The later period, according to Ptolemy's canon, which is most agreeable to fcripture, continued about 209 years, through a fucceffion of 18 princes and two interreigns, beginning with Nabonaflar, from whom the famous æra has taken its name, This æra takes date from the first day of the Egyptian month Thoth, anfwering to the 26th of our February at noon, of the year before Chrift 747, the year after the death of Pul the firft Arian monarch, who had appeared on the weft fide of the Euphrates. We may from thence conclude that the Babylonian empire was immediately of Affyrian origin, according to the prophet Ifaiah, Behold the land of the Chaldeans, this people was not till the Affyrian founded it, for them that dwell in the wildernefs; they fet up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof, Ch. xxiii. Nabonaffar the first king is even fupposed to have been a fon or grandfon of Pul, and to have begun his reign at Babylon the fame year that Tiglath-Pilefer afcended the throne at Nineveh, Pul, at his death, having made a partition of his monarchy betwixt them. Before we enter upon the hiftory of this people, as conftitut- The hifing a wide and most famous monarchy, we fhall take a re- tory of the trofpect of their firft eftablishment as a kingdom, which is firft kingvainly given out to have exifted before the deluge. According dom of to Eufebius and Syncellus, Nimrod, the founder of this kingdom, the Babyreigned only fix years, and was fucceeded by fix princes, whofe lonians. reigns comprehended a period of 218 years. Then followed an Arabian dynafty for 216 years, which was fucceeded by the Affyrian, beginning with Belus and ending with Sardanapalus, in the reign of Amaziab king of Judah. Others again fuppofe that Nimrod founded the kingdom of Babylon in the very year of the difperfion, and after reigning 148 years, died about 103 years before the birth of Abraham, which appears much more probable than the foregoing account, confidering the longevity of people in thofe early ages. Who was the fucceffor of Nimrod is quite uncertain, nor is there any authentic account relating to the first kingdom of Babylon, except that about the year 1912 before the chriftian æra, it was governed by a king called Amraphel, who warred under the king of Elam. From thence there is no genuine account of this nation for The fenear 1200 years, that is, till the time of Nabonaffar. There is cond the greatest probability to conclude with Sir Ifaac Newton, that kingdom this prince was the fon of Pul, and brother of Tiglath-Pilefer, of the BaThis kingdom we find fubfifted for feveral years in the neigh-bylonians, bourhood of the Affyrian empire, then in its full glory. The a branch ambitious and warlike Affyrian monarchs, who grafped at of the nothing lefs than the fovereignty of all the eaft, waged war Affyrian with all the nations around them, and impofed their yoke upon monarchy. them. We do not however read, till the reign of Efarhaddon their fifth king, that they committed any hoftilities against their neighbours the Babylonians. This harmony that fubfifted between them is the strongest prefumption, that they were governed by two branches of the fame family, the younger branch at 747. at Babylon, acknowledging a kind of fuperiority in, and fubjection to the elder at Nineveh. If there had not been the ftricteft union between these two kingdoms, is it to be imagined that the kings of Affyria would have croffed the Euphrates to make war at a great distance from their dominions, when they had fo powerful an enemy as the king of Babylon behind them, who might in their abfence have invaded their country while it was drained of the choiceft of its foldiery. Nabonaf Nabonaffar was fucceeded by Nadius, who reigned two years, far, B. Ch. and Nadius by Chinzinus and Porus, who reigned five. Jugaus reigned next, of whom there is nothing recorded, nor can we offer at one conjecture concerning him, except Jugaus. that he, as well as thofe he immediately fucceeded, and thofe that came after him down to Affaraddin, did nothing worthy Nadius. Mardic of notice. Mardoc-Empadus the next king is certainly the MerodachEmpadus. Baladan of fcripture, the fame that fent an embaffy to Hezekiah king of Judah. The times of the former in the canon, and of the later in fcripture agree exactly, and it must have been in the feventh or eighth year of his reign that he fent to Hezekiah. In fcripture he is alfo called Berodach Baladan the fon of Baladan; fo that Jugaus above, who seems to have been his father, might perhaps be more properly called Baladan. He is the firft Babylonian king we find in fcripture who had any intercourfe with the kings at Jerufalem. The chief purpose of his embaffy to Hezekiah is generally fuppofed to have been to enquire about the fun's retrogreffion; though perhaps the great ambition of Sennacherib might begin to alarm him, and made him think of forming alliances for his fafety. Merodach Baladan, after reigning twelve years, was fucceeded