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See the philanthropy and gentleness of the prophet. But he would not have been heard, unless he had added that also: Bring me in, he says, and I will report to the king the interpretation of the vision. Then Arioch, he says, brought Daniel in with haste before the king, and said to him: I have found a man from the sons of the captivity of Judea, who will declare the interpretation to the king. From the sons of the captivity, he says, I have found a man. He was not ashamed of his race. For when a greater necessity is at hand, none of these things is sought, but all the arrogance in times of prosperity is suppressed. For indeed, one who is sick would never be concerned about the noble birth of the physician, and in general a man in danger would not be inquisitive whether he who is about to snatch him from dangers is of noble birth or just anyone, but he seeks one thing only, deliverance. Who would not be ashamed, who would not blush, seeing all those in the fatherland being destroyed, but the captives being puffed up, and thinking great things? He thought of none of these things, none of it, but he too called in haste, and this one asked, no longer with the same madness. For since the king was convicted by experience of seeking foolish [f. unprofitable] things, what does he say? And the king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar: Are you able to declare to me the dream which I saw, and its interpretation? He speaks with greater gentleness. He did not say: If you are not able, you will suffer the same things. What then of Daniel? And Daniel answered before the king, and said: The mystery which the king seeks, it is not in the power of wise men, magicians, enchanters, Gazarenes to declare to the king; but there is a God in heaven revealing mysteries, and He has made known to king Nebuchadnezzar what must happen in the last days. See the understanding of the prophet. He did not say immediately: I am able to report to you; but what the king needed to learn before all else, this he says. The mystery, he says, which the king asks, it is not in the power of wise men, magicians, enchanters, Gazarenes to declare to the king; there is a God in heaven revealing mysteries. He speaks in defense of those who were unjustly destroyed, showing that he himself is not the one speaking. Not for this reason, he says, did I say that this is not of magicians, that I might show myself more illustrious than they, but that you may learn that neither do I speak according to human nature. But there is a God in heaven. Not enclosing Him there, but as speaking for the time being to a barbarian, and leading him away from the earth, not like your gods who are concerned with the earth. And He has made known to king Nebuchadnezzar what must happen in the last times. See, he speaks in riddles, and he includes the whole substance of the vision 56.204 in the introductions, and relaxes his mind, saying nothing burdensome or offensive. Your dream, he says, and the visions of your head upon your bed; that is, your thoughts upon your bed came up, what must happen after these things. And He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what must happen. He speaks according to the common supposition, as if dreams stand over the head, or as if the rational faculty is there, or of the head, of the eyes, in order to say: You provided the cause. Nor did he simply say that God revealed it to you, but, You were considering what must happen after these things. For since he had dominion over the world, he was considering whether he himself would transmit the kingdom to all, or would die. For somehow the greatness of his rule and of his nature is accustomed to lead us to forget that he is mortal. It is likely, therefore, that having fallen into the sea of his own achievements, he did not strongly believe that he would die. At any rate, another king also experienced this. Therefore someone also said to him, But you are a man, not God, speaking to the Tyrian. And see how he reproves him without a blow. For he did not say that you suspected this, but, What must happen after these things. These things you were thinking and considering what would be. Upon your bed. When no one was disturbing, but the soul was at rest; when especially the crowd of thoughts comes upon us, taking advantage of both the quiet and the idleness. For this reason it is the custom for many

