for his valour to Hercules, and fays, that at his death he prophecied of the conqueft of Babylon by the Perfians. But in this he spake no more than what he had been informed of in the interpretation of his dreams by Daniel the prophet, who had affured him that it would fpeedily come to pass. rodach. He was fucceeded by his fon Evil-merodach, who, by a falfeftep Evil-mehe took in his father's life-time, may, perhaps, be faid to have laid the foundation of that animofity in the Medes and Perfians, which brought on the diffolution of the Babylonian empire. While, on occafion of his marriage with Nitocris, he went to hunt on the frontiers of Media, he formed an army of the garrifons of the places upon the borders, and wantonly invaded Media. Aftyages the Mede, attended by his fon Cyaxares, his grandfon Cyrus, then near 16 years of age, and fuch troops as could be affembled on fo fudden an emergency, marched out to meet him, determined to repel force by force. The parties engaging, Evil-merodach was routed, and purfued home to his own borders with great flaughter, which happened about 21 years before Nebuchadnezzar's death. Evil-merodach, as foon as he was fettled on his throne, releafed Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison, where he had been confined near 37 years, and treated him ever afterwards as a king. We know nothing farther concerning him, except that indulging himself in floth and wickedness, he was treacherously murdered by his fifter's hufband Nerigliffar, after he had reigned two years. Neriglif tween him Nerigliffar, who is reprefented as the chief of the confpirators againft Evil-merodach, ufurped the throne. This prince, jealous of the growing power of the Medes and Perfians, difpatched ambaffadors into Lydia, Cappadocia, Phrygia, Caria, Paphlagonia, Cilicia, and even to the Indies, and by bribing fome and perfuading others, he prevailed upon them to enter into an alliance with him against Cyaxares, who had then fucceeded to War bethe throne of Media. Cyaxares, to oppofe this confederacy, called for his nephew Cyrus out of Perfia, who arriving with a and the body of 30,000 Perfians, was appointed commander in chief Medes and both of the Medes and Perfians in the impending war. About Perfians. four years after, both parties took the field. Nerigliffar was at the head of 20,000 horfe, 200 chariots, and foot proportionable; His conand was attended by Crafus king of Lydia with 10,000 horfe, federate and upwards of 40,000 light armed foot; the Phrygians fending forces. him 40,000 foot, moftly pikemen, and 8000 horfe, under Artamas their king; and Aribaus, king of Cappadocia, bringing 60co horfe and 30,000 foot, and Maragdas the Arabian conducting 10,000 horfe, 100 chariots, and a great number of flingers. The army of Cyrus did not amount to above a third of that under the Babylonian king, till they were joined by a confiderable reinforcement under Tigranes the Armenian, who in the beginning of the rupture had revolted from the Medes, Cyropæd. 1. 1. but but had been fubdued the year before by Cyrus. The Indians only offered their mediation, which had no effect. Cyrus having alfo fubdued the Chaldeans, who are faid to have inhabited the mountains next to Armenia, and confequently must have been Afyrians, led his army into the enemies territories, and a fierce battle foon after enfuing between him and the confedefeated and rates, the Affyrian army was totally defeated, and Nerigliffar was killed in the action. Great part of the Babylonians_and their allies the following night abandoning their camp, Cyrus next day took poffeffion of it, and of all their baggage. He is de flain by the Medes. Laborofoarchod him. The death of Nerigliffar was a great lofs to the Babylonians, for he was a prince of great courage, conduct, and wisdom, fucceeds which appeared by the great preparations he made for the war. But nothing made the Babylonians more fenfible of the lofs they had fuffered than the tyrannical government of his fon and fucceffor Laborofoarched, who was in every refpect quite the reverse of his father, being addicted to all manner of wickednefs, cruelty, and injuftice. Two acts of his cruelty towards two Babylonian lords, Gobryas and Gadates, are particularly mentioned. The only fon of the former he flew at a hunting match, to which he had invited him, for no other reason but because he pierced with a dart a wild beast which the king had miffed. The other he caufed to be made an eunuch, because one of his concubines had commended him as an handsome man. These two acts of cruelty drove the two noblemen, with the provinces they governed, over to Cyrus, who foon after appeared before the walls of Babylon, but having in vain endeavoured to