28 Ashpenaz, the chief officer of the court, placed the young Hebrew princes under the care of teachers, who were required to instruct them in the language, laws, customs, and institution§ of the Babylonians. They were also, probably, taught the sciences of astronomy and mathematics. Astronomy was early cultivated in the plains of Chaldea ; for there the mildness of the climate invited the inhabitants to spend many of their nights in the open air on the roofs of their houses, while the beauty of the sky and the brilliancy of the stars, led to a study of the heavenly bodies. To compute the distances and motions of the planets, they learned mathematics also, it is likely. 4. While Daniel and his companions were engaged in ‘these studies, the king ordered a portion of meat and wine, from his own table, to be sent them every day. He wished to treat them kindly, and to promote their health and beauty of person, that they might become useful in his court. He also wished to attach them to himself, and, to
