her palace, and hence they fay the Affyrians were addicted to the worship of a dove. According to Justin and fome other authors fhe was killed by her fon Ninyas, when folliciting him to incestuous embraces, Ninyas, according to Diodorus, Athenæus, Juftin, and others, His floth, had none of the princely qualities of his father or mother, but being of a flothful inactive difpofition, fequeftered himself from the eyes of his fubjects, and locked himfelf up in his palace, where he converfed only with his eunuchs and concubines, and gave himfelf up to vicious and fordid pleafures. Suidas however represents him as a warrior, and fays that after having flain the tyrant Caucafus of the tribe of Japhet, he was confecrated into the planet Mars. Even according to Diodorus, he was not fo fupinely negligent as totally to neglect his intereft and fecurity. He had an army which continued upon duty at Nineveh, and was annually relieved by another raised from all the provinces of the empire. He committed the govern- and po ment of the provinces to perfons of tried fidelity, and having licy. thus, as he thought, fecured himfelf from infults and rebellions, he wallowed in lafcivioufnefs within the walls of his palace, being, on account of his retirement, refpected by his fubjects as fomething more than mortal. As his parents had left him no foreign enemy to contend with, except in Arabia or India, both which countries were looked upon as impregnable, it may be doubted whether his retirement was not owing to policy, or a haughty difpofition, tho' the other is the more prevailing opinion. His fucceffors in the great empire of Affyria for upwards of No acthirty generations followed his example, and even outdid him count of in indolence. Nothing is recorded of any of them, except- his fuccefing Zeutamus and Sardanapalus. Zeutamus the zoth from fors for Ninyas, is faid to have fent 10,000 Ethiopians, and as many thirty gefrom the province of Sufiana, with zoo chariots, under the nerations. command of Memnon, the fon of Tython, governor of Perfia, to the affiftance of his vaffal Priam king of Troy, when befieged by the Greeks. The Ethiopians however contend that Memnon was their countryman, and Homer making not the least mention of fuch a mighty people as the Affyrians are fuppofed to be at this period, renders the fact exceeding doubtful. Indeed this vaft chafm of near 1200 years to the deftruction of the empire, in a manner almost wholly overturns the credibility of the foregoing exaggerated accounts. Such a long continuance of tame fubmiffion among fo many different nations to a degenerate ftate, and weak effeminate princes is not to be paralleled. Sardanapalus, the laft of the Allyrian monarchs, exceeded all Sardanahis predeceffors in floth and luxury. He funk into fuch a depth palus's of depravity, that as far as he could he changed his very fex and character. nature. He cloathed himself as a woman, and fpun amidst the companies of his concubines. He painted his face, decked himself out with all manner of allurements, and was more lafcivious than the moft wanton harlot. Quite regardlefs of fex and The Medes, Ba bylonians, and Perfans revolt. and the dictates of nature, he buried himself in the filth of an unbounded fenfuality, which at length rendered him odious and contemptible to his fubjects, particularly to Arbaces governor of Media, and Belefis governor of Babylon. Belefis, like many other Chaldeans, being alfo a great aftrologer, affured Arbaces that he fhould dethrone Sardanapalus, and become lord of all his dominions, and he in return promifed Belefis the chief place over Babylon, if his prediction fhould prove true. These two chief confpirators having infused a spirit of difcontent into the other governors of the provinces then at Nineveh, difclofed their defign to the king of Arabia, and both of them prompted thofe under their government to revolt. When the year of duty was expired, the Perfians, Medes, and Babylonians, with great numbers of Arabians proceeded to Nineveh, under pretence of ferving in their turn, but affembling in a camp near the city, to the number of 400,000 men, they openly declared against the emperor. Sardanapalus apprised of the revolt, refolved to ftifle it in its infancy, and affembling the troops of thofe provinces that continued faithful to him, attacked and defeated the rebels in two fucceffive battles, and obliged them to fly to fome mountains in the neighbourhood of Nineveh, where they began to think of disperfing. Belefts however ftill affuring them of fuccefs, they ventured a third battle in which they were again defeated, and Arbaces confiderably wounded. This laft defeat quite difheartned them; but Belefis, who had continued all the night after in deep confult with the ftars, affured them of great fuccours, if they would but keep together five days. Accordingly by the appointed time news arrived that a great body of Bactrians approached to the affiftance of the king. Arbaces however being fo fuccessful as to