exceedingly 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. PUL. The Scripture informs us, that Pul, king of Assyria, being come into the land of Israel, had a thousand 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, Sardan-pul; that is to say, Sardan the son of Pul. SARDANAPALUS. This prince surpassed all his predecessors in effeminacy, luxury, and cowardice. He never went out of his palace, but spent all of his time among a company of women, dressed and painted like them, and employed like them at the distaff. He placed all his happiness and glory in the possession of immense treasures, in feasting and rioting, and indulging himself in all the most infamous and criminal pleasures. He ordered two verses to be put upon his tomb when he died, which imported, that he carried away with him all that he had eaten, and all the pleasures he had enjoyed, but left all the rest behind him. Hæc habeo quæ edi, quæque exsaturata libido An epitaph, says Aristotle, fit for a hog. Arbaces, governor of Media, having found means to get into the palace, and with his own eyes to see Sardanapalus in the midst of an infamous seraglio, enraged at such a scene, 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 was 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 ten thousand; and one single myriad of talents of silver is worth thirty millions of French money, or about six millions two hundred and sixteen thousand dollars. 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; we may, however, be assured from his account that the treasures were immensely great. * A. M. 3233. Ant. J. C. 771. 2 Kings xv. 19. † Diod. 1. ii. p. 109-115. Ath. 1. xii. p. 529, 530. Just. 1. i. c. 3. 14 Κεῖν έχω "οσσ ̓ ἔφαγον, καὶ ἐφύβρισα, και μετ' έρωτος Τέρπν' έπαθον τά δὲ πολλὰ καὶ ὀλια παντα AE'λEITTAI. Quid aliud, inquit Aristoteles, in bovis, non in regis sepulchro, inscriberes? Hæc habere se mortuum dicit, quæ ne vivis quidem diutius habebat, quam frucbatur.-Cic. Tusc. Quæst. lib. v. n. 101 T About $6,216,000,000 Two miles and a half, 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, confirins it by two different examples, taken from the history of the Assyrians.* 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, ror the same views. Semiramis raising herself above her sex, built magnificent cities, equipped fleets, armed legions, subdued neighbouring nations, penetrated into Arabia and Ethiopia, and carried her victorious arms to the extremities of Asia, spreading consternation and terror every where; whereas Sardanapalus, as if he had entirely renounced his sex, spent all his time in the heart of his palace, perpetually surrounded with a company of women, whose habit, and even manners he had taken, applying himself with them to the spindle and the distaff, neither understanding nor doing any thing else than spinning, eating, and drinking, and revelling 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 spectator in these words: Eat, drink, and be merry; every thing else is nothing. An inscription very suitable to the epitaph he himself had ordered to be put upon his monument. Plutarch in this place judges of Semiramis, as almost all the profane historians do of the glory of conquerors. But to judge correctly, it would be proper for us to ask, was the unbounded ambition of that queen much less culpable than the dissolute effeminacy of Sardanapalus? which of the two vices was most injurious 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 augmentations, diminutions, and revolutions, common to all states, even to the greatest, during the course of several ages. This empire had subsisted about 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, whose first king 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 find of it in holy Scripture; that by the help of that double light we may have the clearer idea of the two empires of Nineveh and Babylon, which for some time were separate and distinct, but afterwards united and confounded together. I shall first treat of the second Assyrian empire, and thep return to the kingdom of the Medes. CHAPTER II. THE SECOND ASSYRIAN EMPIRE, BOTH OF THIS Second Assyrian empire continued two hundred and ten years, reckoning to the year in which Cyrus, who was become absolute master of the East, by the death of his father Cambyses, and his father-in-law Cyaxares, published the famous edict whereby the Jews were permitted to return into their own country, after a captivity of seventy years at Babylon. * Page 335, 336. † Εσθιε, πίνει ἀφροδισίαζε τάλλα δὲ ἐξέν KINGS OF BABYLON. BELESIS. He is the same as Nabonassar, from whose reign began the famous astronomical epochs at Babylon, called from his name the era of Nabonassar. In the holy Scripture he is called Baladan. 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 speak hereafter. After him there reigned several other kings at 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 name given by the holy Scripture 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 Ælian. 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. Ahaz, king of Judah, whose incorrigible impiety could not be reclaimed, either by the divine favours or chastisements, finding himself attacked at once 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 friendship and 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 Phacæa, and took all that belonged to the kingdom of Israel beyond Jordan, or in Galilee. But he made Ahaz pay very dear for his protection, still exacting of him such exorbitant sums of money, that for the payment of them he was obliged not only to ex haust his own treasures, but to take all the gold and silver out of the temple. Thus this alliance served only to drain the kingdom of Judah, and to bring into its neighbourhood the powerful kings of Nineveh, who became so many instruments afterwards in the hand of God for the chastisement of his people. SALMANASAR. Sabacus, the Ethiopian, whom the Scripture calls So, having made himself master of Egypt, Hosea, king of Samaria, entered into an alliance with him, hoping by that means to shake off the Assyrian yoke. To this end, he withdrew from his dependence upon Salmanasar, refusing to pay him any farther tribute, or make him the usual presents. Salmanasar, 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 Hosea 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 two hundred and fifty 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 to king Salmanasar.