thians in

Cyaxares, the fon and fucceffor of Phraortes, was a brave and CjaxaresĪ: enterprising prince. Having established himself on the throne, and raised a powerful army of well difciplined troops, he refolved to revenge the death of his father and grandfather, by the deftruction of Nineveh. The Affyrians endeavoured to oppose him on the frontiers; but being defeated, fled into Nineveh, where they were immediately clofely befieged. Cyaxares, how- The Scyever, was obliged to abandon his defign, and to withdraw his troops to defend his own dominions against the Scythians, who, vade Afia. under Madyas the fon of Protothyas, were ready to enter Media, having purfued the Cimmerians from the Palus Meotis. He marched with all dispatch towards his frontiers to oppose them, and hazarding a battle, was totally routed, after a long and bloody engagement. The conquerors having no other enemy to contend with, over-ran not only all Media, but the greater part of Upper Afia, and from thence they extended their conquefts into Syria as far as the confines of. Egypt, where they were met by Pfammitichus the king, who prevailed upon them, by intreaties and presents, to proceed no farther *. În this expedition the Scythians poffeffed themfelves of the city of Bethfran, in the territories of the tribe of Manaffeh on this fide the Jordan, and held it as long as they continued in Afia, whence it is called Scythopolis, or the city of the Scythians +. They alfo plundered the temple of Venus at Afcalon; for which facrilege, the guilty perfons, and their pofterity, were afflicted with emroids, according to the account of the Philiflines, who from thence appear not to have forgot the punishment which their anceftors had fuffered for detaining the ark 1.

After the Scythians had continued mafters of the upper Afia, They are namely, of the two Armenia's, Cappadocia, Pontus, Colchis, forced to Iberia, and great part of Lydia, for 28 years, Cyaxares find- quit Meing himself unable to expel them by force of arms, refolved dia. to root them out by treachery. He accordingly invited the greatest part of them to a general feaft, which was given in every family, and each landlord making his gueft drunk, in that condition maffacred him; by which expedient the kingdom was delivered from thofe oppreffive ftrangers; for we do not find that those who remained raised any commotions in Media. The Medes now repoffeffing themselves of the provinces they had loft, once more extended their empire to the banks of the Halys.

Soon after this maffacre, Cyaxares was engaged in a war with A war bethe Lydians, the occafion of which is thus related by Herodotus. twixt CySeveral Scythian refugees were entrusted with the education of axares and divers Median youths, whom they were to inftruct in the ufe the Lyof the bow, and in the Scythian language. Thefe ftrangers dians. went frequently to hunt, and were ever accustomed to return

* Herod. 1. i, ii.—-viż. Strab. 1. i. † Syncel. p. 214. Herod. 1. i.

2

with

with fome game; but one day happening to come home with empty hands, Cyaxares treated them with most opprobious language. In refentment for this ufage they killed one of the youths committed to their care, drefled his flesh like venifon, and served it up to Cyaxares and his guests, and then flying to Sardis, implored the protection of Halyattes king of Lydia. Cyaxares immediately demanded the Scythians, but the king of Lydia refufing to deliver them up, a war of fix years enfued between the two nations with various fuccefs. Whether the Scythians who fled to Lydia were not rather the remains of those who had escaped the maffacre than any new colony from Scythia, we think may be justly doubted. In the fixth year of the war, while the Medes and Lydians were in the heat of an engagement, there happened an eclipfe of the fun, which is faid to have been foretold by Thales the Milefian (A). Both parties equally terrified with this uncommon event, which they looked upon as a fign of the anger of the gods, immediately retreated, and foon after concluded a peace by the mediation of Labynetus, that is, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and Syennefis king of Cilicia. This peace was ftrengthened by a marriage between Aryenis the daughter of Halyattes and Aftyages, the eldest fon of Cyaxares, of which marriage was born, the enfuing year, Cyaxares, who, in the book of Daniel, is called Darius the Mede.

Cyaxares, about the fame time, entered into a ftrict alliance with Nebuchadnezzar, which he confirmed, by giving him his daughter Amyite to wife, and, in conjunction with the Babylonians, refumed the fiege of Nineveh, which, after long defence, they took and levelled with the ground, as we have before related. The deftruction of this proud metropolis, the Jews afcribe to the Chaldeans, the Greeks to the Medes, and Tobit, Polyhiftor, fofephus, and Cteftas to both. It laid the foundation of the two collateral empires, as we may call them, of the Medes and Babylonians, which rofe on the ruins of the Affyrian monarchy.

