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11. The Lakes, Ditches, and Canals, made for the draining of the River.

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In this last palace, were the hanging gardens, so celebrated among the Greeks. They contained a These works, objects of admiration for the skilful square of 400 feet on every side, and were carried up in all ages, were still more useful than magnificent. in the manner of several large terraces, one above In the beginning of the summer, on the sun's melt- another, till the height equalled that of the walls of ing the snow on the mountains of Armenia, there the city. The ascent was from terrace to terrace, by arises a vast increase of waters, which, running into stairs ten feet wide. The whole pile was sustained the Euphrates in the months of June, July, and Au- by vast arches, raised upon other arches, one above gust, makes it overflow its banks, and occasions such another, and strengthened by a wall, surrounding it another inundation as the Nile does in Egypt. To on every side, of twenty-two feet in thickness. On prevent the damage which both the city and country the top of the arches were first laid large flat stones, received from these inundations, at a very considera-sixteen feet long, and four broad; over these was a ble distance above the town, two artificial canals were layer of reeds, mixed with a great quantity of bitucut, which turned the course of these waters into the men, upon which were two rows of bricks, closely Tigris, before they reached Babylon. And to secure cemented together with plaster. The whole was cothe country yet more from the danger of inundations, vered with thick sheets of lead, upon which lay the and to keep the river within its channel, they raised mould of the garden. And all this floorage was contrivprodigious banks on both sides of the river, built with ed to keep the moisture of the mould from running away brick cemented with bitumen, which began at the through the arches. The earth laid hereon was so head of the artificial canals, and extended below the deep, that the greatest trees might take root in it; and with such the terraces were covered, as well as with city. To facilitate the making of these works, it was other plants and flowers that were proper to adorn a necessary to turn the course of the river; for which pleasure-garden. In the upper terrace there was an purpose, to the west of Babylon, was dug a prodigious engine, or kind of pump, by which water was drawn artificial lake, forty miles square, 160 in compass, up out of the river, and from thence the whole garden and thirty-five feet deep, according to Herodotus, and was watered. seventy-five according to Megasthenes. Into this lake was the whole river turned, by an artificial canal cut from the west side of it, till the whole work was finished, when it was made to flow in its former channel. But that the Euphrates, in the time of its increase, might not overflow the city, through the gates on its sides, this lake, with the canal from the river, was still preserved. The water received into the lake at the time of these overflowings was kept there all the year, as in a common reservoir, for the benefit of the country, to be let out by sluices, at convenient times, for the watering of the lands below it. The lake, therefore, was equally useful in defending the country from inundations, and making it fertile. I relate the wonders of Babylon as they are delivered to us by the ancients; but there are some of them which are scarce to be comprehended or believed, of which number is the vast extent of the lake, which I have just described. Berosus, Megasthenes, and Abydenus, quoted by Josephus and Eusebius, make Nebuchadnezzar the author of the most of these works; but Herodotus ascribes the bridge, the two quays of the river, and the lake, to Nitocris, the daughter-in-law of that monarch. Perhaps Nitocris might finish what her father left imperfect at his death, on which account that historian might give her the honour of the whole undertaking.

IV. The Palaces, and Hanging Gardens. At the two ends of the bridge were two palaces, which had a communication with each other by a vault, built under the channel of the river, at the time of its being dry. The old palace which stood on the east side of the river, was thirty furlongs (or three miles and three quarters) in compass; near which stood the temple of Belus, of which we shall soon speak. The new palace, which stood on the west side of the river, opposite to the other, was sixty furlongs (or seven miles and a half) in compass. It was surrounded with three walls, one within another, with considerable spaces between them. These walls, as also those of the other palace, were embellished with an infinite variety of sculptures, representing all kinds of animals, to the life. Amongst the rest was a curious huntingpiece, in which Semiramis on horseback was throwing her javelin at a leopard, and her husband Ninus piercing a lion.

