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fures at fifty Cubits, and the Height at two hundred of the fame regal Cubits. For Entrance, it had a hundred Gates of Brafs, with Pofts, and Hooks to hang them on o fthe fame Metal; and therefore did the Prophet Ifaiah rightly entitle Babylon, The Princefs, and Glory of Kingdoms, Ifa. xlvii. 5. and xiii. 19.

But when Cyrus had won her, he ftript her out of her Princely Robes, and made her a Slave, dividing, not only her goodly Houses, and her whole Territory, with all the Riches therein contained amongst his Soldiers, but also beftowed the Inhabitants themselves as Bond-flaves, upon thofe that had taken Poffeffion of the Goods.

Cyrus having obtained this great and signal Victory, the Glory of which was a Reward for his Service done for him, who was the Author of it, and of all Goodness, and thereby tranflated the Empire of the Chaldeans to himself, according to the Prophecies which went afore of him; in the first Year of his Empire, he made a Decree that the Captive Jews fhould return again into their own Country of Judea, and that they fhould build again the Houfe of God in JeruJalem, having now endured, and finished the feventy Years Captivity foretold by the Prophet Jeremiah. The Tenor of which Decree was thus:

Thus faith Cyrus King of Perfia; the Lord God of Heaven bath given me all the Kingdoms of the Earth, and bath charged me to build him an Houfe at Jerufalem which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all bis People? Let his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerufalem which is in Judah, and build the Houfe of the Lord God of Ifrael (he is God) which is at Jerufalem: And whoever remaineth in any Place where he fojourneth, let the Men of his Place belp him with Silver, and with Gold, and with Goods, and with Beasts, befdes the Free-will Offering for the House of God that is in Jerufalem, Ezra i. 2, 3, 4. He also brought forth and restored the Veffels of the House of the Lord which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of the Temple at Jerufalem, and had put them into the Houfe of his Gods; thefe were brought forth and numbered unto Shehbazzar the Prince of Judah; and this is the number of them; thirty Chargers of Gold, a thousand Chargers of Silver, nine and twenty Knives, thirty Bafons of Gold, Silver Bafons of a fecond fort, four hundred and ten, and of other Veffels a thousand; all the Veffels of Gold and Silver were five thousand and four hundred.

The Number of Jews that then returned out of Chaldea, under their Leader Zorobabel, the Son of Salathiel, and Nephew to King Jeconias, and Joshua the Son of Jofedech, the High Prieft, were about fifty thoufand: And as foon as they arrived at Jerufalem, they built an Altar to the living God, and facrificed thereon according to their Law, and afterwards bethought themselves how to prepare Materials for the building of the Temple.

Cyrus having fet all things in order at Babylon, returned through Media into Perfia, to his Father Cambyfes, and his Mother Mandanes, who were yet living; and from thence returning again into Media, he married the only Daughter and Heir of Cyaxares, and for Dowry, had the whole Kingdom of Media given him with her; and when the Marriage was finished, he prefently went his way, and took her with him; and coming to Babylon, from thence he fent Governors into all his Dominions; into Arabia he fent Megabyzus; into Phrygia the Greater, Artacaman; into Lydia and Ionia, Chryfantas; into Caria, VOL. III.

H

Adufius;

Aduftus; into Phrygia Hellefpontiaca, or the Lefs, Pharmichas; but into Cili cia, and Cyprus, and Paphlagonia, he fent no Perfians to govern them, because they voluntarily, and of their own accord, took his Part against the King of Babylon; yet he caufed even them alfo to pay him Tribute.

Cyrus having spent one whole Year with his Wife in Babylon, gathered thither his whole Army, confifting of one hundred and twenty thousand Horse, and two thousand Iron Chariots, and fix hundred thousand Footmen, and having. furnished himself with all neceffary Provifions, he undertook that Journey wherein he fubdued all the Nations inhabiting from Syria to the Red Sea.

The time that Cyrus enjoyed in Reft and Pleasure after these great Victories, and the Attainment of his Empire, is generally agreed upon by all Chronologersto have lafted only feven Years; in which time he made fuch Laws and Conftitutions, as differ little from the Ordinances of all wife Kings, that are defirous to establish a Royal Power to themselves and their Pofterity, which are recorded by Xenophon.

