked upon the roof of his high palace. Babylon, in all its glory, stood before him, its ma.s.sive walls bidding defiance to all the surrounding nations. The temple of Belus, with its famous tower, stood forth in majestic grandeur, together with the hanging gardens, decorated with all that was beautiful and lovely in nature. The city's famous buildings he could count by thousands, and its rich palaces by tens of thousands. The predictions of Daniel found way to the monarch's mind; but they were expelled by a proud spirit and stubborn will. His soul laughed to scorn the dark prophecy.
”What!” said the proud monarch, ”does this look like 'eating gra.s.s like an ox'? Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty? Who shall--” Hark! A voice speaks from the heavens! ”O King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken: The kingdom is departed from thee, and they shall drive thee from among men; and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; they shall make thee eat gra.s.s as oxen; and seven times shall pa.s.s over thee, until thou knowest that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men.”
The voice ceased. The king uttered a loud, hysterical laugh, descended from his palace, and ran into the park, a raving maniac.
Stillness reigns in the home of Joram. No merry voices fall on the ear of the pa.s.ser-by. The few that move around the premises tread carefully and silently, while solemnity settles on each countenance. The voice of song is hushed; the loud peals of melody are no longer heard; and for many a day the ”Harp of Judah” has remained in its corner, and no delicate hand has swept its well-tuned strings. Inside of that mansion to-day you witness not that joy which is wont to pervade it. You perceive cheeks wet with tears, and bosoms heaving with sighs. The inmates converse together in whispers, and tread lightly. In an apartment richly furnished, into which the beams of the sun are not permitted to enter, we find a.s.sembled a large company of relatives and near friends. It is not an occasion of small import that calls them thus together. There we find Mathias, Perreeza, and their children. The amiable Jupheena is there, with her husband and sons and daughters. Venerable men and women are seen here and there.
But where to-night is Joram? Where is that benign countenance? Hus.h.!.+
Speak low, tread lightly! Disturb not the last moments of the dying Israelite! Joram is at the banks of Jordan. Already his feet are touching the cold waters.
The sick man turns on his pillow and faintly
”Mathias, why comes he not? Shall I not once more see my most excellent friend?”
”My dear father, he will ere long be here. The messenger is trustworthy, and will soon return.”
”The journey of life is near its close. The holy hill is in sight. I pa.s.s through the vale of death on my way to the better land. Yonder is the home of the faithful. Sorrow and mourning shall flee away.”
”He is here! He is here!” cried Jupheena.
”Has he arrived?” asked the sick man, in faint accents.
”Yea, father,” replied Mathias, in soothing tones, ”he has arrived.”
”Thanks be to Jehovah!”
Presently, a man of venerable appearance, his hair silvered over with age, apparently a Chaldean, walked into the apartment. Jupheena was the first to greet him.
”Jehovah bless my lovely daughter!” whispered the aged man, as the tears coursed down his furrowed cheeks. For a moment he looked around upon the company with an earnestness of affection not easily described; then looking up to heaven, in trembling accents he broke forth:
”Oh, Jehovah, let the smiles of Thy countenance rest on these Thy chosen ones!”
The venerable man was then gently led by Mathias to the bedside.
A smile pa.s.sed over the pale countenance of Joram, the fountain of his tears overflowed; he looked up to the face of his old friend, reached out his trembling hand, and cried:
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