While Nebuchadnezzar, after the reduction of Nineveh, was profecuting his victories weftward in Syria, Paleftine, and Egypt, Cyaxares fell upon the Affyrian provinces of Armenia, Pontus, and Cappadocia, which he fubdued with great slaughter

(A) As to the appearance of the eclipfe on this occafion, authors are in general agreed; but they differ greatly in fixing the æra of the tranfaction. Pliny places it in the 4th year of the 48th Olympiad; Clemens Alexandrinus in the 50th Olympiad. The folar and lunar tables of Ptolemy, which are the fame with thofe of

Hipparchus, place this eclipfe on the 4th year of the 44th Olympiad. But according to Sir Ifaac Newton, it fell upon the 28th of May, in the year of Nabonaffer 163, which is the fame year mentioned by Pliny. Chron. of ant. kingd. amend. Plin. l. i. Alex. Strom. 1. i.

of

of the inhabitants. Having alfo fubdued Perfis and Sufiana, and erected the kingdom of Media into a powerful empire, he died in the 40th year of his reign, and left his dominions to his fon Aftyages.

Aftyages in fcripture is called Abafuerus. The fame year that his fon Cyaxares was born, he gave his daughter Mandane, whom he had by a former wife, to Cambyfes a Perfian, from which marriage fprung Cyrus the founder of the Perfian monarchy, and the reftorer of the Jews to their country, their temple and former condition. He was born but one year after the birth of his uncle Cyaxares, and confequently was in the 61st year of his age, when Babylon was taken. Though the reign of Afyages lafted 35 years, yet we find no particulars of it recorded in history, except his repulfing the Babylonians, who, under the conduct of Evil-merodach, the fon of Nebuchadnezzar, had made an inroad into his country, as we have related in the hiftory of Babylon.

Afyages.

Cyaxares

Cyaxares the fon and fucceffor of Aftyages, was fcarce feated on his throne, when he found himself engaged in a bloody II. war with Nerigliflar king of Babylon. This war was carried on with great flaughter on both fides by Cyaxares and his nephew Cyrus, and concluded with the taking of Babylon; but as it was entirely managed by Cyrus for 20 years, we thall defer the relating of thefe important events till the reign of that great and glorious prince. As for Cyaxares, he is faid in Scripture to have taken the kingdom after the reduction of Babylon and death of Belshazzar; for Cyrus, as long as his uncle lived, allowed him the honour of the first rank. He himself nevertheless having the command of the army, and the whole management of affairs, was looked upon as fupreme governor of the empire; and hence it is, that in Ptolemy's canon no notice is taken of Cyaxares; but Cyrus is placed immediately after Nabonadius the laft Babylonian king. That a Mede reigned at Babylon upon the death of Nabonadius, or Belshazzar, is exprefly mentioned in fcripture, where the Medes, before the reign of Cyrus, are always placed before the Perfians, as the Perfians in the reign of Cyrus and his fucceffors are placed before the Medes. Though most of the Greeks, who received their inBabylon formation from the Perfians, take no notice of Cyaxares, yet taken by Jofephus, who was better informed, tells us, that Darius with the Medes his ally Cyrus deftroyed the kingdom of Babylon. The fame author and Feradds, that this Darius was the fon of Aftyages, and that he was fians. known to the Greeks by another name. Now if we afk the Greeks the name of Aftyages's fon, Xenophon will tell us that he was called Cyaxares.

After the reduction of Babylon, Cyaxares, in concert with Cyrus, fettled the affairs of their new empire, dividing it into 120 provinces, the government of which they conferred on those who had diftinguished themfelves during the war. Over thefe governors were appointed three prefidents, who refiding conftantly at court, were to receive accounts of what

happened

Daniel ap

pointed one of the

chief prefidents.