1 Strab. I. xvi. p. 740. Plin. l. v. c. 26. 2 Abyd. ap. Eus. Præp. Evang. lib. ix. Abyd. ib. Herod. 1. 1. c. 185.

In the spaces between the several arches, upon which this whole structure rested, were large and magnificent apartments, that were very light, and had the advantage of a beautiful prospect.

Amytis, the wife of Nebuchadnezzar, having been bred in Media (for she was the daughter of Astyages, the king of that country), had been much delighted with the mountains and woody parts of that country. And as she desired to have something like it in Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, to gratify her, caused this prodigious edifice to be erected. Diodorus gives much the same account of the matter, but without naming the persons.

V. The Temple of Belus.

Another of the great works at Babylon was the temple of Belus," which stood, as I have mentioned already, near the old palace. It was most remarkable for a prodigious tower, that stood in the middle of it. At the foundation, according to Herodotus, it was a square of a furlong on each side, that is, half a mile in the whole compass, and (according to Strabo) it was also a furlong in height. It consisted of eight towers, built one above the other, decreasing regularly to the top, for which reason Strabo calls the whole a pyramid. It is not only asserted, but proved, that this tower much exceeded the greatest of the pyramids of Egypt in height. Therefore we have good reason to believe, as Bochart asserts," that this is the very same tower which was built there at the confusion of the languages: and the rather, because it is attested by several profane authors, that this tower was all built of bricks and bitumen, as the Scriptures tell us the tower of Babel was. The ascent to the top was by stairs on the outside round it; that is, perhaps, there was an easy sloping ascent in the side of the outer wall, which turning by very clow degrees in a spiral line eight times round the tower from the bottom to the top, had the same appearance as if there had been eight towers placed upon one another. In these different stories were many large rooms, with arched roofs supported by pillars. Over the whole, on the top of the tower, was an observatory, by the benefit of which the Babylonians became more expert in astronomy' than all other nations, and made, in a short time, the great progress in it ascribed to them in history.

But the chief use to which this tower was designed, was the worship of the god Belus or Baal, as also that of several other deities; for which reason there was a multitude of chapels in different parts of the tower.

The author follows Herodotus, who makes it 420 furlongs, or 52 miles square; but I choose to follow Dean Pri- 1. v. c. 1. deaux, who prefers the account of Megasthenes.

Diod. l. ii. p. 96, 97.

VOL. I.-13

Diod. l. ii. p. 98, 99. Strab. i. xvi. p. 738. Quint. Curt.
Beros. ap. Jos. cont. App. 1. i. c. 6.
Diod. l. ii. p. 98. Strab. l. xxi. p,
*Phal. part. 1. 1. i. c. 9.

Herod. I. i. c. 181.

738.

The riches of this temple in statues, tables, censers, eups, and other sacred vessels, all of massy gold, were immense. Among other images, there was one forty feet high, which weighed 1000 Babylonish talents. The Babylonish talent, according to Pollox in his Onomasticon, contained 7000 Attic drachmas, and consequently was a sixth part more than the Attic talent, which contains but 6000 drachmas.

According to the calculation which Diodorus makes of the riches contained in this temple, the sum total amounts to 6300 Babylonish talents of gold.

The sixth part of 6300 is 1050; consequently 6300 Babylonish talents of gold are equivalent to 7350 Attic talents of gold.

Now 7350 Attic talents of silver are worth upwards 2,100,000l. sterling. The proportion between gold and silver among the ancients we reckon as ten to one; therefore 7350 Attic talents of gold amount to above 21,000,000l. sterling.

The temple stood till the time of Xerxes; but he, on his return from his Grecian expedition, demolished it entirely, after having first plundered it of all its immense riches. Alexander, on his return to Babylon from his Indian expedition, purposed to have rebuilt it; and in order thereto, set 10,000 men to work to rid the place of its rubbish; but, after they had laboured therein two months, Alexander died, and that put an end to the undertaking.

