Haman and Mordecai is an Inftance of this, befides many others to be met with in the Perfian Hiftory. The next thing to be confider'd under this Head, is the Government of the Provinces. The whole Perfian Empire was divided into a hundred and twenty Provinces, govern'd by Officers call'd Satrape, and chofe from among the moft confiderable Perfons in the Empire: they had a confiderable Provifion allow'd them for fupporting the Dignity of their Character, and their Courts in their refpective Provinces was just the King's in miniature. All Perfons within their Province were fubject to their Jurifdiction, except the Governours of Forts, Officers of the Army, and the like, who depended immediately on the King; and were fo many Spies and Cenfors of the Behaviour of the Satrapa. Thefe Satrapa gave an account of their Administration to the three Superintendants, who were placed over them,and they again to the King. For the more convenient Commerce of one part of the Empire with the other, and of the whole with the Court, there were Pofts or Couriers appointed ('tis faid firft by Cyrus) at proper diftances, who rode Day and Night, carrying Letters and Difpatches from and to the Court, thro' the whole Empire. The Superintendant of these Couriers, or the Post-mafter General, was fo confiderable an Office, that Darius Codomanus, before he was King, did not think it below him. The King frequently, either in Perfon or by a Commiffioner, vifited all the Provinces in his Dominions, and infpected not only the Militia, the Administration of Juftice, the Finances, Trade, &c. but also the Culture of the Lands, the Condition of Cities, and publick Buildings, Hh 4 High High-ways, Bridges, Forefts, Inclosures; and in fhort, every thing belonging either to the Conveniency or Beauty of the Country. The Revenues of the Kings of Perfia (which were vaftly great) confifted partly of Money, and partly of Grain, Cattle, and the like, as the feveral Provinces could beft afford; and were laid up in Places built for the purpose in fome of the chief Cities, as Sufa, Damafcus, &c. Such a Place they call'd Gaza. The Queen had the Revenue of certain Cantons, affign'd her for her Wardrobe, which were call'd by the Name of the particular thing for which they were appointed; as the Queen's Girdle, the Veil: In like manner, the King gratified his Favourites, by affigning them the Revenues of certain Lands or Cities. tary War. 2. Our Historian next proceeds to the mili Government of the Eastern Nations. And here he obferves, that the Afians were naturally a brave and warlike People, but were foften'd and enervated by Voluptuoufnefs and Luxury, except the Perfians (to whom what he fays on the Subject of War is chiefly to be referr'd)before the time of Cyrus, for afterwards they became like the reft. The Perfians, by proper Exercifes, were train'd up for Soldiers from their Infancy; they lifted at the age of twenty, and it was accounted an unpardonable Crime not to inlift themselves at the time prescribed: they ferv'd till fifty, after which none were obliged to go to the Wars. The ufual Arms of the Perfians were, a Sabre or Cimiter, a Dagger that hung at their Belt on the right fide, a Javelin pointed with Iron, the Bow and Arrow, and the Sling, for offenfive Weapons; and for defenfive, befides Shields and Helmets, Helmets, they wore Cuiraffes, Braffets, and Cuifhes. The Horfes too, for the most part, had their Foreheads, Breafts and Flanks arm'd with Brafs; thefe were the Equi Cataphracti, or barbed Horses. It is well known how much arm'd Chariots were in vogue in the Eaftern Countries, both before and after Cyrus, (who much improv'd them ;) tho' in later times there were fo many ways contriv'd to render them ufelefs, that at laft they were entirely laid aside. Nothing could exceed the Order and Difcipline of the Perfian Troops under Cyrus. In Peace all means were used to preserve their Activity and Courage, as hard Exercise, Mockfighting, &c. Whenever they march'd, they obferv'd the fame Order as in the Day of Battle, and never encamp'd, tho' it were but a Night, but they furrounded the Camp with a Trench. Their Order of Battle was thus they placed the Infantry in the Center, and the Cavalry on the two Wings, in feveral Lines, that the one. might fupport the other: the first confifted of the heavy-arm'd Foot, twelve Men deep; the fecond of Pikemen; the third of the Archers, intermix'd with Slingers; the fourth Line was like the firft, and ferv'd for a Rear-Guard; behind all were plac'd rolling Towers, drawn by Qxen, containing each twenty Men: these Towers ferv'd to retard the Enemy till the Army rallied, in cafe it was put into diforder. Such was the Order of the memorable Battle of Thymbrea. It is plain the Ancients understood all the fundamental Rules of Fortification, both offenfive and defenfive, that are yet understood; and if in any thing the Moderns feem to excel the Ancients in this Art, it is owing to their ufe of other Machines, and not to a greater Skill Arts. Skill in Rules of the Art; as would be easy to fhow from their manner both of attacking and defending Places, (were there room for it here.) The Bishop of Meaux obferves, that after the Reign of Cyrus the exact Difcipline that was formerly among the Perfian Troops, degenerated into a vain Oftentation, and profufe Luxury; and instead of the former fevere Difcipline and Frugality, there was nothing to be feen but tumultous Numbers, and as great Superfluity and Delicacy in their Camps as in their Cities. 3. It appears, that the Arts and Sciences had not only their rife, but made confiderable progrefs in the Eaft. The vaft Buildings of all kinds, as Towers, Cities, Palaces, Temples, Vaults, Bridges, Ramparts, &c. fufficiently fhow how much the Affyrians and Perfians apply'd themfelves to Architecture, tho' we have no Monuments left, whereby to judge what Degree of Elegancy, Proportion or Regularity was in thofe ftupendious Works which Hiftory mentions. That they alfo apply'd themselves to Mufick, both vocal and inftrumental, is very plain, and is indeed a natural Confequence of their Love and Study of Pleafure; but here, as in Architecture, it can't be known to what Degree of Perfection they carry'd this Art, fince no Specimens of their Compofitions, in that kind, are tranfmitted to us. The Medicine of the Ancients feems to have been little more than what we now call Botany, or the Knowledge of Plants and their Virtues. Hence Virgil, Ipeaking of a Phyfician who had been taught by Apollo himfelf, fays, Scire poteftates berbarum ufumque medendi The The greatest Generals and Princes thought it not below them to study, and upon occafion to practise this Art; as appears from Homer. Herodotus tells us, it was a Custom among the Babylonians to expofe fick People to be feen by Paffengers, and to enquire of them, if they had ever been feiz'd with the like Difeafe, and by what Method they had been cured. The Situation of Babylon is a large Plain, the Purity and Serenity of its Air, befides the Tower of Belus, which ferv'd for an Obfervatory, were confiderable Advantages and Inducements to the Study of Aftronomy; which the Babylonians were fo famous for, that even the Greeks, who had a Vanity to be thought the Inventers of all the Arts, did not difpute the Invention of Aftrono my with the Chaldeans: and indeed they muft have apply'd themselves very early to this Science, fince in Alexander's time they had a Series of Obfervations for 1903 Years, as Callif thenes inform'd Ariftotle. As for the pretended Science of Judicial Aftrology, or the Prediction of future Events, from the Motion or Pofition of the Stars, for which the Babylonians were remarkable, our Author (as the beft Authors in all Ages have done) treats it with a juft Contempt, as having no other Foundation than a fuperftitious Credulity, and an impertinent Cu riofity to pry into Futurity; Nullo non avido futura de fe fciendi, fays Pliny. The remains we have in the Bible of the Eaftern Poetry is fuffi cient to show they neither neglected it, nor wanted a Genius for it. ་་ The next thing to be confider'd is, the Reli gion of the Eastern Nations. The molt ancient Idolatry, and the most universal, was that which had the Sun and Moon for its Objects; and the ufual |