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And Daniel falls into the deep-laid toils
Our prudence spread.

Sor.
That he should fall so soon,
Astonishes e'en me! what! not a day!
What! not a single moment to defer
His rash devotions? Madly thus to rush
On certain peril quite transcends belief!
When happen'd it, Pharnaces?

Phar.

On the instant : Scarce is the deed accomplish'd. As he made

His ostentatious pray'r, e'en in the face
Of the bright God of day, all Babylon
Beheld the insult offer'd to Darius.
For, as in bold defiance of the law,

His windows were not clos'd. Our chosen bands,

Whom we had plac'd to note him, straight rush'd in,

And seiz'd him in the warmth of his blind zeal,

Ere half his pray'r was finish'd. Young Araspes,

With all the wild extravagance of grief, Prays, weeps, and threatens. Daniel silent stands,

With patient resignation, and prepares To follow them.-But see, the king proaches!

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Thy plotting genius to redeem the life ap-Of venerable Daniel! 'Tis too late. He has offended 'gainst the new decree; Has dar'd to make petition to his God, Although the dreadful sentence of the act Full well he knew. And by th' establish'd law

Sor. How's this? deep sorrow sits upon his brow,

And stern resentment fires his angry eye!

Enter DARIUS.

Dar. O, deep-laid stratagem! O, artful wile!

To take me unprepar'd, to wound my heart, E'en where it feels most tenderly, in friendship!

To stab my fame! to hold me up a mark
To future ages, for the perjur'd prince
Who slew the friend he loved! O Daniel,
Daniel,

Who now shall trust Darius? Not a slave
In my wide empire, from the Indian main
To the cold Caspian, but is more at ease
Than I, his monarch! Yes! I've done a
deed

Will blot my honour with eternal stain !
Pharnaces! O, thou hoary sycophant!
Thou wily politician! thou hast snar'd
Thy unsuspecting master!

Phar.
Great Darius,
Let not resentment blind thy royal eyes.
In what am I to blame? who could suspect
This obstinate resistance to the law?

Of Media, by that irrevocable,

Which he has dar'd to violate, he dies!

Dar. Impiety! presumption ! monstrous law!

Irrevocable? Is there aught on earth Deserves that name? Th' eternal laws alone

Of Oromasdes are unchangeable!
All human projects are so faintly fram'd,
So feebly plann'd, so liable to change,
So mix'd with error in their very form,
That mutable and mortal are the same.
But where is Daniel! Wherefore comes he
not

To load me with reproaches? to upbraid me
With all the wrongs my barb'rous haste has
done him!
Where is he?

Phar. He prepares to meet his fate. This hour he dies, for so the act decrees. Dar. Suspend the bloody sentence. Bring him hither.

Who could foresee that Daniel would per-Or
force

Oppose the king's decree?
Dar.
Thou, thou foresaw'st it!
Thou know'st his righteous soul would ne'er
endure

So long an interval of pray'r. But I,
Deluded king! 'twas I should have foreseen
His steadfast piety. I should have thought
Your earnest warmth had some more secret
source,
[your love,
Something that touch'd you nearer than

rather let me seek him and implore His dying pardon, and his parting pray'r.

PART VI.

Scene-Daniel's house,

DANIEL, ARASPES.

Ara. STILL let me follow thee; still let me hear

The voice of Wisdom, ere the silver cord
By death's cold hand be loosen'd.
Now I'm ready!

Dan.
No grief, no woman's weakness, good
Araspes!

Thou should'st rejoice my pilgrimage is o'er, And the blest heaven of repose in view.

Ara. And must I lose thee, Daniel? must thou die?

Dan. And what is death, my friend, that I should fear it?

To die! why 'tis to triumph; 'tis to join The great assembly of the good and just ; Immortal worthies, heroes, prophets, saints! Oh! 'tis to join the band of holy men, Made perfect by their sufferings! 'Tis to

meet

My great progenitors! 'Tis to behold Th' illustrious patriarchs; they with whom the Lord

Deign'd hold familiar converse. 'Tis to see Bless'd Noah and his children, once a world! "Tis to behold, oh, rapture to conceive! Those we have known, and lov'd, and lost, below!