happened in several provinces, and dispatch the king's orders to the immediate officers. Of the three prefidents Daniel was appointed the chief, an honour which he highly deferved, not only on account of his great wisdom, but likewife of his age and confummate experience; for he had now ferved the kings of Babylon full 63 years, in the quality of prime minifter. This employment advancing him to be next perfon to the king, the other courtiers envied his great merit and dignity, and would have compaffed his ruin, had he not been miraculously preserved by that Providence which is ever watching over the fafety of the juft. As the only thing they could lay hold of to difgrace him at court, and make him incur the king's displeasure, was his attachment to the law of his God, they prevailed with Darius to iffue out a proclamation, forbidding all perfons to put up any petition whatsoever to God or man, except to the king, for the pace of 30 days, upon pain of being caft into the lions den. Daniel, notwithstanding this wicked decree, did not omit his ufual prayers to God; but being discovered and accufed, as the laws of the Medes were unalterable, he was condemned to be thrown into the den of the lions, the king, who He is mi- highly efteemed him, greatly regretting his fate. The lions, raculously however, were miraculously prevented from hurting him; and preferved the king next morning rejoicing to find him fafe, was conin the li- vinced of his innocence, ordered him to be taken out, and ons den. caufed his malicious accufers, with their wives and children, to be thrown into the den, where they were inftantly devoured by the lions.

About the fame time, the famous Darics were probably coined out of the gold of the Lydians and other conquered nations. For we are told, that the author of this coin was not Darius Hyftafpes, but a more antient Darius. Now there is no antienter Darius mentioned to have reigned in the eaft, excepting only this Darius, whom the Scripture calls Darius the Median. According to Dr. Bernard, the Daric weighed two grains more than one of our guineas; but as it had very little alloy, it may be reckoned, according to the prefent proportion of gold and The Me- filver, to have been worth 25 fhillings. Cyaxares dying without any male iffue, after he had reigned two years at Bapire trans- bylon, the empire devolved to Cyrus, who had married his fered to only daughter; the Perfians being then reckoned the imperial

dian em

*Prid. Connect. part i. Bern, de pond. & menf. antiq. Suidas. Harpocrat. Scholiaft. Ariftoph.

CHAP.

THE

CHA P. II.

The Hiftory of PERSIA.

SECT. I.

The defcription of PERSIA.

HE moft antient name of Perfia is that by which it is cal- Its feveral led by Mofes, namely, Elam, from Elam the fon of Shem, names. the father of its first inhabitants. Herodotus calls its inhabitants Cephenes; and in very antient times, Hyde informs us the people of this country called themselves Artai, and the region wherein they dwelt Artaa, probably from the Perfian word Ard, or Art, which fignifies ftrong, brave, magnanimous. In the books of Daniel, Efdras, &c. we find the country called Paras, agreeable to the Perfian name of Pars, or Phárs, by which the proper Perfia is called at this time. It has also been called Achæmenia and Arfaca, from its antient kings. By the Arabs it is called Agjem, or the country of the Barbarians; by the Armenians it is ftiled Shahiftan, that is, the country of the Shah; and by the Perfians themselves generally Ireun, or

Iran.

;

The extent of Perfia has been, in different ages, as various Its extent. as its names. We fhall firft affign the boundaries of the Perfian empire as they ftood antiently, when it extended fartheft; next we fhall fettle the boundaries of the modern Perfian empire; and then we shall review the general provinces mentioned by antient writers, and give a fhort account of the condition they are now in.

As to the antient empire of the Perfians, it reached in length The anfrom the Hellefpont to the mouth of the river Indus, about 2800 tient PerEnglish miles; in breadth from Pontus to the mouth of the Ara- fien embian gulph, about 2000 miles.

pire.

The modern Perfia, that is, the dominions of the Perfian The mocrown, are in length about 1840 of our miles, extending from dern emthe mouth of the river Araxes to the mouth of the river Indus; pire of the and in breadth from the river Oxus to the Perfian gulph, about Perfians 1080 miles. On the north they are bounded by the Cafpian fea, the river Oxus, and mount Caucafus; on the eaft by the river Indus and the dominions of the great mogul; on the fouth by the Perfian gulph and the Indian ocean; and on the weft by the dominions of the grand fignior.

The first province we fhall mention in the antient divifion of Gedrofii. this country, is Gedrofia, or Cedrofia. It was bounded on the eaft by Guzarat, a province of India; on the fouth by the Indian ocean; on the weft by Carmania; and on the north by Drangiana and Arachofia. It was antiently inhabited by the Ar

bitæ,