BELSHAZZAR [Illustration] [Illustration: “The poet sang a marvellous song, full of all the flowery flatteries of the East, praising the princess.”] BELSHAZZAR A TALE OF THE FALL OF BABYLON BY WILLIAM STEARNS DAVIS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY LEE WOODWARD ZIGLER DECORATIONS BY J.E. LAUB. NEW YORK DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & CO. 1902 [Illustration] COPYRIGHT, 1901, 1902, BY JOHN WANAMAKER. COPYRIGHT, 1902, BY DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY. PUBLISHED JUNE, 1902. NORWOOD PRESS J. S. CUSHING & CO.—BERWICK & SMITH NORWOOD MASS. U.S.A. [Illustration: CONTENTS] CHAPTER PAGE I. BABYLON THE GREAT 1 II. BELSHAZZAR THE KING 14 III. THE YOKE OF THE CHALDEES 31 IV. RUTH 48 V. THE TEMPLE OF NABU 60 VI. THE GLORY OF THE CHALDEES 75 VII. THE SPELL OF THE MASKIM 97 VIII. THE HAREM OF THE KING 117 IX. THE KING OF THE BOW 131 X. BEL ACCUSES 154 XI. NABU DEFIES THE KING 167 XII. THE WISE GUDEA PROSPERS 181 XIII. GUDEA FARES ON A JOURNEY 196 XIV. BELSHAZZAR CHOOSES HIS PATH 212 XV. DANIEL DELIVERS A MESSAGE 229 XVI. THE PROCESSION OF BEL 245 XVII. BEL TOTTERS 264 XVIII. AVIL-MARDUK GIVES COUNSEL 283 XIX. CYRUS, FATHER OF THE PEOPLE 297 XX. BELSHAZZAR’S GUESTS FORSAKE HIM 310 XXI. BELSHAZZAR PURSUES IN VAIN 325 XXII. THE KING AND THE FATHER 342 XXIII. BELSHAZZAR SECURES HIS PREY 354 XXIV. THE WARNING OF JEHOVAH 370 XXV. NABU BETRAYS BEL-MARDUK 387 XXVI. THE FULFILMENT OF JEHOVAH 397 XXVII. “BEL IS DEAD” 412 [Illustration] [Illustration: LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS] “The poet sang a marvellous song, full of all the flowery flatteries of the East, praising the princess” (page 82) _Frontispiece_