representing all kinds of animals, cut out to the life Amongst the reft was a curious representation of an hunting, in which Semiramis from her horfe was throwing her javelin at a leopard, and her husband Ninus piercing a lion. In this laft or new palace were the Hang- Diod. p. ing Gardens, fo celebrated among the Greeks. 98, 99. Strab.1.16. They contained a fquare of four Plethra (that is, of four hundred ft) on every fide, and were QC.1.5. P. 738. carried up aloft into the air, in the manner of fe- c. 1. veral large terraffes, one above another, till the height equal'd that of the walls of the city. The afcent was from terrass to terrass, by stairs ten feet wide. The whole pile was fustained by vaft arches, built upon arches, one above another, and ftrengthened by a wall, furrounding it on every fide, of twenty-two foot thickness. On the top of the arches were firft laid large flat ftones, fixteen feet long, and four broad, and over them was a layer of reed, mixed with a great quantity of bitumen, over which were two rows of bricks, closely cemented together by plaifter, and then over all were laid thick fheets of lead, and laftly upon the lead was laid the mould of the garden. And all this floorage was contrived to keep the moisture of the mould from running away down through the arches. The mould, or earth, laid hereon was of that depth, as to have room enough for the greatest trees to take rooting in it; and fuch were planted all over it in every terrass; as were also all other trees, plants and flowers, that were proper for a garden of pleasure. In the upper terrass there was an aqueduct, or engine, whereby water was drawn up out of the river, which from thence water'd the whole garden. In the spaces between the several arches, upon which this whole ftructure refted, there was a fet of large and magnificent rooms contrived, which were very light, and had the advantage of a beautiful profpect. Amytis, Berof. ap. Amytis, the wife of Nebuchadnezzar, having Jof. con. been bred in Media (for fhe was the daughter of App. 1. 1. Aftyages, the king of that country) had been much c. 6. taken with the mountains and woody parts of that country, and therefore defired to have fomething like it in Babylon; and to gratify her herein was the reason of erecting this monftrous work of vanity : Diodorus gives much the fame account of the matter, but without naming the perfons. Her. 1. 1. c. 181. V. THE TEMPLE OF BELUS. Another of the great works at Babylon was the temple of Belus, which stood as I have mentioned alDiod. 1.2. ready, near the old palace. That which was most Stra. 1. 16. remarkable in it was a wonderful tower, that stood P. 738, in the middle of it. At the foundation it was a fquare of a furlong on each fide, that is, an half of a mile in the whole compafs, and (according to Strabo) a furlong high, and confifted of eight towers, one built over the other; and because there was a decreafing, or benching in at every tower, Strabo calls the whole a pyramid. 'Tis not only af ferted, but proved, that this tower much exceeded the highest of the pyramids of Egypt in height. Therefore we have good reafon to believe, as BoPhal. part, chartus afferts, that this is the very fame tower, 1.1.1. c.9. which was there built at the confufion of tongues; and the rather, because it is attefted by feveral prophane authors, that this tower was all built of bricks and bitumen, as the fcriptures tell us the tower of Babel was. The afcent to the top of this tower was by ftairs on the out-fide round it; that is perhaps, there was an eafy floping ftair-cafe made in the outer wall, which by its benching in, and being drawn in a floping line eight times round the tower, from the bottom to the top, had the fame appearance as if there had been eight towers placed one upon another. In thefe different ftories were many large rooms, with arched roofs fupported by pillars. Over the whole, on the top of the tower, was an obfer obfervatory, by the benefit of which it was, that the Babylonians advanced their skill in aftronomy beyond all other nations, and came to fo early a perfection in it as is related. But the chief use to which this tower was defigned was the worship of the god Belus, or Baal, as alfo to that of feveral other deities; for which reason there was a multitude of chapels in the different parts of the tower. The riches of this temple in statues, tables, cenfers, cups, and other facred veffels, all of maffy gold, were immenfe. Among other images, there was one of fortyt high, which weighed a thoufand Babylonish talents. The Babylonish talent, according to Pollux in his Onomasticon, contained feven thoufand Attic drachma's, and confequently was a fixth part more than the Attic