the Year of the World 1800. Having thus fettled the Date of this vaft Empire, we proceed with our Author, to give fome account of the most remarkable Princes that governed it, beginning with the Founder,

Nimrod or Belus, who was an ambitious and A.M.1800, afpiring Man, and who, by the Exercife of hunting, for which he was famous, inured the young Men to Hardships and Toil, and at the fame time accustomed them to Obedience and Dependance, thereby facilitating his Defigns, which were to fubdue and rule his Neighbours. He built Babylon, conquer'd Affyria (or Affur, which, our Author thinks, is the Name of a Province, and not of a Man) in which he founded the City Nineveb, fo call'd from his Son and Succeffor

Ninus, whom fome Hiftorians have faid to be the Founder of the Affyrian Empire, and who, for that reafon, attribute to him many of the Actions of his Father Belus, whose measures he clofely purfued, and with the affiftance of the Arabians fubdued an infinite Tract of Country, from Egypt, as far as India, in the fpace of feventeen Years. At his return he enlarged and beautified the City Nineveh on the River Tigris. This City is faid to have been 150 Stadia in Length, ninety in Breadth, and 480 in Circuit. After he had finifh'd this prodigious Undertaking, he refum'd his Expedition against the Indians and Bactrians, and took Bactria, the Capital of the Country; where Semiramis, one of his Officer's Wives, fo much fignaliz'd herself, that Ninus married her, and had a Son by her call'd Ninjas Soon after his return to Nineveh, The died, and left the Adminiftration of the Empire to his Queen,

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* A Stadium is the Eighth Part of a Mile,

Semi

Semiramis made fo many and fo magnificent Works about Babylon, that she is said by some to have built it. Here our Author takes occafion to defcribe the most remarkable Works of ancient Babylon (tho' many of them were done in fucceeding Reigns) that the Reader may have 4 more united View of them by feeing them all together.

1. Its Walls were fifty Cubits thick, two hundred high, and four hundred and eighty in Circuit. The whole made a large Square, in each of whofe Sides were twenty five brazen Gates, terminating fo many Streets.

2. The Bridge over a Branch of the Expbrates, which run through the City from North to South, was a Stadium long, and thirty feet "broad.

3. There was a Lake near the City, which communicated with the Euphrates by a Canals which Lake, according to Herodotus, was four hundred and twenty Stadia fquare. There were alfo two Canals cut from the Euphrates to the Tigris, above the City, to prevent any damage from the overflowing of the River, occafioned by the melting of the Snow in Summer on the Mountains of Armenia. There was likewife a Key along the Sides of the River, within the City, of the fame Structure and Height as the Walls

94 There were two Palaces at the two Extremities of the Bridge, with a Communication by a Vault under the River; on the Weft was the new Palace of fixty Stadia in circumference, and encompaffed with a triple Wall. Here were the famous-hanging Gardens, which were a large Square rifing gradually (in form of an Amphitheatre) by Terraffes fupported by Vaults

one above another: on the higheft Terrafs was a Pump which drew Water from the River, to ferve the whole Garden.

5. Near the old Palace, at the eaft end of the Bridge, ftood the Temple of Belus, Bel or Baal, in the Centre of which was a prodigious fquare Tower, whofe Bafe was a Stadium every way, and its Height the fame; it diminished gradually to the top, and the Aleent was by wind ing Stairs on the outside. Besides the Worship of Belus, this Tower ferved alfo for an Aftronomical Obfervatory. Mi no2 1

Semiramis made a tour through fence

After having adorn' and beautify' & the City,

her nions, leaving Marks of her Magnificence

Di

wherever the went; viz. Starelo Buildings, A

quæducts, High-ways cut through Mountains, and thrown over Valleys, and made herself fo much refpected and admir'd by her People, that her very Prefence was fufficient to quell a Sedition.

