and knewest no man after the death of thy husband, and therefore the hand of God hath comforted thee.  And therefore thou shalt be blessed world without end, and all the people said:  Fiat! fiat! be it done, be it done.  Certainly the spoils of the Assyrians were unnethe gathered and assembled together in thirty days, of the people of Israel, but all the proper riches that were appertaining to Holofernes and could be found that had been his, they were given to Judith as well gold, silver, gems, clothes, as all other appurtenances to household; and all was delivered to her of the people, and the folks, with women and maidens, joyed in organs and harps.  Then Judith sang this song unto God saying:  Begin ye in timbrels, sing ye to the Lord in cymbals, mannerly sing to him a new psalm.  Fully joy ye, and inwardly call ye his name, and so forth.  And for this great miracle and victory all the people came to Jerusalem for to give laud, honor, and worship unto our Lord God.  And after they were purified they offered sacrifices, vows, and behests unto God, and the joy of this victory was solemnized during three months, and after that, each went home again into his own city and house, and Judith returned into Bethulia, and was made more great and clear to all men of the land of Israel.  She was joined to the virtue of chastity, so that she knew no man all the days of her life after the death of Manasses, her husband, and dwelled in the house of her husband an hundred and five years, and she left her demoiselle free.  After this she died and is buried in Bethulia and all the people bewailed her seven days.  During her life after this journey was no trouble among the Jews, and the day of this victory of the Hebrews was accepted for a feastful day, and hallowed of the Jews and numbered among their feasts unto this day.

THE VISION OF BELSHAZZAR

The King was on his throne,
  The Satraps throng’d the hall;
A thousand bright lamps shone
  O’er that high festival. 
A thousand cups of gold,
  In Judah deem’d divine—­
Jehovah’s vessels hold
  The godless Heathen’s wine.

In that same hour and hall
  The fingers of a Hand
Came forth against the wall,
  And wrote as if on sand: 
The fingers of a man;—­
  A solitary hand
Along the letters ran,
  And traced them like a wand.

The monarch saw, and shook,
  And bade no more rejoice;
All bloodless wax’d his look,
  And tremulous his voice:—­
“Let the men of lore appear,
  The wisest of the earth,
And expound the words of fear,
  Which mar our royal mirth.”

Chaldea’s seers are good,
  But here they have no skill;
And the unknown letters stood
  Untold and awful still. 
And Babel’s men of age
  Are wise and deep in lore;
But now they were not sage,
  They saw—­but knew no more.

A Captive in the land,
  A stranger and a youth,
He heard the king’s command,
  He saw that writing’s truth;
The lamps around were bright,
  The prophecy in view;
He read it on that night,—­
  The morrow proved it true!