Bold Azariah, and the band of brothers, Who sought, in bloom of youth, the scorching flames!

Nor shall we see heroic men alone, Champions who fought the fight of faith on earth;

But heavenly conquerors, angelic hosts, Michael and his bright legions, who subdu'd The foes of truth! To join their blest employ

Of love and praise! to the high melodies Of choirs celestial to attune my voice, Accordant to the golden harps of saints! To join in blest hosannahs to their king! Whose face to see whose glory to behold, Alone were heaven, though saint or seraph

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Of fierce resentment; but I cannot stand That touching silence, nor that patient eye Of meek respect.

Dan.

Thou art my master still. Dar. I am thy murderer! I have sign'd thy death!

Dan. I know thy bent of soul is honourable:

Thou hast been gracious still! Were it not So,

I would have met th' appointment of high Heaven

With humble acquiescence; but to know Thy will concurr'd not with thy servant's fate,

Adds joy to resignation.
Dar.
Here I swear
By him who sits enthron'd in yon bright sun,
Thy blood shall be aton'd! On these thy
foes,

Thou shalt have ample vengeance.
Dan.
Hold, O king!
Vengeance is mine, th' eternal Lord hath
said;

Myself will recompense, with even hand,
The sinner for the sin. The wrath of man
Works not the righteousness of God!
Dar.
I had hop'd
We should have trod this busy stage to-
gether

A little longer, then have sunk to rest
In honourable age! Who now shall guide
My shatter'd bark in safety? who shall now
Direct me? O, unhappy state of kings!
"Tis well the robe of majesty is gay,
Or who would put it on? A crown! what
is it?

It is to bear the miseries of a people! To hear their murmurs, feel their discontents,

And sink beneath a load of splendid care! To have your best success ascrib'd to Fortune,

And Fortune's failures all ascrib'd to you!
It is to sit upon a joyless height,

To every blast of changing fate expos'd!
Too high for hope! too great for happiness!
For friendship too much fear'd! To all the
joys

Of social freedom, and tlr' endearing charm
Of lib'ral interchange of soul unknown!
Fate meant me an exception to the rest,
And though a monarch, bless'd me with a
friend;

And I have murder'd him!

Dan.

My hour approaches Hate not my mem'ry, king: protect Aras

pes:

Encourage Cyrus in the holy work
Of building ruin'd Solyma. Farewell!
Dar. With most religious strictness I'll
fulfil
Thy last request. Araspes shall be next
My throne and heart. Farewell!

[They embrace. Hear, future kings!

Ye unborn rulers of the nation, hear!

Learn from my crime, from my misfortune Release him, bring him hither! break the learn,

Never to trust to weak or wicked hands,
That delegated pow'r which Oromasdes
Invests in monarchs for the public good.

PART VII.

rising.

seal

Which keeps him from me! See, Araspes! look!

See the charm'd lions!-Mark their mild demeanor:

Araspes, mark!-they have no pow'r to hurt him!

See how they hang their heads and smooth
their fierceness

Scene-The court of the palace.—The sun At his mild aspect!
Aras. Who that sees this sight,
Who that in after times shall hear this told,
Can doubt if Daniel's God be God indeed?
Dar. None, none, Araspes!

DARIUS, ARASPES.

Dar. Oh, good Araspes! what a night of
horror!

To me the dawning day brings no return
Of cheerfulness or peace! No balmy sleep
Has seal'd these eyes, no nourishment has
past

These loathing lips, since Daniel's fate was
sign'd!

Hear what my fruitless penitence resolves-
That thirty days my rashness had decreed
The edict's force should last, I will devote
To mourning and repentance, fasting,

prav'r,

And all due rites of grief. For thirty days
No pleasant sound of dulcimer or harp,
Sackbut or flute, or psaltery, shall charm
My ear, now dead to ev'ry note of joy!
Aras. My grief can know no period!
Dar.
See that den!
There Daniel met the furious lion's rage!
There were the patient martyr's mangled
limbs

Torn piece-meal! Never hide thy tears,
Araspes;

Tis virtuous sorrow, unalloy'd, like mine,
By guilt and fell remorse! Let us approach:
Who knows but that dread Pow'r to whom
he pray'd

So often and so fervently, has heard him!

