CHAPTER VI.

CONTINUATION OF THE HISTORY OF THE KINGS OF BABYLON.

A. M. 3441.

EVIL-MERODACH succeeded his father; and as

soon as he was settled on the throne, he released

A. C. 563. Jechonias, king of Judah, from prison, where he

had been confined thirty-seven years. It was during the reign of this Evil-Merodach that Daniel was miraculously delivered from the den of lions. This king was deposed and murdered, after a short and inglorious reign of only two years, and was succeeded by his sister's husband,

A. M. 3444.

NERIGLISSOR, who had been one of the chief A. c. 560. conspirators against him. Immediately on his accession to the crown, he prepared to make war against the Medes, which caused Cyaxares to send for Cyrus from Persia, to his assistance, and by their united energies they defeated Neriglissor, who was slain in battle in the fourth year of his reign.

A. M. 3448.

A. c. 556.

LABOROSOARCHOD, his son, succeeded to the throne. This prince was innately vicious, and after being invested with sovereign power, he indulged in the most odious and barbarous cruelties. His conduct became so intolerable to his subjects, that, in the ninth month of his reign, they conspired against him, and put him to death. His successor was

A. M. 3449.
A. C. 555.

LABYNITUS, or, as he is called in Scripture, Belshazzar. It is supposed that he was the son of Evil-Merodach and Nitocris, and consequently grandson to Nabuchodonoser. Nitocris is said to have erected many noble edifices in Babylon, and among others she caused her own monument to be placed over the principal gate of the city, bearing an inscription dissuading her successors from touching the treasures laid up in it, except in the most urgent necessity. The tomb remained closed till the reign of Darius, who broke it open, but instead of treasure found only the following inscription:-"If thou hadst not an insatiable thirst after money, and a most sordid and avaricious soul, thou wouldst never have broken open the monuments of the dead.”

In the first year of Belshazzar's reign, Daniel had the vision of the four beasts, which represented the four great monarchies, and the kingdom of Messiah, which was to succeed them. In the third year of the same reign he had the vision of the ram and the he-goat, which prefigured the destruction of the Persian empire by Alexander the Great. It was during the reign of this king that the Medes and Persians advanced against Babylon to besiege it; but the inhabitants, imagining their city impregnable, treated all their efforts with derision; and Belshazzar, fully persuaded of his security, whilst his enemies were besieging Babylon, gave a grand entertainment to his whole court upon a great annual festival. The joy of the feast was, however, disturbed by a vision, and still more by the explication given by Daniel. The sentence written upon the wall imported that his kingdom was taken from him, and given to the Medes and Persians. That very night the city was taken, and Belshazzar killed.

A. M. 3468.
A. C. 536.

EXERCISES.

Thus ended the Babylonian empire, 210 years after the destruction of the great Assyrian empire, in the reign of Sardanapalus.

Who succeeded Nabuchodonoser?

What king of Judah did he release from prison?

What prophet lived at this time, and what happened to him?

Who deposed Evil-Merodach?

Against whom did he make war?

To whom did Cyaxares apply for assistance?

What befell Neriglissor?

Who succeeded him?

What was the character of Laborosoarchod?

Who was the next king?

Whose son was he?

Of what act of impiety was Belshazzar guilty?
What predictions were fulfilled in his reign?

THE

HISTORY OF MEDIA.

PART IV.

CHAPTER I.

OF THE ORIGIN OF THE KINGDOM OF MEDIA.

A. M. 3257.

A. C.

ON the destruction of the ancient Assyrian 747. empire, some historians say that ARBACES, the principal conspirator aganist Sardanapalus, became sovereign of Media, and assumed the title of king. Herodotus is not of this opinion, but gives the following account of Media :

The Assyrians, who had for many ages held the empire of Asia, began to decline in their power, by the revolt of several nations. The Medes first threw off their yoke, and for some time maintained their liberty; but their government not being well established, they fell into a state of anarchy worse than their former subjection.