Such were the chief works which rendered Babylon so famous; the greater part of them are ascribed by profane authors to Semiramis, to whose history it is now time to return.

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When she had finished all these great undertakings, she thought fit to make a progress through the several parts of her empire; and wherever she came, left monuments of her magnificence by many noble structures which she erected, either for the conveniency or ornament of her cities; she was particularly careful to have water brought by aqueducts to such places as wanted it, and to make the highways easy, 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 inscribed upon them.

The authority this queen had over her people seems very extraordinary, since we find her presence alone capable of appeasing a sedition. One day, as she was dressing herself, word was brought her of a tumult in the city. Whereupon she went out immediately, with her head half dressed, and did not return till the disturbance was entirely appeased. A statue was erected in remembrance of this action, representing her in that very attitude and undress, which had not hindered her from flying to her duty.

Not satisfied with the vast extent of dominions left her by her husband, she enlarged them by the conquest of a great part of Ethiopia. Whilst she was in that country, she had the curiosity to visit the temple of Jupiter Ammon, to inquire of the oracle how long she had to live. According to Diodorus, the answer she received was, that she should not die till her son Ninyas conspired against her, and that after her death one part of Asia would pay her divine honours.

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her boldness should soon meet with the punishment it deserved. Tell your master, replied the queen, that in a little time, I myself will let him know who I am. She advanced immediately towards the river, from which the country lakes its name; and having prepared a sufficient number of boats, she attempted to pass it with her army. This passage was a long time disputed, but after a bloody battle she put her enemies to flight. Above 1000 of their boats were sunk, and above 100,000 of their men taken prisoners. Encouraged by this success, she advanced directly into the country, leaving 60,000 men behind to guard the bridge of boats which she had built over the river. This was just what the king desired, who fled on purpose to bring her to an engagement in the heart of his country. As soon as he thought her far enough advanced, he faced about, and a second engagement ensued, more bloody than the first. The counterfeit elephants could not long sustain the shock of the real ones: these routed her army, crushing whatever came in their way. Semiramis did all that lay in her power to rally and encourage her troops, but in vain. The king, perceiving her engaged in the fight, ad vanced towards her, and wounded her in two places, but not mortally. The swiftness of her horse soon carried her beyond the reach of her enemies. As her men crowded to the bridge to repass the river, great numbers of them perished, through the disorder and confusion unavoidable on such occasions. When those that could save themselves were safely over, she destroyed the bridge, and by that means stopped the enemy; and the king likewise, in obedience to an oracle, had given orders to his troops not to pass the river, nor pursue Semiramis any farther. The queen, having made an exchange of prisoners at Bactra, returned to her own dominions with scarce one-third of her army, which (according to Ctesias) consisted of 3000,000 foot and 500,000 horse, besides the camels and chariots armed for war, of which she had a very considerable number. I have no doubt that this account is highly exaggerated, or that there is some mistake in the numeral characters. She, and Alexander after her, were the only persons that ever ventured to carry the war beyond the river Indus.

I must own I am somewhat puzzled with a difficulty which may be raised against the extraordinary things related of Ninus and Semiramis, as they do not seem to agree with the times so near the deluge: I mean, such vast armies, such a numerous cavalry, so many chariots armed with scythes, and such immense treasures of gold and silver; all which seem to be of a later date. The same thing may likewise be said of the magnificence of the buildings, ascribed to them. It is probable the Greek historians, who came so many ages afterwards, deceived by the similarity of names, by their ignorance in chronology, and the resemblance of one event with another, may have ascribed such things to more ancient princes, as belonged to those of a later date; or may have attributed a number of exploits and enterprises to one, which ought to be divided amongst a series of them, succeeding one another.

