With
eager words they praise His Majesty, and say that He alone is God
Almighty, Wise King of glory, of earth and heaven. Call these
men forth from out the furnace, prince of the Chaldeans! In no
wise is it well that they should linger in that torture longer
than thou hast need."
(ll. 430-439) Then the king bade the young men come before him.
Boldly the noble youths obeyed His word and came as they were
bidden. The young men rose and went before the heathen king.
Their fetters were burned away and the bonds of the king which
were laid upon them, but their bodies were saved from harm. For
their beauty was no wise injured, nor was any harm come upon
their garments, nor their hair singed by the fire, but in God's
protection they came forth gladly from that gruesome horror, wise
of heart and favoured by the Holy Ghost.
(ll. 440-457) Then the angel, a faithful servant to the Holy
Lord, departed up to seek eternal bliss on the high roof of the
heavenly kingdom. And by that marvel he had honoured those who
had deserved it. The young men praised the Lord before the
heathen host, exhorting them with words of truth, rehearsing many
truthful tokens before the king, until he too believed this was a
God of wonders who freed them from the darkness. And the mighty
lord of Babylon, the haughty king, decreed among his people that
he was guilty unto death whoso denied this was a glorious God of
might who freed them from that death.
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