perfuade them to espouse his caufe, and join his forces, foon after furprized the king's army in their camp, and drove them into the city with great flaughter. Salomenus the king's brother-in-law then took the command of the royal army, but was twice defeated by the rebels, and in the laft battle he himself was killed and almoft all his army cut off. Sardanapalus being now befieged in his capital, the revolt among the provinces became almoft univerfal. He however was fully convinced that the defigns of the rebels would be fruftrated, putting his confidence in a prophecy, That Nineveh could never be taken till the river became her The methods of attacking walls with engines being not then invented, the confederates fat before the city two years without any visible effect, as the befieged had taken care to be well ftored with what was neceffary to enable them to hold out a long time. In the third year the Tigris by a violent inundation having thrown Sardana- down twenty ftades of the city wall, Sardanapalus was conpalus vinced that the prophecy was fulfilled, and having no farther room for hope, he ordered a vaft pile of wood to be raised in himself to his palace, and heaping upon it all his gold and filver, and inclofing his eunuchs and concubines in it, he fet fire to it, and fo deffroyed himfelf and the reft. The rebels were no fooner They are joined by the Bac trians. burns death. enemy. in informed of this than they entered the city by the breach, and Nineveh made themselves mafters of the place. The inhabitants were taken by treated with great humanity, but the city itself was totally laid the rebels in ruins. And thus ended the Affyrian empire, fubverted by the Medes and Babylonians, after it had, according to Ctefias, fubfifted no less than 1400 years (B). The ASSYRIAN Hiftory, according to fcripture and the best authorities. THE firft king of Affyria mentioned in fcripture, from the Pul, the time that land was planted by Albur, is Pul or Phul, which, firft king with the termination, comes very near the Belus of the Greeks of Affyria and Latins, and by fome is fupposed to have been afterwards who the Affyrian god of that name. That he was the first founder makes of the Affyrian monarchy Sir Ifaac Newton thinks evident, from conquefts the following arguments, Jonah and Amos, who prophefied be- on this fore the reign of Pul never mention the Affyrians. Jonah men- fide the tions only the king of Nineveh, which city fome time before Euphrates, had fhaken off the Egyptian yoke, and was governed by a prince B. Ch. of its own; but his territories were of no great extent, as is plain from his prophecy, ch. iii. 6, 7. Amos, who prophefied about 20 years before Pul began his conquefts, foretold that God would raise up a nation that fhould humble Ifrael, but what nation he names not. In the prophefies of Ifaiah, Ezekiel, Hofea, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, and Zechariah, which were written after the Affyrian monarchy was grown powerful, that people are openly named upon all occafions. Befides, fcripture informs us, that till Pul made his appearance on this fide the Euphrates, not only Syria and Egypt, but other neighbouring nations were governed by their own kings. Pul, we are informed, in the reign of Menahem king of Israel, came with a powerful army against his kingdom, but abftained from committing any hoftilities, upon receiving 1000 talents of filver. Hereupon he seems to have taken the kingdom of Ifrael under his protection, and returned out of the (B) The vigorous oppofition that Sardanapalus at firit made against the rebels feems not confiftent with the former accounts of his floth and degeneracy. His memory has perhaps been worfe treated, because the empire happened to be diffolved during his reign. At Hierapolis in Syria, he was deified, and fome fay that he furvived the fall of the empire, and died in a good old age. Athenæus has given a moft exag- land. 770. Tiglath B. Ch. 747. Salmana land. Though we have no farther account of his reign, we may however venture to infer, that he either conquered or received voluntary homage from Syria, and the other nations in his march, as he did now from Ifrael, and that he became the founder of a very great empire. This Pul is fuppofed to be the king of Nineveh who repented with all his people at the preaching of Jonah. Tiglath Pilezer fucceeded him, and is fuppofed, upon good grounds, to have been his fon. This prince, probably at the invitation of Abaz king of Judah, fell upon the kingdom of Ifrael, and took Ijon, with feveral other cities, and having reduced all Galilee and the land of Naphtali, carried many of the inhabitants captive to Affyria. This expedient, was rightly calculated for deterring the remaining inhabitants from revolting, as they would be thereby confiderably weakened, and on the other hand might contribute to the increase of his power, by peopling fome tract more immediately under his dominion. A few years after, Ahaz, who was still infefted by