[He goes to the mouth of the den.

O, Daniel, servant of the living God!
He whom thou hast serv'd so long, and
lov'd so well,

From the devouring lion's famish'd jaw,
Can he deliver thee?

Dan. (from the bottom of the den.) He
can-he has!

Dar. Methought I heard him speak!
Aras.
O, wond'rous force

Of strong imagination! were thy voice
Loud as the trumpet's blast, it could not

wake him

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Aras.

Ah, he comes, he comes!

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brothers

Essay'd the caldron's flame, supported me!
E'en in the furious lions' dreadful den,
The prisoner of hope, even there I turn'd
To the strong hold, the bulwark of my
strength,

Ready to hear, and mighty to redeem !

Dar. (to Aras.) Where is Pharnaces?
Take the hoary traitor!

Take too Soranus, and the chief abettors

Of this dire edict: let not one escape.
The punishment their deep-laid hate de-
vis'd

For holy Daniel, on their heads shall fall
With tenfold vengeance. To the lion's den
I doom his vile accusers! All their wives,
Their children too, shall share one common
fate!

Take care that none escape-Go, good
Araspes.

Dan.

[Araspes goes out.
Not so, Darius!
O spare the guiltless; spare the guilty too!
Where sin is not, to punish were unjust;
And where sin is, O king, there fell remorse
Supplies the place of punishment!
Dar.
No more!
My word is past! Not one request, save

this,

Shalt thou e'er make in vain. Approach,

my friends;

Araspes has already spread the tale,
And see what crowds advance!
Long live Darius!
Long live great Daniel too, the people's
friend!

Peo.

Dar. Draw near, my subjects. See this holy man !

Death had no pow'r to harm him. Yon fell

band

Of famish'd lions, soften'd at his sight,

Forgot their nature and grew tame before | Who sits in glory unapproachable

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And all the meanness of high-crested pride,
When adverse fortune frowns, they beg for
life.

Araspes will not hear. You heard not me,'
He cries, 'when I for Daniel's life implor'd;
His God protected him! see now if your's
Will listen to your cries!'

Dar.
Now hear,
People and nations, languages and realms,
O'er whom I rule! Peace be within your
walls!

That I may banish from the minds of men
The rash decree gone out; hear me resolve
To counteract its force by one more just.
In ev'ry kingdom of my wide-stretch'd
realm,

From fair Chaldea to the extremest bound
Of northern Media, be my edict sent,
And this my statute known. My heralds
haste,

And spread my royal mandate through the
land,

That all my subjects bow the ready knee
To Daniel's GoD-for HE alone is LORD.
Let all adore, and tremble at HIS name,

Above the heavens above the heaven of
heavens!

His pow'r is everlasting; and HIS throne,
Founded in equity and truth, shall last
Beyond the bounded reign of time and space
Through wide eternity! With HIS right arm
HE saves, and who opposes? He defends,
And who shall injure? In the perilous den
HE rescu'd Daniel from the lions' mouth;
His common deeds are wonders; all HIS
works

One ever-during chain of miracles!

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REFLECTIONS OF KING HEZEKIAH,
IN HIS SICKNESS.

'Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die.'—Isaiah, xxxviii.

WHAT, and no more?-Is this my soul,
said Í,

My whole of being! Must I surely die?
Be robb'd at once of health, of strength, of
time,

Of youth's fair promise, and of pleasure's
prime?

Shall I no more behold the face of morn, The cheerful daylight, and the spring's return?

Must I the festive pow'r the banquet leave,
For the dull chambers of the darksome
grave!

Have I consider'd what it is to die?
In native dust with kindred worms to lie;
To sleep in cheerless, cold neglect ! to rot!
My body loath'd, my very name forgot!
Not one of all those parasites, who bend
The supple knee, their monarch to attend!
What, not one friend! No, not an hireling
slave

Shall hail great Hezekiah in the grave. Where's he, who falsely claim'd the name of great?