The laft War, and the end of this great King Cyrus, is diverfly written by: Hiftorians: Herodotus and Justin fay, that after thefe Conquefts, Cyrus invaded the Maffagetes, a very warlike Nation of the Scythians, governed by Tomyris, their Queen; and that in an encounter between the Perfians, and these Northern Nomades, Tomyris loft her Army, together with her Son Spargabifes that was the General of it. In Revenge whereof this Queen making new Levies of Men of War, and profecuting the War againft Cyrus, in a fecond fore Battle, the Perfians were beaten, and Cyrus was taken Prifoner, and that Tomyris cut off his Head from his Body, and threw it into a Bowl of Blood, ufing thefe Words Thou that haft all thy time thirsted for Blood, now drink thy fill, and fatiate thyfelf with it. This War, which Metafthenes calls Tomyrique, lafted about fix

Years.

But more probably this Scythian War was that which is mentioned before, Cyrus made againft the Scythians after the Conqueft of Lydia, according to Ctefias, who calleth Tomyris, Sparetba, and makes the end of it otherwise, as you may fee before.

The fame Ctefias alfo recordeth, that the laft War which Cyrus made was against Amarbeus, King of the Derbitians, another Nation of the Scythians, whom, tho' he over came in Battle, yet there he received a Wound whereof he died three Days after.

Strabo alfo affirmeth, that he was buried in his own City of Pafagardes, which himself had built, and where his Epitaph was to be read in Strabo's Time, which he faith was this;

O, vir, quicunque es, & undecunque advenis, neque enim te adventurum ignoravi: Ego fum Cyrus, qui Perfis Imperium conftitui; pufillum boc Terra, quo meum tegitur Corpus, mibi ne invideas. O thou Man, whofoever thou art, and whenfoever thou cometh, for I was not ignorant that thou fhouldest come: I am Cyrus that founded the Perfian Empire: Do not envy unto me this little Earth with which my Body is covered.

When Alexander the Great returned from his Indian Conquefts, he visited Cafazardes, and caufed this Tomb of Cyrus to be opened, either upon hope of great Treafure, fuppofed to have been buried with him, or upon a defire to honour his dead Body with certain Ceremonies;. when the Sepulchre was opened,

I

there

there was found nothing in it, fave an old rotten Target, two Scythian Bows and a Sword. The Coffin wherein his Body lay, Alexander caufed to be covered with his own Garment, and a Crown of Gold to be fet upon it.

Cyrus finding in himself that he could not long enjoy the World, he called unto him his Nobility, with his two Sons, Cambyfes and Smerdis, and after a long Oration, wherein he affured himself, and taught others, about the Immortality of the Soul, and of the Punishments and Rewards following the ill, and good Defervings of every Man in this Life; he exhorted his Sons, by the strongeft Arguments he had, to a perpetual Concord and Agreement. Many other Things he uttered, which makes it probable, that he received the Knowledge of the true God from Daniel, whilft he governed Sufa in Perfia; and that Cyrus himfelf had read the Prophecy of Ifaiah, wherein he was exprefly named, and by God pre-ordained for the Delivery of his People out of Captivity; which Act of delivering the Jews, and of reftoring of the holy Temple, and the City of Jerufalem, was in true Confideration the nobleft Work that ever Cyrus performed. For in other Actions he was an Inftrument of God's Power, used for chaftifing of many Nations, and the establishing of a Government in thofe Parts of the World, which yet was not to continue long: But herein he had the Fa vour to be an Inftrument of God's Goodness, and a willing Advancer of his Kingdom upon Earth, which must laft for ever.

Cyrus had iffue two Sons, Cambyfes and Smerdis, and three Daughters, Atoffa, Meroe and Artiftona. At his Death he bequeathed his Empire to his eldeft Son Cambyfes, and appointed Smerdis his younger Son, to be Satrapa, or Lieutenant of Media, Armenia, and Cadufia. He reigned about one and thirty Years, and died aged feventy.

The Greek Hiftorians wholly afcribe the Conquest of Babylon to Cyrus, becaufe that he commanded the Army in Chief; yet the Scriptures attribute it to Darius, King of the Medes, whofe General Cyrus was: For when Babylon was taken, and Belshazzar flain; it is faid, Dan. v. 31. that Darius the Median took the Kingdom, being about fixty two Years old. It was Darius alfo that placed Officers over the feveral Provinces thereof, as we read, Dan. vi. 1, 2. It pleafed Darius to fet over the Kingdom a hundred and twenty Princes, which should be over the whole Kingdom, and over thefe, three Prefidents, of whom Daniel was the firft, &c. And thus was it prophefied by Ifaiah long before; Behold! I will ftir up the Medes against them, &c, and by the Prophet Jeremiah, the Lord bath raifed up the Spirit of the King of the Medes: For bis Device is against Babylon, &c. Jer. Iv. 11. And again, Verse 28. Prepare against her the Nations, with the King of the Medes, the Captains thereof, and all the Rulers thereof, and all the Land of his Dominion.

