Phraortes, being of a very warlike temper, and Judith, not content with the kingdom of Media, left him Text. Gr. Her. 1. 1. by his father, attack'd the Perfians; and defeating. 102. them in a decifive battle, brought them under fubjection to his empire. Then ftrengthen'd by the acceffion of their troops, he attack'd other neighbouring nations, one after another, till he made himfeli master of almost all the upper Afia, which comprehends all that lies north of mount Taurus, from Media as far as the river Halys.

Elated with this good fuccefs, he ventured to turn his arms against the Affyrians, at that time indeed weaken'd thro' the revolt of feveral nations, but yet very powerful in themselves. Nabuchodonofor,

their king, otherwife call'd Saofduchinus, rais'd a great army in his own country, and fent embaffadors *The Greek to feveral other nations of the east, to require their text places affiftance. They all refufed him with contempt, ballies bethefe emand ignominioully treated his embaffadors, letting fore the him fee, that they no longer dreaded that empire, battle. which had formerly kept the greatest part of them in a flavish fubjection.

The king, highly enraged at fuch infolent treatment, fwore by his throne and his reign, that he would be revenged of all thofe nations, and put them every one to the fword. He then prepared for battle, with what forces he had, in the plain of Ragau. There was fought that great battle, which proved fatal to Phraortes. He was defeated, his cavalry fled, his chariots were overturned and put into dif order, and Nabuchodonofor gained a compleat victory. Then taking advantage of the defeat and confufion of the Medes, he entered their country, took their cities, pufh'd on his conquefts even to Ecbatane, forced the towers and the walls by ftorm, and gave the city to be pillaged by his foldiers, who plunder'd it, and ftripp'd it of all its ornaments.

The unfortunate Phraortes, who had efcaped into the mountains of Ragau, fell at laft into the hands

of Nabuchodonofor, who cruelly caus'd him to be fhot to death with darts. After that, he return'd to Nineveh with all his army, which was ftill very numerous; and for four months together did nothing but feaft and divert himself with thofe that had ac companied him in this expedition.

Now the king of Affyria fent Holophernes with a powerful army, to revenge himself of thofe that had refufed him fuccours: the progrefs and cruelty of that commander, the general confternation of all the people, the courageous refolution of the Ifraelites to withstand him, in hopes that their God would defend them, the extremity to which Bethulia and the whole nation was reduced, the miraculous deliverance of that city by the courage and conduct of the brave Judith, and the compleat overthrow of the Affyrian army; all this we read in the book of Judith.

CYAXARES I. reign'd 40 years. AN.MUN. This prince fucceeded to the throne immediately 3369. Be-after his father's death. He was a very brave, enterprizing prince, and knew how to make his advanHered. 1. tage of the late overthrow of the Affyrian army. 1. c. 103-- He first fettled himself well in his kingdom of

fore CHR.

635.

106.

Media, and then conquered all upper Afia. But what he had moft at heart was, to go and attack Nineveh, to revenge the death of his father by the deftruction of that great city.

He went; and the Affyrians came out to meet him, having only the remains of that great army, which was destroy'd before Bethulia. A Battle enfued, wherein the Affyrians were defeated, and driven back to Nineveh. Cyaxares, pursuing his victory, laid fiege to the city, which was going to fall inevitably into his hands, but that the time was not yet come when God defigned to punish that city for her crimes, and for the calamities fhe had brought upon his people, as well as other nations. The thing, that

Occa

occafion'd its deliverance from the prefent danger, was this.

A formidable army of Scythians, who was come from about the Mæotis lake, had driven the Cimmerians out of Europe, and was still marching under the conduct of king Madyes in purfuit of them. The Cimmerians had found means to escape from the Scythians, who were advancing into Media. Cyaxares, hearing of this eruption, raised the fiege from before Nineveh, and marched with all his forces against that mighty army, which, like an impetuous torrent, was going to over-run all Afia. The two armies engaged, and the Medes were vanquished. The Barbarians, finding no other obstacle in their way, over-fpread not only Media, but almost all Afia. After that, they march'd towards Egypt, from whence Pfammiticus diverted their courfe by prefents. Then they went back into Palestine, where fome of them plunder'd the temple of Venus at Afcalon, the most ancient temple dedicated to that goddess. Some of these Scythians fettled at Bethfhean, a city in the tribe of Manaffeh, on this fide Jordan, which from them was afterwards call'd Scythopolis.

