in the Affyrian hiftory. But to our regret this hiftory: was never finifhed, or is loft. More probably it was never finished, for otherwife fome or other of the ancients would have mentioned it. If it had been extant with his other works, it would in all probability have been of great fervice in illuftrating feveral paffages in Nahum's prophecies. It is however fomething fortunate, that we can in fome measure fupply this lofs out of Diodorus Siculus Nahum prophecies, that the Affyrians thould be taken while they were drunken (I. 10.) For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as ftubble full dry: and (9) Diodorus relates, that ' it was while all the Allyrian army were feafting for their former victories, that thofe about Arbaces being informed by fome deferters of the negligence and drunkennefs in the camp of the ene• mies, affaulted them unexpectedly by night, and falling orderly on them diforderly, and prepared on them unprepared, became mafters of the camp, and flew many of the foldiers, and drove the reft into the city.' Nahum foretels (II. 6.) that the gates of the rivers fhall be opened, and the palace Jhall be diffolved; and (1) Dio

(9) διόπερ της δυναμεως άπασης ἱειωμένης, οι περι του Αρβακην παρα τίνων αυτομολών πυθομένοι την εν τη παρεμβολή των πολεμίων ῥαθυμιών και μεθηνά νυκτα απροσδοκάτως την επίθεσιν εποιησαντο, προσπεσοντες δε Συντεταμενοι μεν ασύντακτοις, έτοιμου δε απαράσκευοις, της τε παρεμα βύλης εκρατησαν, και των τρατιώτων πολλές ανήλοντες, της αλλες μεχρι στις πολεως κατεδίωξαν. Toto igitur exercitu conviviis indulgente, Arbaces per transfugas de negligentia et ebrietate hoftium edoftus, noctu ex improvilo illos opprimit. Et quoniam compofiti incompolitos, parati imperatos invadebant, facile et craftra expugnant, et vafam hoftium fragem edunt, et reliquos in urbem compellunt. Diod. Sic. Lib. 2, p. 80. Edit, Steph.

1. p. 112. Edit. Rhod. (1) ην δ' αυτῳ λογιον παραδεδος μένων εκ προγονων, ότι την Νίνον εδεί έλα κατά κρατώ, εαν μη προτερον

dorus.

ποταμοι τη πόλει γενηται πολεμι

τῷ τρίτῳ δ' ετει (υνεχως ομβρων ραγδαίων καταῤῥαγέντων, συνηθη τον Εύφρα την [Τίγριν] μεγαν γενομένου κατάκλυσαν τε μέρος της πολεως, και καταβαλειν το τείχος επί ταδίες είχοσιν. ενταυθα ὁ βασιλεὺς νομίσας τετε λεσθαι τον χρησμόν, και τη πόλει τον πόλεμον γεγονέναι φανερώς πολεμιον, απεγνω την (ωτηριάν. ἵνα δη μη τοις πολεμίοις γενεταί ὑποχείριο, πυραν εκ τοις βασιλείοις κατεσκευασεν έπεξε μεγέθη και τον τε χευσον και τον αρ γυριν άπαντας προς δε τέτοις την βασιλικην εσθητα πασαν επι ταύτην εσώρευσε, τας δε παλλακίδας και τις συνεχες (εγκλείσας εις τον εν μέση τη αυρα κατεσκευασμενον οίκον, ἁμάτες της άπασιν έαυτον τε και τα βασι λεια κατέκαυσεν. οἱ δ' αποταται, πυθομένοι την απολειαν Σαρδαναπα κε, της μεν πολέως εκράτησαν, εισπης σοντες κατα το πεπτωκα μερα το Texas. Atqui vaticinium a majori

bus

dorus informs us, that there was an old prophecy, that Nineveh fhould not be taken, till the river became an enemy to the city; and in the third year of the fiege, 'the river being fwolu with continual rains overflowed part of the city, and broke down the wall for 20 furlongs; then the king thinking that the oracle was fulfilled, and the river become an enemy to the city, built a large funeral pile in the palace, and collecting together all his wealth and his concubines and eunuchs, burnt himself and the palace with them all; and the enemy entered the breach that the waters had made, and took the city.' What was predicted in the firft chapter (ver. 8.) was therefore litterally fulfilled, With an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof. Nahum promifes the enemy much fpoil of gold and filver, (II. 9.) Take ye the spoil of filver, take the spoil of gold: for there is no end of the store, and glory out of all the pleafant furniture: and we read in (2) Diodorus, that Arbaces carried many talents of gold and filver to Ecbátana the royal city of the Medes. According to Nahum (I. 8. III. 15.) the city was to be deftroyed by fire and water; and we fee in Diodorus, that by fire and water it was deftroyed.