the kings of Syria and Ifrael, fending him a large fum of money, and offering to become his tributary if he would appear in his defence, he affembled a powerful army, and marching into Syria reduced that kingdom, took Damafcus, and tranfplanted its inhabitants to Kir, a place, according to Jofephus, in the upper Media, and flaying Rezin, the Syrian king, put an end to that monarchy. After reigning twenty years he was fucceeded by Salmanafar, far, B. Ch. by Tobit called Enemaffar, and fuppofed to be the Shalman or 728. Salman of Hofea. He obliged Hofea king of Ifrael to become his tributary, who fome years after, notwithstanding the weaknefs and diftraction of his kingdom, refolving to fhake off the Allyrian yoke, propofed an alliance with So king of Egypt, upon which Salmanafar invaded his kingdom with a numerous army. The Affyrians after ravaging the kingdom befieged Samaria, and three years after made themselves mafters of the place, when Hofea and all his fubjects were carried into captivity, ftrangers being. fent from Babylon, Cufhah, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim to cultivate the country of the Jews. Thus Syria and Ifrael we find were now added to the Affyrian monarchy. Salmanafar afterwards invaded Phenice, but a peace being concluded between him and the Phenicians, he quitted their country and returned home with his army. Not long after Sidon, Ace, and Paletyrus, with feveral other cities, revolting from the Tyrians, and fubmitting to him, he was encouraged thereby to attempt the reduction of Tyre itfelf, but without fuccefs. Sennache 712. After reigning fifteen years he was fucceeded by Sennacherib, rib, B. Ch. who finding that Hezekiah king of Judah failed in the payment of the tribute, which both he and his predeceffor had paid to the Affyrians, marched againft him with a powerful army, and reduced a great many of his fortified towns. Hezekiah however acknowledging his fault, and promifing to pay a yearly tribute of 300 talents of filver, and 30 of gold, he ceafed 8 ceafed his hoftilities for fome time. Nevertheless foon after he fent part of his army against Jerufalem under the command of Tartan Rabfaris and Rabfbakeh, which laft in a haughty and blafphemous fpeech, ordered Hezekiah to fubmit to his mafter, adding, that as the gods of Hamath and of Arphad, the gods of Sepharvaim, Henah, and Ivah, had not been able to withftand the Affyrian power, fo neither would the God of Ifrael; which boast, Sir Ifaac Newton obferves, is a proof that the Affyrians had but very lately begun to extend their empire. Sennacherib foon after defeating Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, who had marched out against him, directed his march for Jerufalem, but before he approached the city 185,000 of his men being cut off in one night by a deftroying angel, he returned covered with difgrace to Nineveh, where finding himself fallen in the efteem of his people, he grew fullen and tyrannical, particularly venting his rage against the captive Hebrews in his dominions, many of whom he unmercifully put to death *, in revenge for his great downfal, which he may have attributed to them. In fhort, he behaved in fuch a manner that he was grown odious in the eyes of his own fons, two of whom Adramelech and Sharezer flew him as he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nifroch, and flying into the land of Armenia, his third fon Efarhaddon reigned in his ftead. Herodotus makes exprefs mention of Sennacherib, and from the relation of the Egyptian priefts, gives us fome kind of a disguised account of the miraculous deftruction of his army. He applies the story to the city of Pelufium, and fays that Sethon the Egyptian king by his piety obtained affiftance from Vulcan, who fent into the Affyrian camp a great number of rats, which in one night eat all the fhield ftraps, quivers and bowftrings, fo that the enemy next day were obliged to raise the fiege and be gone. Sennacherib according to him was king of the Arabians and Affyrians, and Ivah above-mentioned is reckoned by fome a province of Arabia Deferta. 709. Efarbaddon, called alfo Alfaradin, Sarchedon, Sargon, and by Efarbad Ezra Afnapper, may be faid to have fucceeded to the ruins of don, B.Ch. the Affyrian empire founded by Pul, and enlarged and eftablifhed by Tiglath Pilezer. Under Sennacherib it fell to decay, either by his imprudence or ill fortune, or a mixture of both. In the end of his reign the Medes revolted t, and were never after reduced to the Affyrian yoke, though Efarhaddon, in the course of his reign, feems to have been both a valorous and fortunate prince, as well as ambitious of fupporting and enlarging the empire. He has the epithets of great and noble given him by Ezra, which argues him to have been a prince of excellency and worth diftinguished among his cotemporaries. He was to all appearance of a mild difpofition, and particularly kind to the Jews, who had been fo cruelly abufed by his father. *Tobit, ch. i. 18. + Tob. ibid. About |