Egypt, fourteen or fifteen years following, wherein that kingdom was weakened by partition of the sovereignty, the war of Psammeticus against his associates, and four and twenty years of the nine and twenty wherein the siege of Azotus continued, being all within the time of Manasseh, did leave no one part of his reign, (after the first fifteen years,) free from the danger of being oppressed by the Babylonian, whose men of war had continual occasions of visiting his country. All which I will add hereto is this, that the fifteenth of Manasseh was the last year of Sethon in Egypt, and the one and thirtieth of Merodach's reign, or, (accounting from the death of Esarhaddon,) the twentieth; the seven and twentieth of Manasseh was the tenth of the twelve princes, and the three and fortieth of Merodach; his fortieth was the twenty-third of Psammeticus, and the fifth of Nabulassar, the son of Merodach, in Babylon; but which of these was the year of his imprisonment, or whether any other, I forbear to shew mine opinion, lest I should thereby seem to draw all matters over-violently to my own computation.

This was the first great mastery that the Babylonians had of the kingdom of Judah. For though Ahaz promised tribute to Salmanassar, yet Hezekiah never paid it. True it is, that he hoped to stay Sennacherib's enterprise against him, by presenting him with three hundred talents of silver, and thirty of gold, besides the plate which covered the doors and pillars of the temple. But Manasseh being pressed with greater necessity, could refuse no tolerable conditions that the Babylonian would impose upon him, among which, it seems, that this was one, (which was indeed a point of servitude,) that he might not hold peace with the Egyptians, whilst they were enemies to Babylon. This appears not only by his fortifying with men of war all the strong cities of Judah after his return,

2 Kings xviii.

(which was rather against Psammeticus, whose party he had forsaken, than against the Babylonian, with whom he had henceforth no more controversy,) but likewise, by that opposition, which Josiah made afterwards to Pharaoh Necho, in favour of Nabulassar, which had been against all reason and policy, if it had not been his duty by covenant. Of this, I will speak more in convenient place.

SECT. IV.

Of the first and second Messenian wars, which were in the reigns of Hezekiah and Manasseh, kings of Judah.

Now, concerning such actions as were performed abroad in the world, about these times of Manasseh, the most remarkable were the Messenian wars, which happened in his age; and being the greatest actions performed in Greece, between the Trojan and Persian wars, deserve not to be passed over with silence.

The first Messenian war began and ended in the days of Hezekiah, the second in the reign of Manasseh; but to avoid the trouble of interrupting our history, I have thought it best to rehearse them both in this place. Other introduction is needless, than to say, that the posterity of Hercules, driving the issue of Pelops, and the Achæans, out of their seats, divided their lands between themselves, and erected the kingdoms of Lacedemon, Argos, Messene, and Corinth; all which agreeing well together a while, did afterwards forget the bond of kindred, and sought one another's ruin with bloody wars, whereof these Messenian were the greatest.

The pretended grounds of the Messenian war are scarce worth remembrance, they were so slight. Am bition was the true cause of it; wherewith the Laeedemonians were so transported, that any thing served them as a colour, to accomplish their greedy desires: Yet other matter was alledged; namely,

that one Polychares, a Messenian, had slain many Lacedemonians, for which the magistrates of Sparta, desiring to have him yielded unto their hands, could not obtain it. The Messenians, on the other side, excused Polychares, for that he was grown frantic, through injuries received from Euæphnes a Lacedemonian. This Euæphnes had bargained to give pasture to the cattle of Polychares, and was therefore to receive part of the increase; but not contented with the gain appointed, he sold the cattle, and slaves that kept them, to merchants; which done, he came with a fair tale to his friend, saying, that they were stolen: whilst the lie was yet scarce out of his mouth, one of the slaves that had escaped from the merchants, came in with a true report of all. The Lacedemonian being thus deprehended, confessed all, and promised large amends; which to receive, he carried the son of Polychares home with him, but having him at home, he villainously slew him. Wherefore, the Lacedemonians having refused, after long suit made by the wretched father, to do him right against this thief and murderer, ought not to pick matter of quarrel out of those things, which he did in that madness, whereinto they themselves had cast him. So said the Messenians, and further offered to put the matter to compromise, or to stand unto the judgment of the Amphictyons, who were as the general council of Greece, or to any other fair course. But the Lacedemonians, who had a great desire to occupy the fair country of Messenne, that lay close by them, were not content with such allegations. They thought it enough to have some shew for their doings, which the better to colour, they reckoned up many old injuries, and so, without sending any defiance, secretly took an oath, to hold war with Messene, till they had mastered it; which done, they seized upon Amphia, a frontier town of that province, wherein they put all to the sword without mercy, very few escaping.

