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narchs. While Efarhaddon was thus enlarging his Empire, the Medes were beginning to render themselves confiderable by the wife Administration of Deioces their firft King. He had been raised to the Throne on account of his Virtue, and to put an End to the Disorders occafioned by the Anarchy under which his Countrymen then 3296. lived. He built the City of Ecbatana, and laid

the Foundations of a mighty Empire. Rome begins now to increase in Power and Territory, tho' by flow Advances at first. Under Tullus Hoftilius her third King, and

in the 83d Year of the City, happened the fa- 3332. mous Combat of the Horatii and Curiatii, by which Alba was fubjected, and its Citizens incorporated with the victorious Romans. At this Period begins the Reign of Pfammitichus in Egypt. It had fome 3334. time before been divided into twelve Parts, over

which reigned twelve Princes, who as a Monument of their Union built the famous Labyrinth. But Pfammitichus, who was one of them, incurring the Jealousy of the reft, they expelled him, whereupon he drew any Army together, fubdued and dethroned the eleven confederate Princes, and feized on the whole Kingdom for himself. As the Ionians and Carians had been very ferviceable to him in this Revolution, he granted them an Establishment in Egypt, hitherto inacceffible to Strangers. On this Occafion began the firft Commerce between the Egyptians and Greeks, which as it was ever after constantly kept up, we are to account this according to Herodotus the Era of true Egyptian Hiftory; all that goes before being fo darkened by the Fables and Inventions of the Priefts, that it feems very little worthy of Credit. 3348. In Media, Phraortes fucceeded his Father Deioçes, and after a Reign of 22 Years left the Kingdom to his Son Cyaxares, in whofe Time happened the Irruption of the Scythians, who vanquishing Cyaxares in Battle, difpoffeffed him of all the upper Afia, and reigned there twenty-eight Years. In Judah, Ammon fucceeding Manaffeh, after a fhort Reign left the Kingdom to his Son Jofiah, who proved a pious Prince, and thoroughly reformed the Jewish State. Rome in the mean time was enlarging her Territories under her 4th King Ancus Martius, and by the wife Eftablishment of incorporating the conquered Nations, increased in Power and the Number of her Citizens. Babylon we have feen had been re-united to Nineveh, and fo continued till the Reign of Chiniladan; but he proving an effeminate Prince, Nabopolla

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far, whom he had made General of his Armies against Cyaxares the Mede, rebelled against him, and joining with Aftyages the Son of Cyaxares, inverted Nineveh, took 3378. the Place, and flew his Mafter Chiniladan, called otherwife Saracus. After which, to gratify the Medes, he utterly destroyed that great and ancient City, and from that Time Babylon became the fole Metropolis of the Affyrian Empire. Nabopollafar was fucceeded by his Son Nebuchadnezzar, a Prince renowned in History, and who by his mighty Conquefts both in the Eaft and Weft, raifed Babylon to be the Metropolis of the World. By him was Jerufalem taken three several Times, and at last totally deftroyed, the whole Land of Judah being led into Bondage by the Conqueror. This is the famous Babylonish Captivity of seventy Years, so often mentioned in the Writings of the Prophets, Greece was at this Time in a very flourishing Way, and be

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gan to discover her Acquirements in Learning and 3410. the polite Arts. Her feven Sages rendered her famous, and Solon by the wife Laws which he established at Athens, reconciling Liberty and Juftice, introduced fuch Regulations among the Citizens, as naturally conduced to the forming them a brave and knowing People. Tarquinius Prifcus now reigned at Rome. He fubdued part of Tuscany,

and having adorned the City with many magni3425. ficent Works, left the Throne to Servius Tullius, This Prince is famous for the Inftitution of the Cenfus, and the many Laws he made in favour of the People. In Egypt, Pfammitichus, after a Reign of 54 Years, was fucceeded by his Son Nechus, the fame who in Scripture is called