1

But Nahum is cited upon this occafion principally to fhow, that he foretold the total and entire deftruction of this city. The Lord, faith he in the first chapter, (ver. 8, 9.) with an overrunning flood will make an utter end of the place thereof; he will make an utter end; affliction fhall

medio pyræ exftruxerat, conclufis, fe regiamque cum illis omnibus incendio abfumpfit. Cujus interitum cum au diffent, qui a rege defecerant, per collapfam muri partem ingreffi, urbem ceperunt. Diod. Sic. Lib. 2. p. 80. Edit. Steph. p. 113. Edit. Rhod.

(2) επειτα τον τε άργυρον και χρυσον τον εκ της πέρας υπολειφθέντα, πολλων οντα ταλάντων. απεκόμισε της Medias eis ExCarava. Tum quicquid argenti aurique ex pyra reftabat (multa certe talenta erant) in Ecbatana Medorum regiam tranftulit, Diod. Sic. Lib. 2, p. 81. Edit. Steph. p. 115. Edit. Rhod.

not

not rife up the fecond time, Again in the fecond chapter, (ver. 11, 13.) Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions? meaning Nineveh whose princes ravaged like lions: behold, I am against thee, faith the Lord of hofts, and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard. And again in the third and laft chapter, (ver. 17, 18, 19.) Thy crowned are as the locufts, and thy captains as the great grafhoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day; but when the fun arifeth, they flee away, and their place is not known where they are, or have been; thy Thepherds flumber, O king of Affyria; thy nobles fhall dwell in the duft; thy people is fcattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them; there is no healing of thy bruife; thy wound is grievous; all that hear the bruit of thee jhall clap the hands over thee; for upon whom hath not thy wickedness paffed continually? The prophet Zephaniah likewife in the days of Jofiah king of Judah foretold the fame fad event, (II. 13, 14, 15.) The Lord will ftretch out his hand against the north, and deftroy Affyria, and will make Nineveh a defolation, and dry like a wilderness and flocks fhall lie down in the midft of her, all the beafts of the nations; both the cormorant and the bittern fhall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice Shall fing in the windows; defolation fhall be in the thresholds; for he shall uncover the cedar work; this is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelefly, that faid in her heart, I am, and there is none befide me; how is the become a defolation, a place for beafts to lie down in! every one that paffeth by her, fhall hifs and wag his hand. But what probability was there that the capital city of a great kingdom, a city which was fixty miles in compafs, a city which -contained fo many thousand inhabitants, a city which had walls, according to (3) Diodorus Siculus, a hundred feet high, and fo thick that three chariots could go abreaft upon them, and fifteen hundred towers at proper diftances in the walls of two hundred feet in highth:

(3) To Mer yag in XE TO TEX ποδών έκατον, το δε πλατος τρισιν άρμασιν ιππασιμον ήν. οἱ δὲ (υμπαντες πυργοι τον μεν αριθμον ήσαν χίλιοι πεντακοσιοι. το δε ύψος είχον ποδων Saxostar. Nam murus ad C pedum

altitudinem exfurgebat, et ad trium latitudinem curruum jun&tim agitandorum perre&tus erat. Turres in eo MD ducentos pedes altz. Diod. Sic. Lib. 2. p. 65. Edit. Steph. p. 93. Edit. Rhod.

what

what probability was there, I fay, that fuch a city should ever be totally deftroyed? and yet fo totally was it deftroyed, that the place is hardly known where it was fituated.

