Imagine the vacant look of the terrified Aaron, as he gave his imbecile explanation of the golden calf! Moses and Joshua are coming down from the mountain. "And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And Moses answered, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome; but the noise of them that sing do I hear." Soon they draw near the camp and see "the calf and the dancing." Then does the anger of Moses wax hot. In his rage he flings down and shatters the "tables of stone." Like a whirlwind he descends upon the camp, hurls the miserable calf into the fire, and demands an explanation of his recreant brother. "What did this people unto thee that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?" Aaron quails beneath the wrath of Moses and stammers: "Thou knowest the people that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods which shall go before us: for as for this Moses"--think of that, _this Moses_--"that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what has become of him." You see they are set on mischief; they were disrespectful even unto you--_this Moses_. Something had to be done. "And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and"--what do you suppose happened?--"_there came out this calf_!" I was as much surprised as you are, but no one is responsible--_it did itself_! In quaint fashion did Saul make honest confession when smitten with remorse on account of his persecution of David: "Behold I have played the fool!" The regret of Prince Hal also--"Thus do we play the fools with time, while the spirits of the wise sit in the clouds and mock us." What an odd--almost laughable--spectacle is the bombastic Nebuchadnezzar, one moment proudly striding along the battlements of his palace, "Is not this great Babylon which I have builded?"--the next eating grass like the beasts of the field! As Carlyle says: "A purple Nebuchadnezzar rejoices to feel himself now veritably emperor of this great Babylon which he has builded; and _is_ a nondescript, biped-quadruped, on the eve of a seven years' course of grazing."