Pharaoh Necho. It was against him that Jofiah

3394. King of Judah fought that unhappy Battle in the Valley of Megiddo, where he received the fatal Wound of which he died. N. chus was fucceeded by Pfammis, who left the Kingdom to his Son Apries, the Pharaoh Hophra of the Scripture, against whom fo many Prophecies are leveled. The firft Year of Apries was the laft of Cyaxares King of the Medes, who after a Reign of 40 Years, was fucceeded by his Son Aftyages. Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon having finished all his Expeditions, and greatly enriched himself with the Spoils of the conquered Nations, fet himself to adorn that City, and raised all thofe ftupendous Works about it, of which we read with fo much Wonder in ancient History.

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Evilmerodach his Son, after a fhort Reign of two Years, becoming intolerable even to his own Relations,

they confpired against him and flew him. Neri- 3444gliflar his Sifter's Husband, who headed the Con

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fpiracy, fucceeded him. About this Time Pifftratus ufurped the fovereign Authority at Athens, which he held with various Change of Fortune thirty Years, and even left it to his Children. The Medes mean while were increafing in Power under Aftyages, which rouzing the Jealousy of Nerigliffar King of Babylon, he declared War against them; Aftyages dying, leaves both the Kingdom and the Care of the War to Cyaxares his Son, called by Daniel, Darius the Mede. As the War wherewith he was threatened was very formidable, he applied to the King of Perfia, who had married his Sifter Mandana, for Affiftance. Cambyfes fent a good Body of Troops, and with them Cyrus his Son, Nephew to Cyaxares, whom that Prince appointed General of his Armies against the King of Babylon. Cyrus was a young Prince of great Hopes, and had already given fignal Proofs of Courage and Conduct, in feveral former Wars under Aftyages his Grandfather. But his Virtues are now going to display themselves in all their Luftre, and prefent us with the Picture of a Hero, who by a Train of the most glorious Actions, has juftly merited to be handed down to Posterity, as a Pattern of all that is truly great and praise-worthy in the Character of a Prince and a Ruler. The very Name of Cyrus carried fuch a Weight of Authority with it, as to draw into the Alliance of Cyaxares, almost all the Kings of the Eaft. Nor was it long before he gave Proofs of that Merit, which was already fo univerfally afcribed to him. For having by his fuperior Abilities in the Art of War, vanquished the King of Babylon and Crafus his Ally in Battle, he pursued his Advantage over the latter, furrounded him in his Capital, and got Poffeffion both of his Kingdom and immenfe Riches. With the fame Expedition he fubdued the other Allies of the King of Babylon, made himfelf Master of all 4fia Minor, and extended his Conquefts even into Syria. In fine, he marched against Babylon itself, took that mighty City, and thereby became Mafter of the whole Affyrian Empire, which he put under the Dominion and Authority of his Uncle Cyaxares; who now equally touched with this fignal Proof of his Fidelity, as before with his glorious Exploits, gave him his only Daughter in Marriage. Cyaxares dying within two Years, as likewife Cambyfes King Perfia, Cyrus fucceeded to the whole Monarchy. In this

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manner was the Empire of the Eaft transferred from the Arians to the Medes and Perfians. But as Cyrus was himself a Perfian, and all his Succefors after him of the fame Nation, hence it has happened, that this fecond great Empire as it ought to be accounted, obtains in ancient History the Name of the Perfian Monarchy; Cyrus and not Cyaxares being re puted the Founder thereof. And indeed when we confider that Gyrus alone headed the Medes during this long War, that it was to his Valour and Wisdom they were indebted for all their Conquefts; and that he in Perfon took the great City of Babylon, it feems but juft to afcribe to him the Honour of this whole Revolution. For thefe Reasons I have chofen to date the Beginning of this fecond great Empire, not from the Taking of Babylon, but from the Succeffion of Cyrus, who alone can with Juftice be accounted the Founder thereof.