We have seen that it was taken and deftroyed by the Medes and Babylonians: and what we may fuppofe helped to complete its ruin and devastation was Nebuchadnezzar's foon afterwards inlarging and beautifying of Babylon. From that time no mention is made of Nineveh by any of the facred writers; and the most ancient of the heathen authors, who have occafion to fay any thing about it, speak of it as a city that was once great and florifhing, but now deftroyed and defolate. Great as it was formerly, fo little of it was remaining, that authors are not agreed even about its fituation. I think we may conclude from the general fuffrage of ancient hiftorians and geographers, that it was fituated upon the river Tigris; but yet no lefs authors than (4) Ctefias and Diodorus Siculus represent it as fituated upon the river Euphrates. Nay authors differ not only from one another, but alfo from themfelves. For the learned (5) Bochart hath fhown that Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, and Ammianus Marcellinus, all three fpeak differently of it, fometimes as if it was fituated upon the river Tigris, and fometimes as if it was fituated upon the river Euphrates. So that to reconcile thefe authors with themfelves and with others, it is fuppofed by (6) Bochart that there were two Ninevehs, and by (7) Sir John Martham that there were three; the Syrian upon the river Euphrates, the Affyrian upon the river Tigris, and a third built afterwards upon the Tigris by the Perfians, who fucceeded the Parthians in the empire of the caft in the third century, and were fubdued by the Saracens in the feventh century after Chrift: but whether this later Nineveh was

(4) Diod. Sic. ibid. et p. 3o. Edit. Steph. p. 113. Edit. Rhod.

(5) Bocharti Phaleg. Lib. 4. Cap. 20. Col. 248, 249. .1

(6) Non video hæc aliter poffe conciliari, quam fi dicatur duplex fuiffe Ninus; una ad Euphratem in Coma2

genâ; altera in Affyria trans Tigrim &c. Bochart. ibid.

(7) Eft igitur (in veterum fcriptis) Ninus triplex, Syriaca, Affyriaca, et Perfica, &c. Marhami Chron. Sec. XVIII. p. 559. .

built

built in the fame place as old Nineveh is a queftion that cannot be decided. Lucian, (8) who florifhed in the fecond century after Chrift, affirins that Nineveh was utterly perished, and there was no footstep of it remaining, nor could you tell where once it was fituated: and the greater regard is to be paid to Lucian's teftimony, as he was a native of Samofata, a city upon the river Euphrates, and coming from a neighbouring country he muft in all likelihood have known whether there had been any remains of Nineveh or not. There is at this time a city called Moful, fituate upon the western fide of the river Tigris, and on the oppofite eastern shore are ruins of a great extent, which are faid to be the ruins of Nineveh. Benjamin of Tudela, (9) who wrote his Itinerary in the year of Chrift 1173, informs us, that there is only a bridge between Moful and Nineveh ; this latter is laid wafte, yet hath it many ftreets and caftles. But another, who wrote in 1300, afferts that Nineveh at present is totally laid wafte, but by the ruins which are still to be feen there, we may firmly believe that it was one of the greatest cities in the world. The fame thing is attefted by later travelers, and particularly by (1) Thevenot, upon whofe authority Prideaux relates that "Moful is fituated on the weft fide of the river Tigris, where was anciently only a fuburb of the old "Nineveh, for the city itself stood on the eaft fide of "the river, where are to be feen fome of its ruins of great extent even to this day." Tavernier likewife (2) affirms, that "crofs the Tigris, which hath a swift ftream and whitish water, whereas Euphrates runs

(8) H Nivos aoλwλer ndn, xai uder ίχνος ετι λοιπον αυτής, εδ' αν είπης όπε ποτ' ην Ninus jam eft everfa, ita ut ne reliquum quidem fit ejus veftigium, nec ubi olim fita fuerit, facile dixeris. Luciani Erox. vel Contemplantes, prope finem.

(9) Benjamin Tudelenfis (qui fcripfit Itinerarium anno Xti 1173) Inter Almoxal, ait (p. 62.) et Nineven pons tantum intercedit: Hæc devaftata eft: attamen multos pagos et arces babet, At vero Haiton Armenius (De Tartar. C. 11. p. 406.) (anno 1300)

Ifta civitas (Nineve) ad præfens eft toialiter devafata. Mariami Chron. Sec. XVIII. p. 558. Sed per ea, quæ adhuc funt apparentia in eadem, firmiter credi poteft quod fuerit una ex majoribus civitatibus bujus mundi. Idem apud Bochart. Phaleg. Lib. 4. Cap. 20. Col. 255.

(1) Thevenot's Travels, Part 2. Book. Chap. 11. p. 50. Prideaux's Connect. Part 1. Book 1. Anno 612. Jofiah 29.

(2) Tavernier in Harris. Vol. 2. Book 2. Chap. 4.

"flow