The nation was divided into six tribes, and the people dwelt in villages, when DEJOCES, the son of Phraortes, a Mede by birth, erected the state into a monarchy. As soon as he had formed the design of obtaining the throne, he endeavoured, by his exemplary conduct, to make himself esteemed, and succeeded so well that the inhabitants of the village where he lived made him their judge. In this office he discharged his duties with such skill, that he soon brought the people to a sober way of life. The inhabitants of other villages, hearing of the happy change that had taken place in his neighbourhood, applied to him for relief in every emergency, expecting to find that equity in Dejoces they could not meet with elsewhere. When he found himself thus generally beloved, he retired from public business, pretending to be wearied by the applications of

the multitudes that resorted to him for redress, telling the people that his own domestic affairs would not permit him to attend to others.

The disorder which had for some time been restrained in consequence of the judicious management of Dejoces, prevailed more than ever; and the evil increased to such a degree that the Medes assembled in order to deliberate upon the means of arresting its progress. Dejoces, who now saw all things working as he wished, sent his emissaries to the assembly, and instructed them how to act. When expedients for redressing the public evils were proposed, these emissaries represented that unless the face of the republic was entirely changed their country would become uninhabitable, and that the only means to check the present disorder was to elect a king, who should have power to restrain violence and make laws. This opinion was approved, the assembly being convinced that no other expedient could be devised. They then deliberated regarding the person who should be invested with this authority, and all agreed that there was not a man in Media so capable of governing as Dejoces; he was therefore unanimously elected king.

EXERCISES.

Where was Media?

To whom were the Medes subject?

What induced them to revolt?

Was their condition improved?

What Median now rendered himself conspicuous ?

What were his motives?

How did he endear himself to the people?

What stratagem did he use to obtain the sovereignty?
Was it successful?

A. M. 3294.

710.

CHAPTER II.

OF THE KINGS OF MEDIA.

On ascending the throne, Dejoces endeavored A. C. to convince the people that it was his desire and intention to restore order. He obliged his subjects to build him a magnificent palace, which he strongly fortified, and chose such men for his guards as he thought most attached to him. Having thus provided for his own security, he applied himself to civilize his subjects, who, having been accustomed to live without laws, had contracted the habits of savages. He commanded them to

build a city, marking out himself the site and circumference of the walls. When the city was finished, and Dejoces had obliged part of the Medes to settle in it, he turned all his thoughts to composing laws for the good of the state; and being persuaded that the majesty of kings is more respected at a distance, he secluded himself from his people, and received their petitions only through the medium of his officers; and even these were not permitted to laugh in his presence. By keeping himself concealed from his people, and making himself known only by his wise laws and the strict justice he was careful to administer to every one, he acquired the esteem of all his subjects. It is said, that from the innermost part of his palace he became acquainted, by means of his emissaries, with every transaction in his dominions. No crime escaped his knowledge; and punishment immediately ensuing on the offence, the wicked were kept in awe, and injustice and violence were prevented. In the infant state of a kingdom justice might be thus administered without inconvenience; but the custom of governing by spies, as introduced by Dejoces, and adopted by his successors, was afterwards productive of great misery, as the officers of the king became corrupted by power, and found it to their interest to conceal the truth from their sovereign; thus the laws were slighted, injuries were unredressed, and vice unpunished. Dejoces reigned fifty-three years, and during that time was wholly occupied in making laws for the good government of his people, so that he added nothing to his territories.

A. M. 3347.

PHRAORTES, called in Scripture Arphaxad, A. C. 657. succeeded his father Dejoces, and being of a warlike disposition, and ambitious of conquest, he attacked the Persians, defeated and subjected them to his empire, and soon afterwards became master of all Upper Asia. Elated by success, he turned his arms against the Assyrians. Nabuchodonoser, otherwise called Saosduchinus, raised an army to repulse him, and gained a complete victory, took Phraortes prisoner, and caused him to be shot to death with darts.

A. M. 3369.
A. C.

635.

CYAXARES ascended the throne immediately after his father's death, which he resolved to revenge by the destruction of Nineveh, and accordingly marched against that city with an immense