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Ὅρα τὸ φιλάνθρωπον καὶ ἥμερον τοῦ προφήτου. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἠκούσθη, εἰ μὴ κἀκεῖνο προσέθηκεν· Εἰσάγαγέ με, φησὶ, καὶ ἀπαγγελῶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν σύγκρισιν τοῦ ὁράματος. Τότε Ἀριὼχ, φησὶν, εἰσήγαγε τὸν ∆ανιὴλ ἐν σπουδῇ ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Εὕρηκα ἄνδρα ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ὅστις τὸ σύγκριμα ἀναγγελεῖ τῷ βασιλεῖ. Ἀπὸ τῶν υἱῶν τῆς αἰχμα λωσίας, φησὶν, εὕρηκα ἄνδρα. Οὐκ ᾐσχύνθη τὸ γένος. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀνάγκη ἐπίκειται μείζων, οὐδὲν τούτων ζητεῖται, ἀλλ' ὁ τῦφος ὁ ἐν ταῖς εὐημερίαις ἅπας καταστέλλεται. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ νοσῶν οὐκ ἄν ποτε τοῦ ἰατροῦ τὴν εὐγένειαν περιεργάσαιτο, καὶ ἄλλως κινδυνεύων ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἂν πολυπραγμονήσειεν, εἴτε εὐπατρίδης, εἴτε ὁ τυχὼν εἴη ὁ μέλλων αὐτὸν ἐξαρ πάζειν τῶν κινδύνων, ἀλλ' ἓν μόνον ζητεῖ, τὴν ἀπαλ λαγήν. Τίς οὐκ ἂν αἰσχυνθῇ, τίς οὐκ ἂν ἐρυθριάσῃ, ὁρῶν τοὺς μὲν ἐν τῇ πατρίδι πάντας ἀναιρουμένους, τοὺς δὲ αἰχμαλώτους φυσωμένους, καὶ μέγα φρονοῦν τας; Οὐδὲν τούτων, οὐδὲν αὐτὸς ἐνενόησεν, ἀλλ' ἐν σπουδῇ κἀκεῖνος ἐκάλεσε, καὶ οὗτος ἠρώτησεν, οὐκέτι μετὰ τῆς αὐτῆς ἀπονοίας. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἠλέγ χθη διὰ τῆς πείρας ἀνόητα [f. ἀνόνητα] ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπιζητῶν, τί φησι; Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ὁ βασιλεὺς, καὶ εἶπεν τῷ ∆ανιὴλ, οὗ τὸ ὄνομα Βαλτάσαρ· Εἰ δύνασαί μοι ἀναγγεῖλαι τὸ ἐνύπνιον, ὃ εἶδον, καὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ; Μετὰ πλείονος τῆς ἐπιεικείας διαλέγεται. Οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἂν μὴ δυνηθῇς, τὰ αὐτὰ πείσῃ. Τί οὖν ὁ ∆ανιήλ; Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη ∆ανιὴλ ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ εἶπε· Τὸ μυστήριον, ὃ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπιζητεῖ, οὐκ ἔστι σοφῶν, μάγων, ἐπαοιδῶν, Γαζαρηνῶν δύναμις ἀναγγεῖλαι τῷ βασιλεῖ· ἀλλ' ἔστι Θεὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ ἀποκαλύπτων μυστήρια, καὶ ἐγνώρισε τῷ βασιλεῖ Ναβουχο δονόσορ ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν. Ὅρα σύνεσιν τοῦ προφήτου. Οὐκ εἶπεν εὐθέως· ∆ύναμαι ἀπαγγεῖλαί σοι· ἀλλ' ὃ πρὸ πάντων ἔδει μαθεῖν τὸν βασιλέα, τοῦτο λέγει. Τὸ μυστήριον, φησὶ, ὃ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπερωτᾷ, οὐκ ἔστι σοφῶν, μάγων, ἐπαοιδῶν, Γαζαρηνῶν δύναμις ἀναγγεῖλαι τῷ βασιλεῖ· ἔστι Θεὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ ἀποκαλύπτων μυστήρια. Ἀπολογεῖται ὑπὲρ τῶν κακῶς ἀναιρε θέντων, δεικνὺς οὐκ αὐτὸν ὄντα τὸν λέγοντα. Οὐ διὰ τοῦτο, φησὶ, εἶπον, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι μάγων τοῦτο, ἵνα ἐμαυτὸν ἐκείνων λαμπρότερον δείξω, ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐγὼ κατὰ ἀνθρωπίνην λέγω φύσιν. Ἀλλ' ἔστι Θεὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ. Οὐκ ἐκεῖ συγκλείων αὐτὸν, ἀλλ' ὡς πρὸς βάρβαρον τέως διαλεγόμενος, καὶ τῆς γῆς ἀπάγων, οὐχ ὡς οἱ ὑμέτεροι οἱ περὶ γῆν στρεφό μενοι. Καὶ ἐγνώρισε τῷ βασιλεῖ Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν χρόνων. Ὅρα, δι' αἰνιγμάτων λέγει, καὶ τὸ πᾶν κεφάλαιον τῆς ὄψεως 56.204 περιλαμβάνει ἐν τοῖς προοιμίοις, καὶ ἀνίησιν αὐτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν, οὐδὲν φορτικὸν, οὐδὲ ἐπαχθὲς λέγων. Τὸ ἐνύπνιόν σου, φησὶ, καὶ αἱ ὁράσεις τῆς κεφα λῆς σου ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης σου· τουτέστιν, οἱ δια λογισμοί σου ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης σου ἀνέβησαν, τί δεῖ γενέσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα. Καὶ ὁ ἀποκαλύπτων μυστήρια, ἐγνώρισέ σοι ἃ δεῖ γενέσθαι. Κατὰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν ὑπόνοιαν διαλέγεται, ὡς ὑπὲρ κεφαλῆς τῶν ὀνείρων ἱσταμένων, ἢ ὡς ἐκεῖ τοῦ λογιστικοῦ ὄντος, ἢ τῆς κεφαλῆς, τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, ἵνα εἴπῃ· Σὺ παρέσχες αἰτίαν. Οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν, ὅτι Ὁ Θεός σοι ἔφηνεν, ἀλλὰ, ∆ιελογίζου τί δεῖ γενέσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐκράτησεν, ἐλογίζετο ἄρα εἰ εἰς πάντας αὐτὸς παραπέμψει τὴν βασιλείαν, ἢ τελευτήσει. Εἴωθε γάρ πως τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τῆς φύσεως ἡμᾶς εἰς λήθην ἄγειν, ὅτι θνητός ἐστι. Εἰκὸς οὖν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πέλαγος ἐμπεσόντα τῶν οἰ κείων κατορθωμάτων, μὴ σφόδρα πιστεύειν ὅτι ἀποθα νεῖται. Τοῦτο γοῦν καὶ ἕτερος ἔπαθε βασιλεύς. ∆ιὸ καί τις ἔλεγε πρὸς αὐτὸν, Σὺ δὲ ἄνθρωπος εἶ, οὐ Θεὸς, πρὸς τὸν Τύριον λέγων. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς χωρὶς πληγῆς αὐτὸν ἐλέγχει. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι Τοῦτο ὑπώπτευσας, ἀλλὰ, Τί δεῖ γενέσθαι μετὰ ταῦτα. Ταῦτα ἐνενόεις καὶ ἐλογίζου τί ἄρα ἔσται. Ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης σου. Ὅτε οὐδεὶς ὁ παρενοχλῶν, ἀλλ' ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ ἦν ἡ ψυχή· ὅτε μάλιστα τῶν λογισμῶν ὁ ὄχλος ἡμῖν ἐπεισέρχεται, τῇ τε ἡσυχίᾳ καὶ τῇ ἀργίᾳ ἀποχρώμενος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τοῖς πολλοῖς ἔθος