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the wretched one received benefit, but the God of all, being indignant, first frightens him through a dream, then through Daniel he makes clear the things signified by the dream. And not even then does he bring on the punishment immediately, but he offers him counsel and advice through Daniel, and is longsuffering for a whole year, awaiting his repentance. But since he did not wish to reap any cure from this longsuffering, He brings upon him the evils he threatened; and He punishes him not simply, but strikes that arrogant mind, which had daydreamed of things beyond nature, with madness and insanity. Then he causes him, having become like a wild beast, to be driven out 81.1356, and to dwell in the deserts for a long time. Then He causes him to gain a perception of the terrible things that possessed him; for it was not possible for him to reap benefit while being completely senseless and without feeling. Thus, having recovered, he recognizes the swift-flowing changes of life, and he wails and laments his own foolishness, and he confesses that the kingdom of God is without successor, remaining for all ages. Having been taught these things by experience, again through the ineffable love for mankind of God, he returned to his own kingdom; and thinking he would wrong all men if he were to hide God's providence, through a letter to all his subjects throughout the world he relates both his former prosperity and the hardship that befell him; then the repentance, through which he propitiated the Master. Such, then, is the subject of the letter; but I have made it longer, both wishing to show his pride with scriptural testimonies, and desiring to make clear the care of the God of all for everyone. Come now, let us begin the interpretation part by part. "Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, tribes, and languages, who dwell in all the earth: may peace be multiplied to you." It is fitting to apply to these words that prophetic voice: "It is good for me that you humbled me, that I might learn your statutes." And he, taught by experience to be sober-minded, was revealed as a teacher of piety, and he sets forth his own sufferings as remedies for all men, and not only to his subjects, but also to those who are outside his kingdom. Well and fittingly did he make his address: "May peace be multiplied to you;" that is, may you be unacquainted with the evils I have experienced; may you continue to enjoy peace. Then he adds; 9. "The signs and wonders which God the Most High has done with me, it has pleased me to declare to you." Having become an eyewitness of the divine wonders, he says, I have considered it right to make you all partakers in the contemplation of them. For they are not ordinary things, but great and mighty, and! 100. "How great and mighty they are; his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation." For human affairs, whatever they may be, have an end, and a swift end; but only the kingdom of God is enduring and unshakable. Thus, having first taught the cause of the events, he begins the narrative concerning it.

CHAPTER IV. 1. "I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house,

and flourishing upon my throne, and prosperous among my people." He has set down his own name not simply, but so that the name might bear witness to his words. For since he was very famous, having indeed taken command of all in Asia, and Egypt, and Ethiopia, he has set forth his name, which is sufficient for testimony 81.1357 of the things being said. And he said: I was therefore in the utmost good fortune, and continued to be surrounded by countless good things; and while I was in this state, 2. "I saw a dream," he says, "and it frightened me, and I was amazed at all these things, and I was troubled on my bed, and the visions of my head disturbed me." For being in such great prosperity, I saw a grievous dream, and I was greatly terrified by the sight of the dream, but I was more troubled at not being able to perceive the things signified by it; for which reason