Her greatest and last expedition was against India. Semiramis, sometime after her return, discovered On this occasion she raised an innumerable army out that her son was plotting against her, and one of her of all the provinces of her empire, and appointed principal officers had offered him his assistance. She Bactra for the rendezvous. As the strength of the then called to mind the oracle of Jupiter Ammon; Indians consisted chiefly in their great number of ele- and believing that her end approached, without inphants, the caused a multitude of camels to be ac-flicting any punishment on the officer, who was taken coutred in the form of elephants, in hopes of deceiving the enemy. It is said that Perses long after used the same stratagem against the Romans; but neither of them succeeded in this artifice. The Indian king having notice of her approach, sent ambassadors to ask her who she was, and with what right, having never received any injury from him, she came out of wantonness to attack his dominions; adding, that

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into custody, she voluntarily abdicated the throne, put the government into the hands of her son, and withdrew from the sight of men, hoping speedily to have divine honours paid to her, according to the promise of the oracle. And indeed, we are told, she was worshipped by the Assyrians, under the form of a dove. She lived sixty-two years, of which she reigned forty-two.

There are in the Memoirs of the Academy of

Indus

Belles Lettres, two learned dissertations upon the Assyrian empire, and particularly on the reign and actions of Semiramis.

What Justin says of Semiramis, namely, that after her husband's decease, not daring either to commit the government to her son, who was then too young, or openly to take it upon herself, she governed under the name and habit of Ninyas; and that, after having reigned in that manner above forty years, falling passionately in love with her own son, she endeavoured to induce him to comply with her criminal desires, and was slain by him: all this, I say, is so void of all appearance of truth, that to go about to confute it would be but losing time. It must however be owned, that almost all the authors, who have spoken of Semiramis, give us but a disadvantageous idea of her chastity.

I do not know but that the glorious reign of this queen might partly induce Plato to maintain, in his Commonwealth, that women as well as men ought to be admitted into the management of public affairs, the conducting of armies, and the government of states; and, by necessary consequence, ought to be trained up in the same exercises as men, as well for the forming of the body as the mind. Nor does he so much as except those exercises, wherein it was customary to fight stark naked, alleging that the virtue of the sex would be a sufficient covering for

them.

It is just matter of surprise to find a philosopher so judicious in other respects, openly combating the most common and most natural maxims of modesty and decency, virtues which are the principal ornament of the female sex, and insisting so strongly upon a principle, sufficiently confuted by the constant practice of all ages, and of almost all nations in the world.

Aristotle, wiser in this than his master Plato, without doing the least injustice to the real merit and essential qualities of the sex, has with great judg. ment marked out the different ends to which man and woman are ordained, from the different qualities of body and mind, wherewith they are endowed by the Author of Nature, who has given the one strength of body and intrepidity of mind, to enable him to undergo the greatest hardships, and face the most imminent dangers; whilst the other, on the contrary, is of a weak and delicate constitution, accompanied with a natural softness and modest timidity, which render | her more fit for a sedentary life, and dispose her to keep within the precincts of the house, and employ herself in the concerns of prudent and industrious

economy.

Xenophon is of the same opinion with Aristotle; and in order to set off the occupation of the wife, who confines herself within her house, agreeably compares her to the mother-bee, commonly called the queen-bee, who alone governs, and has the superintendance of, the whole hive, who distributes all their employments, encourages their industry, presides over the building of their little cells, takes care of the nourishment and subsistence of her numerous family, regulates the quantity of honey appointed for that purpose, and at fixed and proper seasons sends abroad the new swarms in colonies, to ease and disburden the hive of its superfluous inhabitants. He remarks, with Aristotle, the difference of constitution and inclinations, designedly made by the Author of Nature between man and woman, to point to each of them their proper and peculiar offices and functions.