talent, which contains but fix thousand drachma's. According to the calculation, which Diodorus makes, of the riches contained in this temple, the sum total amounts to fix thousand three hundred Babylonish talents of gold. The fixth part of fix thousand three hundred is one thousand and fifty; confequently fix thoufand three hundred Babylonish talents of gold are equivalent to seven thousand three hundred and fifty Attic talents of gold. Now seven thousand three hundred and fifty Attic talents of filver are worth upwards of two millions, and one hundred thousand pounds fterling. The proportion between gold and filver among the ancients we reckon as ten to one; therefore seven thousand three hundred and fifty Attic talents of gold amount to above one and twenty millions fter-ling. This temple ftood till the time of Xerxes; but he, on his return from his Grecian expedi tion, demolished it intirely, after having first plunder'd it of all its immenfe riches. Alexan Diod. 1. 2. p. Too 108. Val. Max. . der, on his return to Babylon from his Indian expedition, purposed to have rebuilt it; and in order hereto, fet ten thousand men on work, to rid the place of its rubbish; but, after they had labour'd herein two months, Alexander died, and that put an end to the undertaking. Such were the chief works which render'd Babylon fo famous; fome of them are afcribed by prophane authors to Semiramis, to whofe hiftory 'tis now time to return. When she had finished all these great undertakings, fhe thot fit to make a progrefs through the feveral parts of her empire; and, wherever the came, left monuments of her magnificence by the many noble structures fhe erected, either for the conveniency, or the ornament of her cities; fhe applied herself particularly to have water brought by aqueducts to fuch places as wanted it, and to make the highways eafy, by cutting through mountains, and filling up valleys. In the time of Diodorus, there were still monuments to be seen in many places, with her name infcribed upon them. The authority this queen had over her people feems lib. 9. c.3. very extraordinary, fince we find her presence alone capable of repreffing a fedition. One day, as the was dreffing her head, word was brought her of a tumult in the city. Whereupon fhe went out immediately, with her head half drefs'd, and did not return till the disturbance was entirely appeased. On which account a ftatue was erected to her memory, reprefenting her in that very attitude and undrefs, which had not hindered her from flying to her duty. Not fatisfied with the vaft extent of dominions left her by her husband, fhe enlarged them by the conqueft of a great part of Æthiopia. Whilft fhe was in that country, fhe had the curiofity to visit the temple of Jupiter Ammon, to enquire of the oracle how long she had to live. According to Dio dorus, dorus, the answer fhe received was, that fhe fhould not die till her fon Ninyas confpired against her, and that after her death one part of Afia would pay her divine honours. Her greatest and last expedition was in the Indies; on this occafion fhe raised an innumerable army out of all the provinces of her empire, and appointed Bactra for the rendezvous. As the ftrength of the Indians confifted chiefly in their great number of elephants, this artful queen had a multitude of camels accoutred in the form of elephants, in hopes of deceiving the enemy. 'Tis faid that Perfeus long after ufed the fame ftratagem against the Romans; but neither of them found their account in this artifice. The Indian king having notice of her approach, fent ambaffadors to ask her who she was, and with what right, having never received any injury from him, fhe came wantonly to attack his dominions; letting her know withal, that her audaciousness should foon meet with the punishment it deserved. Tell your mafter (replied the queen) that in a little time I myself will let him know who I am. Whereupon fhe directly marches towards the river, from which the country takes its name ; * Indus. and having prepared a competent number of boats, her army attempted to pafs over: Their paffage was a long time difputed, but after a bloody fight fhe put her enemies to rout. Above a thousand of their boats were funk, and above an hundred thousand of their men were taken prisoners. Encouraged by this fuccefs, fhe advanced forthwith into the country, , leav ing fixty thousand men behind, to guard the bridge of boats, which she had built over the river. This was just what the king defired, who fled on purpose to bring her to an engagement in the heart of his country. Affoon as he thought her far enough advanced, he faced about, and a fecond engagement enfued, more bloody than the firft. The counterfeit elephants |