Not contented with the Dominions left her by Ninus, the conquered Ethiopia, and returning from thence prepar'd for an Expedition into India, and appointed the general Rendezvous of her Forces at Batra, from whence advancing to the Indus, fhe defeated the King of India, who difputed her Paffage, and purfu'd him into the Heart of his own Country; where he drew her defignedly, and then turning gave her battle,and by the number of his Elephants got the Victory, wounded the Queen herfelf in two places, made a prodigious flaughter of her Men, and purfu'd her back to the Indus, which the crofs'd, and having got over her Forces (a great number of them perifhing in the hurry of the Paffage) fhe broke down the Bridge, and fo put a stop G g 3

to

to the Enemy's Career. After having exchang'd. Prifoners at Bactria, the return'd home, with hardly a third of her Army, which confifted, according to Ctefias, of 300000 Foot, 50000 Horse, befides Camels and arm'd Chariots. At her return finding her Son engag'd in a Confpiracy against her (as fhe had been foretold by the Oracle of Ammon, which the vifited in her Expedition to Ethiopia) fhe refign'd the Government and retired. The Story of her getting the Kingdom by betraying her Hufband, her perfonating her Son Ninyas, and her criminal Paffion for him, our Author rejects as fabulous,

Ninyas degenerated much from the Spirit of his Ancestors. He gave himfelf up entirely to Luxury and Sloth, and hardly ever stirr'd out of his Palace. He kept always a good number of Troops brought from different Provinces, which he renew'd every Year, that they might not have time to form Confpiracies against him. This Policy was alfo practifed by his Succeffors, of whom we have no particular account, till

Sardanapalus, who exceeded all his Predeceffors for Luxury, Effeminacy and Idleness; he hut himself up among his Concubines, and abandon'd himself to the most shameful and criminal Pleafures, whereby he became contemptible to his Generals, who confpir'd to dethrone him. The Chiefs were Arbares, Governour of Media; Belefis, Governour of Babylon; and Tiglatbpbalafar or Ninus junior, Governour of Nineveh. Alarm'd at this Revolt, he took the Field with what Troops he could get together: and being defeated, he fhut himself up in the City Nineveh (which the Malecontents befieg'd) and comforted himself with an old Prediction, that Nineveh would never be taken till the River became

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became its Enemy, which he thought impoffible, and fo liv'd fecure; till the Tigris overflowing its Banks, made a Breach in the Wall; and then despairing, he erected a wooden Pile, on which he burnt himself, his Wives, Slaves, and all his Treasure. And thus this vaft Empire was divided into three, Babylon, Nineveh and Media.

II. Of the Kings that reign'd in Babylon before it was united to Nineveh, we know nothing at all, excepting Belefis of Nabonassar (from whofe Reign commences the famous Æra call'd by his Name) and his Son Merodach Baladan, who fent Ambaffadors to congratulate Hezechias King of Judah, on the Recovery of his Health.

T

A.M.3257)

III. The first who reign'd in Nineveh, after the Divifion of the Empire, was he who in Scripture is call'd Tiglathphalafar, and who, at the defire of Achaz, King of Judah, invaded Syria, which he conquer'd, as he did alfo Galilee, and all that belong'd to the Kingdom of Ifrael beyond Jordan, and fqueez'd immense Sums from Achaz, whom he pretended to affist.ollar Salmanafar, whom the Bible calls Suah, be-A.M.3276, ing incens'd at Hofea, King of Samaria, for refufing to pay him tribute, and for putting himfelf under the protection of the King of Egypt, besieg'd him three Years in Samaria, which he at laft took, and carried the People captive into Affyria, which put an end to the Kingdom of Ifrael. He was fucceeded by his Son

Sennacherib, who march'd with a powerful A.M.32872 Army against Hezechias, King of Judah, for refusing to pay him tribute; and having ravag'd all the Country, he laid fiege to Jerufalem; but hearing that the King of Egypt was coming to its relief, he went against him, defeated him, and returning loaden with booty, renew'd the Siege

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