The Scythians for the space of twenty-eight years were mafters of the upper Afia, namely, the two Armenia's, Cappadocia, Pontus, Colchis, and Iberia; during which time they spread defolation whereever they came. The Medes had no way of getting rid of them, but by a treacherous ftratagem. Under pretence of cultivating and ftrengthening the alliance they had made together, they invited the greatest part of them to a general feaft, which was made in every family. Each mafter of the feaft made his guests drunk, and in that condition were the Scythians maffacred. The Medes then repofsess'd themselves of the provinces they had loft, and once more extended their empire to the banks of the Halys, which was their ancient boundary weftward.

The

Her. 1. 1. €. 74.

The remaining Scythians, who were not at the banquets, having heard of the maffacre of their countrymen, fled into Lydia, to king Halyattes, who receiv'd them with great humanity. This occafion'd a war between thofe two princes. Cyaxares immediately led his troops to the frontiers of Lydia. Many battles were fought during the space of five years with almost an equal advantage on both fides. The battle fought in the fixth year was very remarkable, on account of an eclipfe of the fun, which happened during the engagement, when on a fudden the day was turned into a dark night. Thales, the Milesian, had foretold this eclipfe. The Medes and Lydians, who were then in the heat of the battle, equally terrified with this unforeseen event, which they look'd upon as a fign of the anger of the gods, immediately retreated on both fides, and made peace. Syen*In Herod. nefis, king of Cilicia, and * Nabuchodonofor, king be is called of Babylon, were the mediators. To render the Labynetus. friendship more firm and inviolable, the two princes agreed to strengthen it by a marriage-band; and 'twas concluded, that Halyattes fhould give his daughter Aryenis to Aftyages, eldest son of Cyax

ares.

The manner these people had of contracting alliance with one another, is very remarkable. Besides other ceremonies, which they had in common with the Greeks, they had this in particular; the two contracting parties made themfelves incifions in the arms, and lick'd one another's blood.

AN.MUN. Cyaxares's first care, affoon as he found himself 3378. Be-again in peace, was to refume the fiege of Nineveh, tore CHR which the eruption of the Scythians had obliged him Her. 1. 1. to raife. Nabopolaffar, king of Babylon, with C. 206. whom he had juft contracted a particular alliance,

626.

join'd with him in a league against the Affyrians. Having therefore united their forces, they befieged Nineveh, took it, kill'd Saracus the king, and utterly destroy'd that mighty city.

God

God had foretold by his prophets, above an hundred years before, that he would bring vengeance upon that impious city for the blood of his fervants, wherewith the kings thereof had gorged themselves, like ravenous lions; that he himfeif would march at the head of the troops that fhould come to befiege it; that he would cause confternation and terror to go before them; that he would deliver the old men, the mothers, and their children, into the merciless hands of the foldiers; that all the treafures of the city fhould fall into the hands of rapacious and infatiable plunderers; and that the city itself fhould be fo totally and utterly destroy'd, that not so much as a footstep of it fhould be left; and that the people fhould ask hereafter, where did the proud city of Nineveh stand?

59

iii. I.

ii. i, 2.

iii. 2,3.

But let us hear the language of the prophets themfelves: Woe to the bloody city (cries Nahum) it is Nahum all full of lies and robbery: he that dafheth in pieces is come up before thy face. The Lord cometh to avenge the cruelties done to Jacob and to Ifrael. I hear already the noife of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the prancing horfes,' and of the jumping chariots. The horseman lifteth up both the bright fword, and the glittering fpear. The shield of his mighty men is made red: the valiant men are in scarlet. They fhall feem like torches, they fhall run like the lightning. God is jealous; 3,4the Lord revengeth, and is furious. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burnt at his prefence: who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fiercenefs of his anger? Behold, I am against thee, faith the Lord of iii. 5. hofts: I will ftrip thee of all thy ornaments.

Take

ye the fpoil of filver, take the fpoil of gold; for there is no end of the ftore and glory out of all the pleasant furniture. She is empty, and void, and wafte. Nineveh is deftrov'd; fhe is overthrown ; fhe is defolate. The gates of the rivers shall be

open'd,

i.2,5,6.

ii. 9.

10.

vi. 7.