Act 3 — SCENE I

Place: The court room of King Darius.

Characters: King Darius, Daniel, Four Conspirators, Soldiers, Servants.

[King Darius is seated on his throne. Soldiers and attendants stand nearby. The conspirators are talking together at one side. Daniel, followed by two soldiers, comes in and kneels before the King.]

Daniel: King Darius, live forever!

King Darius: Good Daniel, I have sent for thee that thou mayest know my will. It has pleased me to set over my kingdom one hundred and twenty princes, and over these princes have I set three rulers. Thou hast been so faithful and true that I wish to make thee the first of these three rulers. Thou shalt have great responsibility, and thou shalt report to me when thou thinkest it well to do so.

Daniel: Thou art kind and gracious unto me, O King! May the Lord, Jehovah, help me to do this.

King Darius: Come unto the feast, Daniel, and have the royal robe placed on thee.

[Daniel bows to the King and they both go out, followed by the soldiers and servants.]

[The conspirators are left alone in the room. They show great anger and begin talking to each other.]

First Conspirator: See how this Daniel has found favor in the King's sight! He is not of our country, he belongs to the Hebrew people; but the King has appointed him over us all! We must destroy this Daniel.

Second Conspirator: Yea, thou art right. What can we do?

[They all walk back and forth in deep thought.]

Third Conspirator: I can think of nothing against him!

Fourth Conspirator: Thou sayest the truth; he hath no fault. He is faithful and doth nothing wrong.

First Conspirator: I can think of nothing, save that we find it against him concerning his God.

Fourth Conspirator: Ah, that is true; Daniel worshipeth a different God; I have seen him praying thrice in one day.

Second Conspirator: Let us influence the King to make a firm decree that whosoever shall worship any God or man, save the King, for thirty days, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

Third Conspirator: That soundeth well! If Daniel be faithful to his God, he will surely disobey this decree; and if the King once signeth it, the law of the Medes and the Persians saith that it cannot be altered.

First Conspirator: Ah, this will surely be Daniel's ruin now!

Fourth Conspirator: Come, let us hasten to the King and have him establish and sign this decree. He will be pleased; he will not think of Daniel.

Third Conspirator: Yea, we will hasten before the setting of the sun.