Great(i)
1 Kynge Balthazar made a great bancket to his thousand Lordes: with all these thousande he made great chere,
2 and when he was droncken with wyne commaunded to bring hym the golden and syluer vessels which hys father Nabuchodonosor had taken oute of the temple at Ierusalem: that the kynge & his Lordes with his quene and concubynes myght drincke therout.
3 So they brought the golden vessell, that was taken oute of the temple of the Lordes house at Ierusalem. Then the kynge and his Lordes with his quene and concubines droncke out of them.
4 They droncke wyne, and praysed theyr Idoles of golde, syluer, copper yron, wodde and stone.
5 In the very same houre there appeared fyngers, as it had bene of a mans hande writynge, ryght ouer agaynst the candelstycke vpon the playne wall in the kynges palace: & the kynge sawe the palme of the hande that wrote.
6 Then chaunged the kynge his countenaunce, and his thoughtes troubled hym, so that the ioyntes of his body shoke, and hys knees smote one agaynst the other.
7 Wherfore the kinge cried myghtely, that they shulde brynge hym the charmers. Caldees and coniurers of deuels. The kynge spake also to the wyse men of Babylon, and sayde: Who so can rede this writing, & shewe me the playne meaning therof: shalbe clothed with purple, haue a cheyne of golde aboute his necke, and rule the thyrde part of my kyngdome.
8 Upon this, came all the kinges wyse men: but they coulde nether reade the writynge, ner shewe the kinge what it signifyed.
9 Then was the kynge sore afrayed, in so moch, that hys coloure chaunged, and his Lordes were sore vexed.
10 So by reason of this matter, that had happened to the kynge & his Lordes, the quene went vp herselfe into the bancket house, and spake vnto the kinge, sayinge: O kyng, God saue thy lyfe for euer. Let not the thoughtes trouble the, and let not thy countenaunce be chaunged.
11 For why? there is a man in thy kyngdome, that hath the sprete of the holy goddes within him, as it was sene in thy fathers dayes. He hath vnderstandynge and wysdome lyke the goddes. Ye the kynge Nabuchodonosor thy father made this man chefe of the sothsayers, charmers, Caldees and readers of destines:
12 because that soche an aboundaunt sprete, knowledge & wysdome (to expounde dreames, to open secretes, and to declare harde dowtes) was founde in him: yee, euen in Daniel, whom the kyng named Balthasar. Let this same Daniel be sente for, and he shall tell, what it meaneth.