Prophet Isaiah, ch. xliv. 29. and xlv. 1o which were
sure prophecies, and to be depended upon; and had
their exact accomplishment in him. Heathen writers
report many things, as presages and predictions of his
future greatness; they tell us some dreams, which his
grandfather Astyages had concerning his daughter
Mandane, the mother of Cyrus; which the interpreters
of dreams in those days explained of a future son of
hers, tint was to be lord of all Asia {h}: and Megasthenes {i}
relates-a prophecy of Nebuchadnezzar, who before
his death foretold to the Babyloninns that a calamity
should befall them, which neither his progenitor Belus
nor Queen Beltis could avert; which was, that a Per-
sian mule should-bring them under subjecti6n,assisted
by a Mede; which is understood of Cyrus, who was a
Medo-Persian; his father was Cambyses king of Persia,
and his mother Mandane was daughter of Astyages
king of Media; and he, with Darius the Mode, or how-
ever with his army, conquered Babylon: and' he is also
supposed to be the mule in the Pythian oracle that
should be king of the Medea; by which Croesus was
deceived, who concluded a mule would never be a
king; and therefore, as his kingdom was safe till there
was such an one, it must be for ever so {k}. The birth,
parentage, and education of this prince, together with
his victories, and particularly his taking of Babylon,
are recorded by Xenophon in his history, in great
agreement with this book of Daniel. Plutarch says {}
that Cyrus, or Coresh, as his name is in Hebrew, in the
Persian tongue signifies the sun; and the name of the
sun, Chores, is pretty near in sound to it in the Hebrew
tongue; and of the same signification and derivation
with Cyrus, or Coresh, seems to be Carsbona, one of
the seven princes of Persia. Cyrus is remarkably fa-
mous for the edict he published in fayour of the Jews,
giving them liberty to go to their own land, and rebuild
their temple, Ezra i. 1, 2, 3. according to Cicero {m}, out
of Dionysiua the Persian, he lived to be seventy years
of age; and died after a reign of seven years, according
to Xenophon {n}; and of nine years, acording to Ptolemy's
canon; the one reckoning from the time he became
sole monarch of the empire; the other from his reign-
ing in partnership with his uncle Cyaxares, or Darius
the Mode.

CHAP. II.

The subject of this chapter is a dream which Ne-
buchadnezzar had dreamed, but had forgot; upon
which he calls his magicians and astrologers together,
to tell him it, and the interpretation of it; threatening
them with death if they did not, and promising them
great rewards and honour if they did, ver. 1--43. they
urge the unreasonableness of the demand, and the im-
possibility of the thing; which so highly incensed the
king, that he ordered their immediate destruction, ver.
7--13. Daniel and his companions being in danger, he
goes in to the king, and desires time, and he would
show him what he had dreamed; which being granted,
he spent it in prayer to God, ver. 14--18. and the
thing being revealed to him, he gave thanks to God,
ver. 19---23. and being introduced to the king, he both
told him his dream, and the interpretation of it; which
concerned the four monarchies of the world, and the
everlasting kingdom of the Messiah, ver. 24--45. upon
which he was highly honoured, and greatly promoted
byVthe king, ver. 46--49.
or. 1. And in the second year of the reign of Nebu-
chadnezzar, &c.3 It was in the first year of Nebuchad-
nezzar's reign that Daniel was carried captive, Jer.
xxv. 1. three years Daniel had been under tutors; at
the end of which he was presented to the king, as is
related in the preceding chapter; and yet the following
dream was in the second of his reign: this creates a
difficulty, which is solved by some thus: in the second
year after the destruction of the temple, so the Jewish
chronicle {}, with which Jarchi agrees; others, as Aben
Ezra, in the second year of his monarchy, after he had
subdued all the nations round about; and so Josephus
says P, it was in the second year after the destruction
of the Egyptians. R. Moses the priest, in Aben Ezra,
would have it to be the second year to his reign, to the
end of it, when there were only two years wanting to
it; a very unusual way of reckoning indeed! and there-
fore .justly rejected by Aben Ezra: but all these dates
are too late, since Daniel long before these times was
well known, and in greatfame for his wisdom; whereas.
at this time, it does not appear that he was much
known, or in great request: it is better either to render
it, in the second year, that is, after Daniel and his com-
panions had'been presented to the king, andpromoted;
even in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, as opposed to the
reign of Darius or Cyrus, in which he flourished also:
or rather this was the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's
reigning alone; for he had been taken into partnership
in the throne with his father before his death, as Be-
rosus {q} observes, which is said to be two years; so that
this second year was the fourth year Of his reign,
reckoning from the time he reigned conjunctly with
his father, though the second of his reigning alone:
yet it seems best of all to render the words, with Nol-
dius {}, but in the second year, in the reign of Nebuchad-
nezzar; that is, in the second yrear of Daniel's ministry
in or under the reign of Nebuchadnezzar; who con-
tinued at co.urt under different reigns, till the first of
Cyrus: this was, according to Bishop Usher *, and
Mr. Whiston t, in the year of the Julian period 4111, and

{h} Herodoti Clio, sive I. 1. c. 107, 108. Justin. e Trogo, 1. 1.
{i} Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. I. 9. c. 41. p. 456, 437.
{k} Herodotus, Clio. sive I. 1. c. 55.
{l} In Vita Artaxerxis.
{m} De Divinatione, I.1.
{n} Cyropaedia, I. 8. c. 45.
{o} Seder Olam Rabba, c. 28. p. 80.
{p} Autiqu. I. 10. c. 10. sect. 3.
{q} Apud Joseph. contr. Apion. I. i. c. 19.
{r} Concord. Ebr. Part. p. 452. No. 1405.
{s} Annales Vet. Test. A. M. 3401.
{t} Chronological Tables, cent. 9.