** Salmanasar died, after having reigned fourteen years, and was succeeded by his son, SENNACHERIB. He is also called Sargon in Scripture. As soon as this prince was settled on the throne, he renewed the demand of the tribute exacted by his father from Hezekiah. Upon his refusal, he declared war against him, and entered into Judea with a mighty ariny. Hezekiah, grieved to see his kingdom pillaged, sent ambassadors to him, to desire peace upon any terms he would prescribe, Sennacherib, seemingly pacified, entered into treaty with him, aut 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 conquests 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 however reduced to the utmost extremity. At this very juncture, Sennacherib was informed that Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, who had joined forces with 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 rulers 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.† It was probably during Sennacherib's absence, which was pretty long, or at least some little time before, that Hezekiah fell sick, and was cured in a miraculous manner; and that, as a sign of God's fulfilling the promise he had made him of curing him so perfectly, that within three days he should be able to go to the temple, the shadow of the sun went ten degrees backwards upon the dial of the palace. Merodach-Baladan, king of Babylon, being informed of the miraculous cure of king Hezekiah, sent ambassadors to him with letters and presents, to congratulate him on that occasion, and to acquaint themselves with the miracle that had happened upon earth at this juncture, with respect to the sun's retrogradation ten degrees. Hezekiah was extremely sensible of the honour done him by that prince, and very forward to show his ambassadors the riches and treasures he possessed, and to let them see all the magnificence 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 discriminating 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 he had been showing to those ambassadors with so much ostentation, should one day be transported to Babylon, and that his chiidren 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 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 had entirely declared against her. But the fortune of those two cities was to change, and the word of God was literally accomplished. But to return to Sennacherib: after he had ravaged Egypt, and taken a vast number of prisoners, he came back with his victorious army, encamped before Jerusalem, and again besieged it. The city seemed to be inevitably lost; it was without resource, and without hope from the hands of men, but had a powerful Protector in heaven, whose jealous ears had heard the impious blasphemies uttered by the king of Nineveh against his sacred name. In one single A. M. 3287. Ant. J. C. 717. Isa xx. 1. 2 Kings, xviii, and xix. night a hundred and eighty-five thousand men of his army perished by the sword of the destroying angel.* After so terrible a blow, this pretended king of kings, for so he called himself, this triumpher over nations, and conqueror of gods, was obliged to return to his own country, with the miserable remnant of his army, covered with shame and confusion; he survived his defeat only a few months, as a just retribution to an offended God, whose supreme majesty he had presumed to insult, and who now, to use the Scripture terms, having put a ring into his nose, and a bit into his mouth, as a wild beast, made him return in that humble afflicted condition, through those very countries which a ttle before had beheld him so haughty and imperious. Upon his return to Nineveh, being enraged at his disgrace, he treated his subjects in a most cruel and tyrannical manner. The effects of his fury fell more heavily upon the Jews and Israelites, of whom he caused great numbers to be massacred every day, ordering their bodies to be left exposed in the streets, and suffering no man to give them burial. Tobit, to avoid his cruelty, was obliged to conceal himself for some time, and suffer all his effects to be confiscated. In short, the king's savage temper rendered him so insupportable to his own family, that his two eldest sons conspired against him, and killed him in the temple, in the presence of his god Nisroch, as he lay prostrate before him. But these two princes, being obliged, after this parricide, to fly into Armenia, left the kingdom to Esar-haddon, their youngest brother. ESAR-HADDON. We have already observed, that after Merodach-Baladan, there was a succession of kings at Babylon, of whom history has transmitted nothing but the names. The royal family becoming extinct, there was an interregnum of eight years, full of troubles and commotions. Esar-haddon, taking advantage of this juncture, made himself master of Babylon, and annexing it to his former dominions, reigned over the two united empires thirteen years. After having reunited Syria and Palestine to the Assyrian empire, which had been rent from it in the preceding reign, he entered the land of Israel, where he took captive as many as were left there, and carried them into Assyria, except an inconsiderable number that escaped his pursuit. And that the country might not become a desert, he sent colonies of idolatrous people, taken out of the countries beyond the Euphrates, to dwell in the cities of Samaria. The prediction of Isaiah was then fulfilled; within three score and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be no more a people. This was exactly the space of time that elapsed between the prediction and the event; and the people of Israel did then truly cease to be a visible nation, what was left to them being altogether mixed and confounded with other nations. This prince, having possessed himself of the land of Israel, sent some of his generals with a part of his army into Judea, to reduce that country likewise under his subjection. These generals defeated Manasseh, and having taken him prisoner, brought him to Esar-haddon, who put him in chains, and carried him to Babylon. But Manasseh, having afterwards appeased the wrath of God by a sincere and lively repentance, obtained his liberty, and returned to Jerusalem.¶ Meantime, the colonies that had been sent into Samaria, in the room of its ancient inhabitants, were grievously infested with lions. The king of Babylon, being told that the cause of this calamity was their not worshiping the God of the country, ordered an Israelitish priest to be sent to them, from among the captives taken in that country, to teach them the worship of the God of Israel. But these idolaters, contented with admitting the true God among their ancient divinities, worshipped him jointly with their false gods. This corrupt worship_continued afterwards, and was the source of the aversion entertained by the Jews against the Samaritans.** * 2 Kings, xix. 35-37. †Tobit, i. 13-24. A. M. 3294. Ant. J. C. 710. Cant. Ptol. 2 Kings, xix. 37 Isa. vii. & ** 2 Kings, xvii. 25-41. |