This allotment, far from degrading or lessening the woman, is really for her advantage and honour, in confiding to her a kind of domestic empire and government, administered only by gentleness, reason, equity, and good nature; and in giving her frequent oc

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casions of concealing the most valuable and excellent qualities under the inestimable veil of modesty and submission. For it must ingenuously be owned, that at all times, and in all conditions, there have been women, who by a real solid merit have distinguished themselves above their sex; as there have been innumerable instances of men, who by their defects have dishonoured theirs. But these are only particular cases, which form no rule, and which ought not to prevail against an establishment founded in nature, and prescribed by the Creator himself.

NINYAS. This prince was in no respect like those from whom he received his birth, and to whose throne he succeeded. Wholly intent upon his pleasures, he kept himself shut up in his palace, and seldom showed himself to his people. To keep them in their duty, he had always at Nineveh a certain number of regular troops, furnished every year from the several provinces of his empire, at the expiration of which term they were succeeded by the like number of other troops on the same conditions; the king putting a commander at the head of them, on whose fidelity he could depend. He made use of this method, that the officers might not have time to gain the affections of the soldiers, and so form any conspiracies against him.

His successors, for thirty generations, followed his example, and even surpassed him in indolence. Their history is absolutely unknown, there remaining no footsteps of it.

A. M. 2092. Ant. J. C. 1912.

In Abraham's time the Scripture speaks of Amraphael, king of Shinar, the country where Babylon was situated, who with two other princes followed Chedorlaomer, king of the Elamites, whose tributary he probably was, in the war carried on by the latter against five kings of the land of Ca

naan.

A. M. 2513.

It was under the government of these inactive princes that, Sesostris, king of Egypt, extended his Ant. J. C. 1491. conquests so far in the East. But as his power was of a short duration, and not supported by his successors, the Assyrian empire soon returned to its former state.

A. M. 2820. Ant. J. C. 1184.

Plato, a curious observer of antiquities, makes the kingdom of Troy, in the time of Priam, dependant on the Assyrian empire. And Ctesias says, that Teutamus, the twentieth king after Ninyas, sent a considerable body of troops to the assistance of the Trojans, under the conduct of Memnon, the son of Tithonus, at a time when the Assyrian empire had subsisted above 1000 years; which agrees exactly with the time wherein I have placed the foundation of that empire. But the silence of Homer concerning so mighty a people, and one which must needs have been well known, renders this fact exceeding doubtful. And it must be owned, that whatever relates to the times of the ancient history of the Assyrians, is attended with great difficulties, into which my plan does not permit me to enter.

A. M. 3233. Ant. J. C. 771.

PUL. The Scripture informs us that Pul, king of Assyria, being come into the land of Israel, had 1000 talents of silver given him by Menahem, king of the ten tribes, to engage him to lend him assistance, and secure him on his throne.

This Pul is supposed to be the king of Nineveh who repented with all his people, at the preaching of Jonah.

He is also thought to be the father of Sardanapalus, the last king of the Assyrians, called, according to the custom of the eastern nations, Sardanpul; that is to say, Sardan, the son of Pul.10 SARDANAPALUS. 11

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This prince surpassed all his

11 Diod. I. ii. p. 109-115.

De admistr. dom. p. 839. Just. I. i. c. 3.

De Leg. 1. iii. 685. 10 Sardan, the Son of Pul Athen. 1. xii. p. 529, 550

predecessors in effimacy, luxury and cowardice. He | fleets, armed legions, subdued neighbouring nations, never went out of his palace, but spent all his time penetrated into Arabia and Ethiopia, and carried her among a company of women, dressed and painted victorious arms to the extremities of Asia, spreading like them, and employed like them at the distaff. He consternation and terror every where. Whereas Sarplaced all his happiness and glory in the possession of danapalus, as if he had entirely renounced his sex, immense treasures, in feasting and rioting, and indulg- spent all his time in the heart of his palace, perpetuing himself in all the most infamous and criminal ally surrounded with a company of women, whose pleasures. He ordered two verses to be put upon his dress and even manners he had adopted, applying tomb, which imported, that he carried away with him himself with them to the spindle and the distaff, all that he had eaten, and all the pleasures he had en- neither understanding nor doing any other thing than joyed, but left all the rest behind him. spinning, eating and drinking, and wallowing in all manner of infamous pleasure. Accordingly, a statue was erected to him, after his death, which represented him in the posture of a dancer, with an inscription upon it, in which he addressed himself to the specta thing else is nothing; an inscription very suitable to tor in these words: Eat, drink, and be merry; every the epitaph he himself had ordered to be put upon his