P. I must here beg Leave to interrupt you a little, in order to the clearing up of fome Doubts that occur, in the Part of History you have been juft explaining. You may remember I told you in the Beginning, that I was not quite a Stranger to ancient Times; having perufed feveral Pieces of Hiftory, that gave me fome general Knowledge of Things. Now as far as I can remember, their Account of the ancient Monarchies differs confiderably from yours. They speak nothing of a fecond Affyrian Empire, but make it end altogether in the Death of Sardanapalus. Then fucceeds the Mcnarchy of the Medes, which concludes with Aftyages; and the Perfians come in the third in Order, founding their Empire upon the Ruin of the Medes.

G. What you obferve here comes in very feasonably, and I am glad of the Interruption, as it will give me an Opportunity to clear up this dark Part of Hiftory, and guard you against the Miftakes you might be apt to run into, by a promifcuous reading of Authors without due Caution. You are to obferve therefore, that the Affairs of the Eastern Nations preceding the Reign of Cyrus, are but very confusedly handed down to us by profane Hiftorians. The Account you have juft now recited is indeed that of the greater Part of the Greek Writers, and of the Latins who copied from them. Ctefias, Diodorus Siculus, and Juftin, all agree in this Reprefentation of the ancient Monarchies, which can by no means be reconciled to the Relations of holy Writ, which I have followed as the fureft Guide in this dark Period of Time. However, if the Greek Accounts differ thus from Scripture, it is remarkable, that they agree as little among themfelves. The Birth and Death of Cyrus are varioufly recounted, and

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Herodotus obferves, that there were three feveral Traditions relating to them, befides that which he followed in his Hiftory. Xenophon, who was himself in Perfia in the Service of Cyrus the younger, the Brother of Artaxerxes Mnemon, had an Opportunity of fully inftructing himself in the Life and Actions of the ancient Cyrus, from the Annals and Traditions of the Perfians themselves. And fure the Relations of that wife Philofopher and able Captain, who made it his Bufinefs to fearch out the Truth in this Matter, ought to be preferred before that of Ctefias, whom fome of the most judici-' ous of his own Nation ftile a fabulous Writer, unworthy of Credit. And yet from him have Diodorus and Justin copied all they fay. Even Herodotus himself ought to give place here, who tho' a very judicious Hiftorian, had a ftrong Byafs to the Marvellous, and evidently followed this Bent of his Genius, in the Account he has given of Cyrus. But what is of ftill greater Weight, the Hiftory of Xenophon, as it is itself the beft connected, and the moft probable of any, fo does it exactly agree with Scripture, which on account, of its Antiquity, aud the near Relation of the Affairs of the Jews with thofe of the other Eastern Nations, would evidently deferve the Preference to the Greek Accounts, were we to confider it as no more than a bare Hiftory of these Times. In reality, the Greeks knew but little of the Affairs of the more remote Eaftern Nations. Probably the Medes under Deinces and his Succeffors, tho' far inferior in Power to the Affyrian Monarchs, had nevertheless extended their Conquefts into Afia Minor, and the Nations bordering upon the Greek Colonies. By this means they became famous in those Parts, and the Empire of all Afia was afcribed to them, because the other Princes of the Eaft were but little known. That this was but a mere Effect of Ignorance in the Greeks, appears not only from the ill Agreement of their Relations with Scripture, but likewife from their Contrariety to fuch of the Writers of their own Nation, as feem to have been best informed, and to have fearched into these things with the greateft Care. Herodotus promifes a particular Hiftory of the Affyrians, but no fuch Work is come down to us; whether it be that the Piece itfelf is loft, or that he never found Time to compose it. We have all the reafon in the World however to believe, that he would not have omitted the Kings of the fecond Affyrian Monarchy, fince in those Books of his that still remain, we meet with the Name of Sennacherib, who was one of them, and is there fpoken of as King of the Affyrians and Arabians. Strabo, one of the

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