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δείλαιος ὠφέλειαν ἐδέξατο, ἀγανακτήσας ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς δεδίττεται μὲν αὐτὸν πρότερον δι' ἐνυπνίου, εἶτα διὰ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ τὰ διὰ τοῦ ἐνυπνίου σημαινόμενα δῆλα ποιεῖ. Καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως εὐθὺς ἐπάγει τὴν τιμωρίαν, ἀλλὰ προσφέρει μὲν αὐτῷ συμβουλὴν καὶ παραίνεσιν διὰ τοῦ ∆ανιὴλ, ἐνιαυτόν τε ὅλον μακροθυμεῖ τὴν μεταμέλειαν ἀναμένων. Ὡς δὲ οὐδεμίαν ἰατρείαν ἐκ τῆς μακροθυμίας ἠθέλησε δρέψασθαι, ἃ ἠπείλησεν ἐπιφέρει κακά· τιμωρεῖταί τε αὐτὸν οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀλαζόνα νοῦν ἐκεῖνον τὸν τὰ ὑπὲρ φύσιν ὀνειροπολήσαντα, φρενοβλαβείᾳ παίει καὶ παραπλη ξίᾳ. Εἶτα θηριώδη γενόμενον ἐξελαθῆναι παρα 81.1356 σκευάζει, καὶ τὰς ἐρήμους οἰκεῖν ἐπὶ χρόνῳ μα κρῷ. Ἔπειτα αἴσθησιν παρασκευάζει αὐτὸν λα βεῖν τῶν κατεχόντων δεινῶν· οὔτε γὰρ ἦν οἷόν τε αὐτὸν ὠφέλειαν δρέψασθαι ἀναισθήτως καὶ ἀναλ γήτως παντελῶς διακείμενον. Οὕτως ἀνανεύσας ἐκεῖνος, ἐπιγινώσκει μὲν τὰς ὀξυῤῥόπους τοῦ βίου μεταβολὰς, θρηνεῖ δὲ καὶ ὀλοφύρεται τὴν οἰκείαν ἀβελτηρίαν, ὁμολογεῖ τε τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείαν ἀδιάδοχον εἶναι, εἰς ἅπαντας διαμένουσαν τοὺς αἰῶ νας. Ταῦτα τῇ πείρᾳ διδαχθεὶς, πάλιν διὰ τὴν ἄῤῥη τον τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἀπελήλυ θε βασιλείαν· ἀδικεῖν δὲ νομίσας ἅπαντας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, εἰ κρύψειε Θεοῦ τὴν προμήθειαν, δι' ἐπιστολῆς πᾶσι τοῖς κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ὑπηκόοις ἐξηγεῖται τήν τε προτέραν εὐημερίαν, καὶ συμβᾶ σαν δυσκληρίαν· εἶτα τὴν μεταμέλειαν, δι' ἧς τὸν ∆εσπότην ἐξιλεώσατο. Ἡ μὲν οὖν τῆς ἐπιστολῆς ὑπόθεσις αὕτη· διὰ πλειόνων δὲ αὐτὴν ἐποιησάμην, καὶ τὸν τούτου τῦφον ταῖς Γραφικαῖς μαρτυρίαις δεῖξαι βουληθεὶς, καὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων τὴν περὶ πάντας κηδεμονίαν δήλην ποιῆσαι θελήσας. Φέρε τοίνυν, τῆς κατὰ μέρος ἑρμηνείας ἀρξώμεθα. "Να βουχοδονόσορ ὁ βασιλεὺς πᾶσι τοῖς λαοῖς, φυλαῖς, γλώσσαις, τοῖς οἰκοῦσιν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ, εἰρήνη ὑμῖν πληθυνθείη." Προσήκει τούτοις ἁρμόσαι τοῖς λό γοις τὴν προφητικὴν ἐκείνην φωνήν· "Ἀγαθόν μοι ὅτι ἐταπείνωσάς με, ὅπως ἂν μάθω τὰ δι καιώματά σου." Τῇ πείρᾳ δὲ καὶ οὗτος διδαχθεὶς σωφρονεῖν, εὐσεβείας ἀπεφάνθη διδάσκαλος, καὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα πάθη φάρμακα πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις προτίθησι, καὶ οὐ μόνον τοῖς ὑπηκόοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἔξω τῆς βασιλείας ὑπάρχουσι. Καλῶς δὲ καὶ ἁρμοδίως τὴν προσηγορίαν ἐποιήσατο· "Εἰρήνη ὑμῖν πληθυνθείη·" τουτέστιν, ἀπείρατοι γένοισθε ὧν ἐπειράθην κακῶν, εἰρήνης ἀπολαύοντες διατελεῖτε. Εἶτα ἐπάγει· θʹ. "Τὰ σημεῖα καὶ τὰ τέρατα, ἃ ἐποίησε μετ' ἐμοῦ ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ὕψιστος, ἤρεσεν ἐνώπιον ἐμοῦ ἀναγ γεῖλαι ὑμῖν." Τῶν θείων, φησὶ, θαυμάτων αὐτόπτης γενόμενος, νενόμικα δίκαιον κοινωνοὺς ὑμᾶς ἅπαν τας τῆς τούτων θεωρίας λαβεῖν. Οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ τὰ τυχόντα, ἀλλὰ μεγάλα καὶ ἰσχυρὰ, καί! ρʹ. "Ὡς μεγάλα καὶ ἰσχυρά· ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ βασιλεία αἰώνιος, καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ εἰς γενεὰν καὶ γενεάν." Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἀνθρώπινα, ὁποῖα ἂν ᾖ, τέ λος ἔχει, καὶ τέλος ταχύ· μόνη δὲ διαρκὴς καὶ ἀσά λευτος ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλεία. Οὕτω προδιδάξας τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων αἰτίαν, ἄρχεται τῆς κατ' αὐτὴν διηγήσεως.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ∆ʹ. αʹ. "Ἐγὼ Ναβουχοδονόσορ εὐθηνῶν ἤμην ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ μου,

καὶ εὐθαλῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου μου, καὶ πίων ἐν τῷ λαῷ μου." Τέθεικε δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ προσηγορίαν οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸ ὄνομα μαρτυ ρήσῃ τοῖς λόγοις. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ σφόδρα ἐπίσημος ἦν, ἅτε δὴ πάντων τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν, καὶ τὴν Αἴγυ πτον, καὶ τὴν Αἰθιοπίαν, τὴν ἡγεμονίαν λαβὼν, προ τέθεικεν αὐτοῦ τὴν προσηγορίαν, ἀρκοῦσαν εἰς μαρ 81.1357 τυρίαν τῶν λεγομένων. Ἔφη δέ· Ἐν ἄκρᾳ οὖν εὐκληρίᾳ, καὶ μυρίοις ἀγαθοῖς περιῤῥεόμενος διετέ λουν· ἐν τούτοις δὲ ὢν, βʹ. "Ἐνύπνιον, φησὶν, εἶδον, καὶ ἐφοβέρισέ με, καὶ ἐθαύμασα ἐπὶ τούτοις πᾶσι, καὶ ἐταράχθην ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης μου, καὶ αἱ ὁράσεις τῆς κεφαλῆς μου συνετάραξάν με." Ἐν τοσαύτῃ γὰρ ὑπάρχων εὐ ημερίᾳ, ὄναρ εἶδον λυπηρὸν, καὶ ἐξεδειματώθην μὲν σφόδρα τῇ θεωρίᾳ τοῦ ἐνυπνίου, ἐταρασσόμην δὲ πλέον τὰ διὰ τούτου σημαινόμενα κατιδεῖν οὐ δυνά μενος· οὗ χάριν