in the Affyrian history. But to our regret this history was never finished, or is loft. More probably it was never finished, for otherwise some 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 illustrating several passages in Nahum's prophecies. It is however something fortunate, that we can in fome measure fupply this loss 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 Affyrian army were feasting for their former victories, that those about Arbaces being informed by some deferters of the negligence and drunkenness in the camp of the enemies, affaulted them unexpectedly by night, and fall'ing orderly on them diforderly, and prepared on them unprepared, became masters of the camp, and flew many of the foldiers, and drove the rest into the city.' Nahum foretels (II. 6.) that the gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be diffolved; and (1) Diodorus

(9) (9) διόπερ της δυναμεως άπασῃς ἱςιωμενης, οἱ περι τον Αρβάκην παρα τινων αυτομολων πυθομένοι την εν τη παρεμβολή των πολεμίων ῥαθυμιάν και μέθην, νυκτο απροσδοκετως την επίθεσιν εποιησαντο, προσπεσοντες δε Ευντεταίμενοι μεν ασυντακτοις, έτοι μοι δε απαράσκευοις, της τε παρεμε βολης εκράτησαν, και των ερατιωτων πολλές ανηλοίτες, τις αλλές μεχρί στις πολεως κατεδιωξαν. Toto igitur exercitu conviviis indulgente, Arbaces per transfugas de de neglige ebrietate hoftium edoctus, noctu ex improvifo illos opprimit. Et quoniam compositi incompotitos, parati imperatos invadebant, facile et craftra expugnant, et vastam hoftium stragem edunt, et reliquos in urbem compelLunt. Diod. Sic, Lib. 2, p. 80. Edit, Steph. p. 112. Edit. Rhod.

(1) ην δ

negligentia

et

αυτῳ λογιον παραδεδος μένον εκ προγονών, ότι την Νίνον άδει έλα κατα κρατο, καν μη προτέρον ὁ

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1

ποταμό τη πόλει γένηται πολεμιθ, - τῳ τρίτω δ' ετει (υνεχως όμβρων ῥαγδαίων καταῤῥαγεντων, συνηθη τον Ευφράτην [Τιγριν] μεγαν γενομένου κατακλυσαι τε μερο της πόλεως, και καταβαλειν το τειχών επι ταδίας είκοσιν. ενταυθα ὁ βασιλεύς νομίσας τετελεσθαι τον χρησμον, και τη πόλει τον πόλεμον γεγονέναι φανερώς πολέμιον, απεγνω την (ωτηριάν. ίνα δη μη τοις πολέμιοις γενεται ὑποχειρι, πυραν εκ τοις βασιλείοις κατεσκευασεν ὑπερν μεγεθη και τον τε χρυσον και τον αρτ γυρον άπαντα, προν δε τέτοις την βασιλικήν εσθητα πασαν επι ταυτην εσωρευσε, τας δε παλλακίδας και τος συνέχες (υγκλείσας εις τον εν μέση τη πυρα κατεσκευασμενον οικον, άμα τεν τους άπασιν ἑαυτον τε και τα βασιλεια κατέκαυσεν. οἱ δ' αποταται, πυθόμενοι την απολειαν Σαρδαναπαλε, της μεν πόλεως εκράτησαν, εισπης σοντες κατα το πεπτωκώ μερου τα τειχες. Atqui raticinium a majori

bus

dorus informs us, 'that there was an old prophecy, that Nineveh should not be taken, till the river became an enemy to the city; and in the third year of the fiege, ' the river being fwoln with continual rains overflowed part of the city, and broke down the wall for 20 fur* longs; then the king thinking that the oracle was ful

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filled, 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 first chapter (ver. 8.) was therefore litterally fulfilled, With an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof. Nahum promises the enemy much spoil 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 pleasant furniture: and we read in (2) Diodorus, that Arbaces carried many talents of gold and filver to Ecbatana the royal city of the Medes. According to Nahum (I. 8. III. 15.) the city was to be destroyed by fire and water; and we fee in Diodorus, that by fire and water it was destroyed.

But Nahum is cited upon this occasion principally to show, that he foretold the total and entire destruction 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 shall

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1

not rise up the second time. Again in the second chapter, (ver. 11, 13.) Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions? meaning Nineveh whofe princes ravaged like lions: behold, I am against thee, faith the Lord of hosts, 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 last chapter, (ver. 17, 18, 19.) Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grashoppers, 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 Shepherds flumber, O king of Affyria; thy nobles shall dwell in the dust; thy people is scattered 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 shall clap the hands over thee; for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually? The prophet Zephaniah likewife in the days of Jofiah king of Judah foretold the fame sad event, (II. 13, 14, 15.) The Lord will ftretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Affyria, and will make Nineveh a defolation, and dry like a wilderness: and flocks shall lie down in the midst 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; desolation shall be in the thresholds; for he shall uncover the cedar work; this is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelesly, 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, shall hiss and wag his hand. But what probability was there that the capital city of a great kingdom, a city which was fixty miles in compass, a city which contained fo many thousand inhabitants, a city which had walls, according to (3) Diodorus Siculus, a hundred feet high, and so thick that three chariots could go abreast upon them, and fifteen hundred towers at proper distances in the walls of two hundred feet in highth :

what probability was there, I say, that such a city should ever be totally destroyed? and yet so totally was it destroyed, that the place is hardly known where it was

fituated.

We have feen that it was taken and destroyed by the Medes and Babylonians: and what we may suppose 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 florishing, but now destroyed and defolate. Great as it was formerly, so 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 historians and geographers, that it was fituated upon the river Tigris; but yet no less authors than (4) Ctefias and Diodorus Siculus represent it as fituated upon the river Euphrates. Nay authors differ not only from one another, but also from themselves. For the learned (5) Bochart hath shown that Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, and Ammianus Marcellinus, all three speak differently of it, fometimes as if it was situated upon the river Tigris, and fometimes as if it was fituated upon the river Euphrates. So that • to reconcile these authors with themselves and with others, it is fuppofed by (6) Bochart that there were two Ninevehs, and by (7) Sir John Marsham 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 Persians, who succeeded the Parthians in the empire of the east 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. 8o. 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 Coma

2

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

(7) Est igitur (in veterum scriptis) Ninus triplex, Syriaca, Affyriaca, et Perfica, &c. Marshami Chron. Sec. XVIII. p. 559..

built

built in the same place as old Nineveh is a question that cannot be decided. Lucian, (8) who florished in the second century after Christ, 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 testimony, as he was a native of Samosata, a city upon the river Euphrates, and coming from a neighbouring country he must in all likelihood have known whether there had been any remains of Nineveh or not. There is at this time a city called Moful, situate 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 Christ 1173, informs us, that there is only a bridge between Moful and Nineveh; this latter is laid waste, yet hath it many streets and castles. But another, who wrote in 1300, afferts that Nineveh at present is totally laid waste, but by the ruins which are still to be seen there, we may firmly believe that it was one of the greatest cities in the world. The fame thing is attested by later travelers, and particularly by (1) Thevenot, upon whose authority Prideaux relates that "Mosul is situated on the west fide of the river

Tigris, where was anciently only a fuburb of the old "Nineveh, for the city itself stood on the east side of "the river, where are to be seen some of its ruins of

great extent even to this day." Tavernier likewife (2) affirms, that "cross the Tigris, which hath a fwift "stream and whitish water, whereas Euphrates runs