After a solemne supper made to al the court, and chief princes, king
Darius sleeping: 4. three esquires of the bodie keeping watch, proposed
the question: 10. VVhether wine, or a King, or wemen, or the truth doth
excel? 17. The first prayseth wine.
KING Darius made a great supper to al his domestical seruantes, and to
al the magistrates of Media and Persia, 2 and to al that were purple,
and to the praetors, and counsuls, and liuetenantes vnder him from
India vnto AEthiopia, an hundred twentie seuen prouinces. 3 And when
they had eaten and drunken, and returned ful, then Darius went vp into
his chamber, and slept, and awaked. 4 Then those three youngmen kepers
of his bodie, which garded the kings bodie, sayd one to an other; 5 Let
euerie one of vs say a word that may excel: & whose word soeuer shal
appeare wiser then the others, to him wil king Darius geue great
giftes, 6 to be couered with purple, & to drinke in gold, and to sleepe
vpon gold, & a chariote with a bridle of gold, & a bonet of silke, and
a cheyne about his necke: 7 and he shal sit in the second place next
Darius for his wisdome. And he shal be called the cosin of Darius. 8
Then euerie one writing his word signed it, and they put it vnder the
pillow of Darius the king, 9 and they sayd. When the king shal rise, we
wil geue him our writinges: and which soeuer of the three the king shal
iudge, and the magistrates of Persia, that his word is the wiser, to
him shal the victorie be geuen as is writen. 10 One wrote: Wine is
strong. 11 An other wrote, a King is stronger. 12 The third wrote,
Wemen are more strong: but aboue al thinges truth ouercometh. 13 And
when the king was risen, they tooke their writinges, and gaue him, and
he read. 14 And sending he called al the Magistrates of Persians, and
the Medes, and them that weare purple, and the pretors, and the
ouerseers; 15 and they sate in the councel: and the writinges were read
before them. 16 And he sayd: Cal the youngmen, and they shal declare
their owne wordes. And they were called, and went in. 17 And he sayd to
them: Declare vnto vs concerning these thinges which are writen. And
the first began, he that had spoken of the strength of wine, 18 and
sayd: O ye men, how doth wine preuaile ouer al men that drinke! it
seduceth the minde. 19 And also the mind of king and orphane it maketh
vaine. Also of the bondman and the free, of the rich man and the poore,
20 and euerie mind it turneth into securitie and pleasantnes, and it
remembreth not any sorow and dewtie, 21 and al hartes it maketh honest,
and it remembreth not king, nor magistrate, and it maketh a man speake
al thinges by talentes. 22 And when they haue drunke, they remember not
frendship, nor brotherhood: yea and not long after they take swordes.
23 And when they are recouered and risen from the wine, they remember
not what they haue done. 24 O ye men, doth not wine excel? who thinketh
to doe so? And hauing sayd this, he held his peace.