Hæc habeo quæ edi, quæque exsaturata libido Hausit: at illa jacent multa et præclara relicta. 1 An epitaph, says Aristotle, fit for a hog. Arbaces, governor of Media, having found means to get into the palace, and having with his own eyes seen Sardanapalus in the midst of his infamous seraglio; enraged at such a spectacle, and not able to endure that so many brave men should be subject to a prince, more soft and effeminate than the women themselves, immediately formed a conspiracy against him. Belesis, governor of Babylon, and several others, entered into it. On the first rumour of this revolt, the king hid himself in the inmost part of his palace. Being obliged afterwards to take the field with some forces which he had assembled, he at first gained three successive victories over the enemy, but was afterwards overcome, and pursued to the gates of Nineveh; wherein he shut himself, in hopes the rebels would never be able to take a city so well fortified, and stored with provisions for a considerable time: the siege proved indeed of very great length. It had been declared by an ancient oracle, that Nineveh could never be taken, unless the river became an enemy to the city. These words buoyed up Sardanapalus, because he looked upon the thing as impossible. But when he saw that the Tigris, by a violent inundation, had thrown down twenty stadia of the city wall, and by that means opened a passage to the enemy, he understood the meaning of the oracle, and thought himself lost. He resolved, however, to die in such a manner, as, according to his opinion, should cover the infamy of his scandalous and effeminate life. He ordered a pile of wood to be made in his palace, and setting fire to it, burnt himself, his eunuchs, his women, and his treasures. Athenæus makes these treasures amount to a thousand myriads of talents of gold, and ten times as many talents of silver, which, without reckoning any thing else, is a sum that exceeds all credibility. A myriad contains 10,000; and one single myriad of talents of silver is worth 30,000,000 of French money, or about 1,400,000l. sterling. A man is lost, if he attempts to sum up the whole value; which induces me to believe, that Athenæus must have very much exaggerated in his computation; however, we may be assured, from his account, that the treasures were immensely great.

A. M. 3257. Ant. J. C. 747.

Plutarch, in his second treatise, dedicated to the praise of Alexander the Great, wherein he examines in what the true greatness of princes consists, after having shown that it can arise from nothing but their own personal merit, confirms it by two very different examples, taken from the history of the Assyrians, in which we are now engaged.-Semiramis and Sardanapalus (says he) both governed the same kingdom; both had the same people, the same extent of country, the same revenues, the same forces and number of troops; but they had not the same dispositions, nor the same views. Semiramis, raising herself above her sex, built magnificent cities, equipped * Κεῖν' ἔχω ὅσσ ̓ ἔφαγον καὶ ἐφύβρισα, καὶ μετ' ἔρωτος Τέρπν' ἔπαθον, τὰ δὲ πολλὰ καὶ ὄλβια πάντα λέλειπται. Quid aliud, inquit Aristoteles, in bovis, non in regis sepulchro, inscriberes? Hæc habere se mortuum dicit, quæ ne vivus quidem diutiùs habebat, quàm fruebatur. Cic. Tusc. Quæst. lib. v. n. 101.

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• About 1,400,000,000Z.

Pag. 335, 336.

monument.

Plutarch in this place judges of Semiramis, as almost all the profane historians do of the glory of conquerors. But, if we would make a true judgment of things, was the unbounded ambition of that queen much less blameable, than the dissolute effeminacy of Sardanapalus? Which of the two vices did most mis chief to mankind?