by Arkianus. Belibus. Apronadius. Arkianus, concerning whom all we know is, that he reigned but five years, and that after him there was an interreign of two years. Belibus fucceeded to this interreign; but by what means or by what right we know not. After a reign of three years he was fucceeded by Apronadius, who reigned fix years. The throne was next filled by Regibelus, who, after reigning one Regibelus. year, gave place to Meffeffimordacus. Four years after an interMellem reign enfued, that lafted eight years. The elder branch at Nineveh might perhaps have affumed over the younger at Babylon, and have appointed kings and governors as they pleased. ordacus. Affarad din. Saofducheus. Chynaly dan. The eight years of this interreign being expired, Affaraddin, the Efarhaddon of fcripture, and king of Affyria, poffeffed himfelf of the kingdom of Babylon, whether by art or violence is uncertain. He reigned at Babylon thirteen years, and was fucceeded by Saofducheus or Saofduchinus, who was alfo king both of Nineveh and Babylon, and reigned twenty years. We have already spoken of them both as kings of Affyria. Chynalydan ́or Sarac, fucceeded Saofducheus in both kingdoms, and reigned twenty-two years. The The next king of Babylon is Nabopalafar; but whether he Nabojafucceeded before the death of Chynalydan is uncertain. By his lefar. name he appears to have been an Affyrian, and to have derived his origin from Pul and Nabonaffar his fon, having introduced the fyllable Pul inftead of Addon into his name, which is plainly compounded from Nebo-pul-affur. He is fuppofed to have been governor of Babylon for feveral years, and encouraged by the weak and effeminate reign of Chynalydan, entered into an alliance against him with Cyaxares the Mede, who was then at war with the Affyrians. The confequence of this alliance was the deftruction of Nineveh, and the ruin of the Affyrian empire. This prince is called by contraction Nabulaffar, and alfo Nebuchadonofor and Nebuchadnezzar, whence his fon is called Nebuchadnezzar II. though fome think that this laft was an appellation common to the Babylonish kings. The Babylonians and Medes having diffolved the Affyrian empire, became fo formidable that they raised the jealoufy of all their neighbours. Necho king of Egypt therefore, to put a stop to their growing greatnefs, marched with a great army towards the Euphrates to make war upon them t. The king of Egypt having made himself mafter of Carchemish on the Euphrates, the governor of Cole-Syria and Phenice was encouraged to revolt from the Babylonians. As the king was now advanced in years, he took his fon NaboeclafNabocolaflar or Nebuchadnezzar for his partner in the kingdom. far or The young prince affembling a powerful army, marched against Nebuchadthe Egyptians at Carchemish, and taking the city, put the gar- nezzar. rifon to the fword, after they had been in poffeffion of the place about three years. Having recovered Carchemifh, Nebuchadnezzar marched into Judea, took Jerufalem, rifled the temple, and made Jehoiakim prifoner, but upon his fubmiffion and promife of paying a yearly tribute, he reinftated him on the throne, and purfuing his conquefts, reduced all Palestine to the border of Egypt. His father Nabopalafar in the mean time dying at Babylon, after a reign of twenty-one years, upon the first notice of his death, he hafted to Babylon with a fmail retinue by the shortest way of the defert, committing to his generals the command of the army, and the care of the captives 1. Having thus extended the bounds of his empire, and being now in fole poffeffion of the throne, he applied himself to enlarge and adorn the feat of his empire. While he was thus bufied, he was in an extraordinary manner affected by dreams. One efpecially, which he had in the fecond year after his father's death, gave him greater uneafinefs than all the reft, though he had entirely forgot it. His magicians or Chaldeans declaring that it was impoffible for them to tell him his dream, he ordered them all to be put to death; but Daniel prevailing *Alex. Polyhift. ap Syncel. Eufeb. Chron. + Herod. 1. 2. with with the captain of the guard to fufpend the execution of the order, and applying himself with his three companions in prayer to God, the fecret was revealed to him in a night vifion. Being then introduced to the king, after inftilling into him. fome notions of the power and majefty of God, he not only told him his dream, but gave him fuch a fatisfactory interpreDaniel intation of it, that the haughty monarch amazed at what he terprets his dream, heard, could not forbear falling on his face, and worshiping Daniel, acknowledging his God the God of gods, and Lord of kings. Not fatisfied with thefe extraordinary demonftrations of efteem, he made him rich prefents, invefted him with the government of the whole province of Babylon, and appointed him chief of the governors of all the wife men of Babylon. A few years after Jehoiakim king of Judah revolting, Nebuchadnezzar