Hereupon the Messenians took arms, and were met by the enemy. A furious battle was fought between them, which ended not until dark night, with uncertain victory. The Messenians did strongly encamp themselves; the Lacedæmonians, unable to force their camp, returned home. This war began in the second year of the ninth Olympiad, and ended in the first of the fourteenth Olympiad, having lasted twenty years. The two enemy nations tried the matter for a while with their proper forces, the Lacedæmonians wasting the inland parts of Messene, and the Messenians the sea-coast of Laconia. But it was not long ere friends on both sides were called in to help. The Arcadians, Argives, and Sicyonians, took part with Messene; the Spartans had, besides many subjects of their own, aid from Corinth, and hired soldiers out of Crete. So a second, third, and fourth battle were fought with as great obstinacy as the first; saving that, in the fourth battle, the Lacedæmonians were enforced to turn their backs; in other fights, the victory was still uncertain, though in one of them the Messenians lost Euphaes, their king, in whose stead they chose Aristodemus.

Many years were spent, ere all this blood was shed; for pestilent diseases, and want of money to entertain soldiers, caused the war to linger: And for the same reasons did the Messenians forsake all their inland towns, excepting Ithome, which was a mountain with a town upon it, able to endure more than the enemies were likely to do. But, as some authors tell us 5, the Lacedæmonians were so obstinate in this war, because of their vow, that having absented themselves ten years from Sparta, their wives sent them word, that their city would grow unpeopled, by reason that no children had been born them in all that time; whereupon they sent back all their ablest young men, promiscuously

VOL. III.

5 Strabo 1. ix. Oros. 1. i. cap. xxi.
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to accompany the young women, who got so many of them with child, as became a great part of their nation, and were called Parthenians. Diodorus refers the begetting of these Parthenians to a former time. But, in process of this Messenian war, when the devil, in an oracle, had advised the Messenians to sacrifice a virgin of the stock of Egyptus 7, that so they might be victorious against the Lacedæmonians; the lot falling upon the daughter of one Lyciscus, Ephibolus the priest, willing to save her, said she was only a fostered child, and not born of the wife of Lysciscus; which answer giving delay to the execution of the maid, Lysciscus secretly fled away with her into Sparta. Then Aristodemus, which afterwards was king, voluntarily offered his own daughter; but a young nobleman, being in love with the maid, when otherwise he could not prevail, said openly that she was no virgin, but that he had defloured her, and got her with child; whereupon the father in a rage ripped up his innocent daughter's belly, to disprove the lover's slander; at the grave of which daughter of his, afterwards falling by other superstitions into despair of prevailing against the Lacedæmonians, he slew himself, to the great hurt of his country, which he loved most dearly. For after his death, the Messenians lost their courage, and finding themselves distressed by many wants, especially of victuals, they craved peace; which they obtained under most rigorous conditions. Half the yearly fruits of their land they were bound to send into Sparta, and they, with their wives, to make solemn lamentations, at the death of every Spartan king; they were also sworn to live in true subjection to the Lacedæmonians, and part of their territory was taken from them, which was given to

6 Diod. 1. xv. 7 This Egyptus was the youngest son of Cresphon by Me. rope, the daughter of Cypselus, king of Arcadia; of which Cresphon the chief nobility of the Messenians was propagated.

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