We are not to wonder that the Assyrian empire should fall under such a prince; but undoubtedly it was not till after having passed through various augall states, even to the greatest, during the course of mentations, diminutions, and revolutions, common to several ages. This empire had subsisted above 1450 years,

Of the ruins of this vast empire were formed three considerable kingdoms; that of the Medes, which Arbaces, the principal head of the conspiracy, restored to its liberty that of the Assyrians of Babylon, which was given to Belesis, governor of that city; and that of the Assyrians of Nineveh, the first king whereof took the name of Ninus the younger.

In order to understand the history of the second Assyrian empire, which is very obscure, and of which little is said by historians, it is proper, and even absolutely necessary, to compare what is said of it by profane authors with what we are informed concerning light we may have the clearer idea of the two empires it by Holy Scripture: that by the help of that double of Nineveh and Babylon, which for some time were separate and distinct, and afterwards united and confounded together. I shall first treat of this second Assyrian empire, and then return to the kingdom of the Medes.

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A. M. 3257. Ant. J. C. 747.

Kings of Babylon. BELESIS. He is the same as Nabonassar, from whose reign began the famous astronomical epocha the Era of Nabonassar. In the Holy Scriptures he is at Babylon, called from his name called Baladin. He reigned but twelve years, and was succeeded by his son.

MERODACH-BALADAN. This is the prince who sent ambassadors to king Hezekiah, to congratulate him on the recovery of his health, of which we shall

Ἔσθιε, πίνε, ἀφροδισίαζε τ' ἄλλα δὲ οὐδέν.
2 Kings, xx. 12.
Ibid.

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speak hereafter.
After him there reigned several
other kings of Babylon, with whose story we are
entirely unacquainted. I shall therefore proceed to
the kings of Nineveh.

Kings of Nineveh.

TIGLATH-PILESER. This is the A. M. 3257. name given by the Holy Scriptures Ant. J. C. 747. to the king, who is supposed to be the first that reigned at Nineveh, after the destruction of the ancient Assyrian empire. He is called Thilgamus, by Elian. He is said to have taken the name of Ninus the younger, in order to honour and distinguish his reign by the name of so ancient and illustrious a prince.

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war against him, and entered into Judea with a mighty army. Hezekiah grieved to see his kingdom pillaged, sent ambassadors to him, to desire peace upon any terms he would prescribe. Sennacherib, seemingly mollified, entered into treaty with him, and demanded a very great sum of gold and silver. The holy king exhausted both the treasures of the temple, and his own coffers, to pay it. The Assyrian regarding neither the sanction of oaths, nor treaties, still continued the war, and pushed on his conquest more vigorously than ever. Nothing was able to withstand his power, and of all the strong places of Judah, none remained untaken but Jerusalem, which was likewise reduced to the utmost extremity. At this very junction Sennacherib was informed, that Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, who had joined his forces with those of the king of Egypt, was coming up to succour the besieged city. Now it was contrary to the express command of God, as well as the remonstrances of Isaiah and Hezekiah, that the chief men at Jerusalem had required any foreign assistance. The Assyrian prince marched immediately to meet the approaching enemy, after having written a letter to Hezekiah, full of blasphemy against the God of Israel, whom he insolently boasted he would speedily vanquish, as he had done all the gods of the other nations round about him. In short, he discomfited the Egyptians, and pursued them even into their own country, which he ravaged, and returned laden with spoil.