fent an army of feveral nations against him, who furprizing him without the walls of Jerufalem, flew him, and left his body unburied, pursuant to feremiah's prediction. Jehoiakin his fon immediately affumed the government; but Nebuchadnezzar a few months after arriving in perfon before Jerufalem, caufed him, his mother, and his whole court, who He takes came out to him in a moft fubmiffive manner, to be arrested Jehoiakin and carried captive to Babylon. The king having made himking of self master of the city, ranfacked and plundered it a fécond time, together with the temple, palace, and treasury, and carried off with him an immenfe booty, and fuch numbers of captives of all ranks and conditions, that fcarcely fufficient hands were left to cultivate the land. Having appointed Mattaniah, whom he called Zedekiah, tributary king in Jerufalem, he returned to Babylon, and probably foon after made a conqueft of Elam, which appears to have been a great and potent kingdom, and was fituated on the river Ulai, eaftward of the Tigris, being the fame with the Sufiana of the Greeks. Judah prifoner. Zedekiah king of Jerufalem in the mean time, contrary to the remonftrances and prophefies of Jeremiah, entering into an alliance with Pharaoh Hophra, or Apries, king of Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar affembled an army, and foon after marched towards Judea, to punifh his perfidy and ingratitude. On his coming into Syria, finding that the Ammonites had alfo entered into the fame confederacy with Egypt against him, he was in a doubt for fome time which of thefe two people he should first fall upon, whereon he committed the decifion of the matter to his diviners, who confulting, by the entrails of their facrifices, their teraphim and their arrows, determined for the carrying of the war against the fews + This way of divining by arrows was alfo ufed by the antient Greeks, and by the Arabs till Mohammedifm prevailed. The arrows ufed for that purpose, we are told, were without heads and feathers, and + Ezek. xxi. 19. & comment. Jerom. Jerem. xlix. 35. were were kept in the temple of fome idol t. Nebuchadnezzar now entering Judea, in a few days became mafter of all the cities of that kingdom, except Lachish, Azekah, and Jerufalem. While he was employed in the fiege of ferufalem, the Egyptians advanced with an army to the relief of the city, which obliged him to raise the fiege, and march against them. They however not venturing to face his troops, but returning, he came again with his army before the city, which after a tedious fiege He takes he at length took by ftorr., and vented his rage on the king, and dethe inhabitants, and the buildings in the manner we have al ftroys Feready defcribed. Having thus put an end to the Ifraclitifh king- rufalem, dom, he again returned to his metropolis, adding great ftrength B. Ch. and glory to it by the immenfe booty he brought with him, 587. and a numerous acceffion of new inhabitants. Dura. With the gold he amaffed in this expedition it is thought he He fets erected the golden Coloffus, to the honour of his god Bel, in up a gol the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. It was fixty den image cubits in height, and fix cubits in breadth, and all of gold. in the Having affembled all the great men of the kingdom to cele- plain of brate the dedication of it, he commanded them and all his fubjects prefent to worship it, on pain of being immediately thrown into a burning furnace. Upon this occafion it was that the three Hebrew youths, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, courageously refufing to comply with the king's wicked command, were miraculously preferved in the midft of the flames. Nebuchadnezzar, who was an eye-witness of the aftonishing miracle, acknowledged the might and power of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and decreed, that whoever fhould blafpheme his name, fhould be cut in pieces, and his houfe fhould be turned into a dunghil. How Daniel was not ccufed on this occafion is furprizing, it being impoffible to fupofe that he fell down and worshiped the inage; either there-e he was abfent, or if prefent must have been too great a n to be accused, and the latter feems moft probable +, Ne adnezzar, in the twenty-first year of his reign, came again into Syria, and fat down with his army before Tyre; but after a thirteen years fiege, he had nothing but an empty city for his pains, most of the inhabitants having retired with their beft effects, before he entered it, to a neighbouring ifland. During this long fiege he compleatly reduced by detached parties, the Sidonians, Moabites, Ammonites, and Edomites, pursuant to the feveral prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and fent Nebuzaradan with a party into Judea, to revenge the death of Gedaliah, which he did by carrying off 745 perfons into captivity, the poor remains of that unhappy people. From Tyre, Nebuchadnezzar marched ftrait into Egypt, which was pro |