But certain it is, that the Honour of that great Victory over Babylon was wholly given to Cyrus, who was the Inftrument pre-ordained, and fore-named by God himself: not only for this Action; but alfo for the Delivery of his Church: Yet Daniel makes it plain, that himself not only lived a great Officer under King Darius, but that he continued in that Eftate to the firft Year of Cyrus, which was not long after, which alfo was the Year of Daniel's Death.

As for the Age of Cyrus, we are beholden to Tully for it; who in his first Book de Divinatione, cites it out of one Dionyfius, a Perfian Writer, in this H 2

manner.

manner.

The Sun (faid Dionyfius) appeared unto Cyrus in his Sleep, Standing at bis Feet, which, when Cyrus thrice endeavoured to take in his Hands, the Sun ftill turned afide, and went away: and the Magi, who were the learned. Men amongst the Perfians, faid that by his thrice offering to take hold of the Sun, was portended to him that he should reign thirty Years; which came to pass accordingly: For be lived to the Age of feventy Years, and began not to reign till he was Forty.

In the first Year of Belshazzar, Daniel had the Vifion fhewed him of the : four Beafts, fignifying the four Monarchies; and of God delivering over all› Power and Sovereignty to the Son of Man, Dan. vii.

In the third Year of Belshazzar, the Vision of the Ram, and Goat, forefhewing the Destruction of the Perfian Monarchy by Alexander the Great, and the great Mifery which Antiochus fhould bring upon the People of God was i fhewed to Daniel, living then at Sufa, in the Province of Elam, upon the Bank. of the River Ulai, which environed the Castle of Sufa, and parted the Provinces of-Sufa and Elemais, Dan. viii. whence we may collect, that at that time the Province of Sufa was not in the Hands of the Medes and Perfians, but of the Babylonians, under whom Daniel then lived.

Darius the Mede, Son of Cyaxares, or Abafuerus the Son of Aftyages, took upon him the Kingdom, which was delivered over to him by Cyrus, the Con-queror, Dan. v. 31, and ix. 1. The Angel, in this firft Year of his Reign, is faid, to have confirmed, and ftrengthened him in his Kingdom, Dan. xi, 1.. After which he reigned two Years.

Towards the End of the first Year of Darius the Mede, the feventy Years of the Babylonifh Captivity expired, which began under Jehoiakim, in the first. Year of Nebuchadnezzar, at which time God promifed they should return into their own Country, Jer. xxix. 10. Thus faith the Lord, that after the feventy » Years be accomplished at Babylon, I will vifit you, and perform my good Word towards you, in caufing you to return to this Place. Upon Confideration of which very Time, now fo near approaching, it was, that Daniel poured out that moft fervent Prayer for the Remiffion of his own Sins, and of his People's ; and for that promised Deliverance out of their Captivity; Whereupon the Angel Gabriel brought him an Anfwer, not only concerning this, but also the fpi- . ritual Deliverance of the Church to be wrought at last by the Death of the Mef-fiab, uttering that most famous, and memorable Prophecy of the feventy Weeks, Dan. ix. 16.

The Samaritans, by the means of fome Courtiers about Cyrus, whom they had bribed for that purpose, difturbed the Jews in their Building of the Temple, Ezra iv. 5. Whence proceeded that three Weeks Mourning of the ProphetDaniel, which Fast he begun about the third Day of the first Month, in the third Year of Cyrus, Dan. x. 1, 4. After which, upon the four and twentieth Day of the first Month, that Vifion of the Kings of Perfia, of Alexander the Great, and his Succeffors, and their Kingdoms, was fhewed and revealed unto Daniel, as he ftocd upon the Bank of Hiddikel, or Tygris; all which is contain-ed in the three laft Chapters of Daniel; which (as may be collected out of the close thereof) was the laft Vifion that ever he had, and that but a little before his Death.

LONDON's.

LONDON'S LORD HAVE MERCY UPON US. A true Relation of Seven modern Plagues or Vifitations in London, with the Number of those that were buried of all Diseases; viz. The firft in the Year of Queen ELIZABETH, Anno 1592. The fecond in the Year 1603. The third in (that never to be forgotten Year) 1625. The fourth in Anno 1630. The fifth in the Year 1636. The fixth in the Years 1637 and 1638. The feventh this present Year 1665. Printed 1665.

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