Ahaz, king of Judah, whose incorrigible impiety could not be reclaimed, either by the divine favours or chastisements, finding himself attacked at the same time by the kings of Syria and Israel, robbed the temple of part of its gold and silver, and sent it to Tiglath-Pileser, to purchase his assistance; promising him besides to become his vassal, and to pay him tribute. The king of Assyria, finding so favourable an opportunity of adding Syria and Palestine to his empire, readily accepted the proposal. Advancing that way with a numerous army, he beat Rezin, took Damascus, and put an end to the kingdom erected there by the Syrians, as God had foretold by his prophets Isaiah and Amos. From thence he marched against Pekah, and took all that belonged to the kingdom of Israel beyond Jordan, as well as all Galilee. But he It was probably during Sennacherib's absence," made Ahaz pay very dear for his protection, still ex- which was pretty long, or at least some little time acting of him such exorbitant sums of money, that for before, that Hezekiah fell sick, and was cured in a the payment of them he was obliged not only to ex-miraculous manner; and that (as a sign of God's fulhaust his own treasures, but to take all the gold and filling the promise he had made him of curing him so silver of the temple. Thus this alliance served only perfectly, that within three days he should be able to to drain the kingdom of Judah, and to bring into its go to the temple) the shadow of the sun went ten deneighbourhood the powerful kings of Nineveh; who grees backwards upon the dial of the palace. Meroafterwards became so many instruments in the hand dach-Baladan, king of Babylon, being informed of of God for the chastisement of his people. the miraculous cure of king Hezekiah, sent ambassaSHALMANESER. Sabacus, the dors to him, with letters and presents, to congratulate A. M. 3276. Ethiopian, whom the Scripture calls him upon that occasion, and to acquaint themselves Ant. J. C. 728. So, having made himself master of with the miracle that had happened in the land at this Egypt, Hoshea, king of Samaria, juncture, with respect to the sun's retrogradation ten entered into an alliance with him, hoping by that degrees. Hezekiah was extremely sensible of the means to shake off the Assyrian yoke. To this end honour done him by that prince, and very forward to he withdrew from his dependence upon Shalmaneser, show his ambassadors the riches and treasures he refusing to pay him any further tribute, or make him possessed, and to let them see the whole magnificence the usual presents. of his palace. Humanly speaking, there was nothing in this proceeding but what was allowable and commendable; but in the eyes of the Supreme Judge, which are infinitely more piercing and delicate than ours, this action discovered a lurking pride, and secret vanity, with which his righteousness was offended. Accordingly, he instantly informed the king by his prophet Isaiah, that the riches and treasures which he had been showing to those ambassadors with so much ostentation, should one day be transported to Babylon; and that his children should be carried thither, to become servants in the palace of that monarch. This was then utterly improbable; for Babylon, at the time we are speaking of, was then in friendship and alliance with Jerusalem, as appears by her having sent ambassadors thither; nor did Jerusalem then seem to have any thing to fear, but from Nineveh; whose power was at that time formidable, and who had entirely declared against her. But the fortune of those two cities was to change, and the word of God was literally accomplished.

Shalmaneser, to punish him for his presumption, marched against him with a powerful army; and after having subdued all the plain country, shut him up in Samaria, where he kept him closely besieged for three years; at the end of which he took the city, loaded Hoshea with chains, and threw him into prison for the rest of his days; carried away the people captive, and planted them in Halah and Habor, cities of the Medes. And thus was the kingdom of Israel, or of the ten tribes, destroyed, as God had often threatened by his prophets. This kingdom, from the time of its separation from that of Judah, lasted about 250 years.

It was at this time that Tobit, with Anna his wife, and his son Tobias, was carried captive into Assyria, where he became one of the principal officers of king Shalmaneser.

Shalmaneser died after having reigned fourteen years, and was succeeded by his son.

SENNACHERIB. He is also called

A. M. 3287. Sargon in Scripture. Ant. J. C. 717.

As soon as this prince was settled on the throne, he renewed the demand exacted by his father from Hezekiah. Upon his refusal, he declared

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But to return to Sennacherib. After he had ravaged Egypt, and taken a vast number of prisoners, 10 he came back with his victorious army, encamped before Jerusalem, and besieged it anew. The city seemed to be inevitably lost: it was without resource, and without hope from the hands of men; but had a pow erful protector in Heaven, whose jealous ears had

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