Whose eye was terror, and whose frown was fate?

Who aw'd an hundred nations from the throne?

See where he lies, dumb, friendless, and alone!

Which grain of dust proclaims the noble
birth?

Which is the royal particle of earth?
Where are the marks, the princely ensigns
where?

Which is the slave, and which great David's
heir?

Alas! the beggar's ashes are not known
From his, who lately sat on Israel's throne!
How stands my great account? My soul

survey

The debt Eternal Justice bids thee pay!

Should I frail Memory's records strive to blot,

Will Heaven's tremendous reck'ning be forgot?

Can I, alas! the awful volume tear?
Or raze one page of the dread register?
•Prepare thy house, thy heart in order set;
Prepare the Judge of Heaven and earth to

meet.'

So spake the warning prophet.-Awful words!

Which fearfully my troubled soul records.
Am I prepar'd? and can I meet my doom,
Nor shudder at the dreaded wrath to
come?

Is all in order set, my house, my heart?
Does not besetting sin still claim a part?
No cherish'd error, loth to quit its place,
Obstruct within my soul the work of
grace?

Did I each day for this great day prepare,

By righteous deeds, by sin-subduing pray'r? Did I each night, each day's offence re

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Did gen'rous Candour mark me for her friend?

Did I unjustly seek to build my name
On the pil'd ruins of another's fame ?
Did I abhor, as hell, th' insidious lie,
The low deceit, th unmanly calumny?
Did my fix'd soul the impious wit detest?
Did my firm virtue scorn th' unhallow'd
jest?

The sneer profane, and the poor ridicule
Of shallow Infidelity's dull school?
Did I still live as born one day to die,.
And view th' eternal world with constant
eye?

If so I liv'd, if so I kept thy word,
In mercy view, in mercy hear me, Lord!
For oh! how strict soe'er I kept thy law,
From mercy only all my hopes I draw!
My holiest deeds indulgence will require ;
The best but to forgiveness will aspire ;
If thou my purest services regard,
Twill be with pardon only, not reward!
How imperfection's stamp'd on all below!
How sin intrudes in all we say or do!
How late in all the insolence of health,
VOL. I.

16

I charm'd th' Assyrian by my boast of wealth!

How fondly, with elab'rate pomp display'd

My glitt'ring treasures! with what triumph laid

My gold and gems before his dazzled eyes,
And found a rich reward in his surprise?
O, mean of soul! can wealth elate the
heart,

Which of the man himself is not a part!
O, poverty of pride! O, foul disgrace!
Disgusted Reason, blushing hides her face.
Mortal and proud! strange contradicting
Pride for death's victim, for, the prey of

terms!

worms!

Of all the wonders which th' eventful life
Gf man presents; of all the mental strife
Of warring passions; all the raging fires
Of furious appetites and mad desires,
Not one so strange appears as this alone,
That man is proud of what is not his own!
How short is human life! the very breath!
Which frames my words, accelerates my
death.

Of this short life how large a portions' fled!
To what is gone I am already dead;
As dead to all my years and minutes past,
As I, to what remains, shall be at last.
Can I past miseries so far forget,
To view my vanish'd years with fond re-
gret?

Can I again my worn-out fancy cheat?
Indulge fresh hope? solicit new deceit ?
Of all the vanities weak man admires,
Which greatness gives, youth hopes, or
pride desires,

Of these, my soul, which hast thou not enjoy'd?

With each, with all, thy sated pow'rs are cloy'd.

What can I then expect from length of days?

More wealth, more wisdom, pleasure, health, or praise?

More pleasure! hope not that, deluded king!

For when did age increase of pleasure bring? Is health, of years prolong'd the common boast?

And dear-earn'd Fame, is it not cheaply lost?

More wisdom! that indeed were happiness; That were a wish a king might well confess;

But when did Wisdom covet length of days? Or seek its bliss in pleasures, wealth, or praise?

No:-Wisdom views with an indifferent

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