draw the king to a battle, withdrew his army. Laborofearched upon his retiring gave a loose to all the wicked inclinations that were predominant in him; infomuch that his own fubHeis mur- jects, no longer able to bear his tyrannical government, confpired dered by against him, and murdered him in the ninth month of his reign. As he did not compleat a year, he is omitted in the canon. Nabonadius the chief of the confpirators fucceeded him in fubjects. the throne. He is called by Herodotus, Labynitus; by Abydenus, Nabona- Nabannidochus; and by the prophet Daniel, Belshazzar. He was the fon of Evil-merodach by Nitocris, and grandson of the great Nebuchadnezzar. As he afcended the throne in his youth, and was wholly addicted to his pleasures, his mother Nitocris, who was a woman of extraordinary parts, took the burden of the government upon herself, and did all that was in her power to preferve the tottering empire. While Cyrus and Cyaxares were employing themfelves in feveral campaigns, in reducing the frontier places, fhe was ufing her utmoft endeavours to fortify the country against them, and efpecially the city of Babylon. She perfected the works which Nebuchadnezzar had begun for that purpose, raised ftrong fortifications on the fide of the river, and caufed a wonderful vault to be made under it leading from the old palace to the new, twelve feet high, and fifteen wide. She likewife built a bridge cross the Euphrates, and did his own dius or Belfbaz zar. feve feveral other works, which were afterwards afcribed to Nebuchadnezzar. Cyrus in the mean time, having perfuaded Abradates, governor of Elam or Sufe, to revolt to him, and having likewife defeated Crefus, and made himself master of Sardis, and of all the countries from the Agean fea and the Mediterranean to the Euphrates, in the fixteenth year of Nabonadius, marched with a numerous and victorious army against Babylon. Nabonadius ventured to try the fate of a battle, but being defeated, retired into his capital, where he was immediately blocked up, and clofely Cyrus lays befieged by Cyrus. The fiege of this important place was fiege to no eafy enterprize. The walls were of a prodigious height, Babylon. the number of men to defend them very great, and the city was stored with all forts of provifions for twenty years*. Cyrus however, not difcouraged by thefe difficulties, profecuted his defign, and perceiving it to be impracticable to take the place by form, caufed a line of circumvallation to be drawn quite round the city, with a large and deep ditch; and that his troops might not be over fatigued, divided his army into twelve bodies, and affigned each of them its month to guard the workmen at the trenches. The befieged, thinking themfelves out of all danger, by reafon of their high walls and magazines, infulted Cyrus from the ramparts, and looked upon all the trouble he gave himself as fo much unprofitable labour. This immenfe ditch being finifhed in about two years, Cyrus refolved to put in execution a defign of turning afide the river, which ftratagem feems to have been first fuggefted by Chryfantas, one of his generals, though then feemingly rejected by Cyrus, that nobody might have any fufpicion of his intention. Being informed that a folemn feftival was foon to be celebrated in the city, and that the Babylonians were accustomed, on that occafion, to spend the whole night in drinking and debauchery, he thought this a moft favourable opportunity for furprizing them. Accordingly, upon the approach of the appointed day, he sent a strong detachment to the head of the canal leading to the great lake, which was dug for receiving the fuperfluous waters of the river, with orders to break down the great darn between the lake and the canal, and to turn the whole current into the lake. At the fame time he appointed one body of troops at the place where the river ran into the city, and another where it came out, ordering them to march in by the bed of the river as foon as they fhould find it fordable. Towards the evening, he opened the head of the trenches on both fides. of the river above the city, that the water might difcharge itfelf into them. By this means, and the breaking down of the great dam, the river was foon drained, so that at night the two bodies of troops entered the channel, the one commanded by Gobryas, and the other by Gadates. * Herod. 1. 1. Cyropoed. 1. 7. The He takes the city by a ftratagem. Belfhaz The Babylonians, notwithstanding they were befieged, did not omit their accustomed riot, and Belshazzar himself that very night gave a magnificent entertainment to a thousand of his lords, at which were also present his wives and concubines. In the heat of his wine he ordered the gold and filver veffels, which had been taken from the temple of Jerufalem, to be brought out, and as an infult upon the God of Ifrael, he, his whole court, and all his concubines, drank out of them, and celebrated the praises of their idols. God in the midst of their riot did, in a very extraordinary and wonderful manner, express his wrath against the impious king, by caufing a hand to appear on the wall, and thereon write a sentence of immediate deftruction against him. The king, who faw the hand, but understood not the writing, was inftantly filled with amazement and terror, and while his knees were fmiting against each other, he called aloud to bring in the wife men and aftrologers. None of them however being able to read or expound the writing, Daniel, by the advice of the queen-mother Nitocris, was fent for, and fpoke to the king with a freedom and liberty becoming a prophet. He boldly reproved him for his many iniquities and tranfgreffions against the great God of heaven and earth, and told him, that on that account the hand-writing was a sentence from heaven against him, and that his kingdom was taken from him, and given to the Medes and Perfians. This denounciation was inftantly fulfilled, for the troops fent into the city by Cyrus, finding the gates that feparated the ftreets from the river all left open through negligence, occafroned by the general riot, penetrated to the palace without oppofition, and furprizing the guards, cut them in pieces. Those who were in the palace opening the gates to know the cause of the zar flain, confufion, the Perfians ruthed in, took the palace, and killed the king, who, fword in hand, came out to oppofe them. Belshazzar being flain, and thofe who were about him put to flight, the reft fubmitted, and the Medes and Perfians became mafters of the place. The taking of this imperial city put an end to the Babylonian empire, and fulfilled the prophecies uttered by Ifaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel, against that profligate people, and their proud metropolis*. and an end put to the Babylonin empire, Bef. Ch. 538. v. xi. Ifaiah xiii. xiv. xxi. xliii. xlvi. xlvii. Jerem. xxv. 1. li. Dan. СНАР. CHA P. III. The hiftory of the antient PHRYGIANS, TROJANS, LY- SECT. I. An account of ASIA MINOR. S the feveral fmall kingdoms which we propose to treat of in this place, were antiently comprehended under the name of Afia Minor, we fhall premise a general defscription of that country. The learned archbishop Ufher looks upon the afcer- Afia Protaining the various acceptations of the word Afia, as one of the per moft difficult points in hiftory, there being a feeming contradiction between the facred and prophane writers as to the provinces comprehended under the name of Afia, which cannot be reconciled without a very careful distinction of times and places. In reading the antient hiftorians or geographers, we frequently meet with the following terms, namely, the Greater and Leffer Afia, Afia Proper, or Afia properly fo called, the Lydian Afia, the proconfular Afia, the Afiatic Diocefe. The vaft continent known by the general name of Afia, was divided by the antient geographers, firft into the greater and leffer Afia. The leffer, commonly called Afia Minor, comprehended a great many provinces, and part of it was again diftinguished with the name of Afia Proper, namely Phrygia, Myfia, Lydia, Caria, Eolis and Ionia, which two laft were comprehended partly in Lydia and partly in Myfia. This tract was bounded, according to Ptolemy, on the north by Bithynia and Pontus, extending from Galaria to Propontis; on the eaft by Galatia, Pamphylia, and Lycia; on the fouth by part of Lycia, and the Rhodian fea; and on the weft by the Hellefpont, the Egean, Icarian, and Myrtoan feas. As Afia Proper is but a part of Afia Minor, fo the Lydian Afia The Lyis only a part of Afia Proper, which was antiently called Meconia, dian Afia. and Afia, a Lydian king named Afias, according to the people of that country, having communicated his name to the whole continent. Afia, in this acceptation, comprehends Lydia, Eolis, and Ionia, according to the defcription above-mentioned, and is that Afia fpoken of in the Acts, and St. John's revelation. In the former we read the following account of St. Paul's jour ney; When they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghoft to preach the word in Afia, after they were come to Myfia, they effayed to go into Bithynia; but the fpirit fuffered them not. And they paffing by Myfia came down to Troas. Here it is plain that Phrygia, Galatia, Myfia, Bithynia, and Olympena, where Troas was fituated, are Cic. in orat. pro Flac. Pompon. Mela. 1. 1. Plin. 1. 5. Herod. 1. 1. Diod. Sic. 1. 4. Strabo, 1. 13, 14. in |