which they could then have no idea, the gods having given him a decided intimation to that effect. So indeed it happened; for, even before the time had expired, news came that the Bactrians had broken the fetters of servitude, and were hastening to their assistance. Sardanapalus, ignorant of the revolt of the Bactrians, and puffed up by his successes, was indulging in sloth and idleness, preparing beasts for sacrifice, and providing wine and other things to feast and entertain his soldiers. Arbaces, in the mean time, receiving intelligence, by some deserters, of the security and intemperance of the enemy, fell upon them suddenly in the night, broke into their camp, slew a great number, and drove the rest into the city. Upon this, Sardanapulus committed the charge of his army to his wife's brother, Salamenes, and took upon himself the defence of the city. But the rebels twice defeated the king's forces; once in the open field, and again before the walls of the city; in which last engagement Salamenes was killed, and nearly his whole army destroyed. Sardanapalus, now perceiving that his kingdom was likely to be lost, sent his three sons and three daughters, with a great amount of treasure, into Paphlagonia, to Cotta, the governor there, who was his fast friend; and despatched messengers into all the provinces of the kingdom, with orders to raise soldiers, and to make all other preparations necessary to sustain him; being still greatly encouraged by an ancient prophecy, that Nineveh could never be taken by force till the river should become a foe to the city. The enemy, on the other hand, grown courageous by success, eagerly urged the siege. They made, however, but little impression on the city, by reason of the strength of its walls; for balista to cast stones, testudos to throw up mounts, and batteringrams were then unknown. The place was also well supplied with everything needful. The siege, therefore, had lasted two years, and nothing to any purpose had been effected; but in the third year a fortunate occurrence took place. This was the overflowing of the Euphrates, which was so swollen by continual rains that the waters came into the city and tore down thirty furlongs of the wall. When the king saw this, conceiving it to be no other than the fulfilment of the prophecy, on the improbability of which he had so strongly relied, he gave himself up to despair. He now caused a large pile of wood to be heaped up in one of the courts of his palace, collected together all his gold, silver, and wearing apparel, and, enclosing himself, with his eunuchs and concubines, within the pile, directed it to be set on fire, when all perished in the flames in one common ruin. As soon as the revolters heard this, they entered through the breach made in the walls and took the city. They now clothed Arbaces with a royal robe, proclaimed him king, and invested him with supreme authority; in gratitude for which, he rewarded every one according to his deserts. Though in other respects he showed great clemency to the inhabitants of Nineveh, he razed their city to the ground. Thus, after a continuance of thirty generations, the Assyrian empire was overturned, in the year of the world 3080, and 868 before Christ. So says Diodorus; but Usher and many historians, among whom may be mentioned Herodotus, state that this empire, from Ninus, lasted only 520 years. Several kings reigned after this, during what is called the second Assyrian empire. For from the fall of the first, three considerable kingdoms arose, viz., that of the Medes, which Arbaces, after the destruction of Nineveh, restored to its liberty; that of the Assyrians of Babylon, which was given to Belesis, governor of that city; and that of the Assyrians of Nineveh. The first king that reigned in Nineveh after the death of Sardanapalus is called in Scripture TiglathPileser;* the second, Salmaneser, in whose reign Tobit, with Anna his wife and his son Tobias, was carried captive into Assyria, where he became one of Salmaneser's principal officers. That king dying after a reign of fourteen years, was succeeded by his son Sennacherib; he whose army was cut off in one night before the walls of Jerusalem. He had laid siege to it some time before, but had left it to march against Egypt; which country having subdued, he once more sat down before the sacred city: "And it came to pass, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and four score and five thousand; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." After this terrible blow, the pretended king of kings, as he impiously called himself, "this triumpher over nations, and conqueror of gods," returned to his own country, where "it came to pass, as he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch, his god, that he was struck by his two sons,‡ who smote him with the sword; and Esarhaddon, his youngest son, reigned in his stead." The destruction that fell upon the Assyrian army has been thus described by a celebrated modern poet. THE DESTRUCTION OF SENNACHERIB. "The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold, "Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green, Elian calls him Thilgamus. + 2 Kings. 2 Kings, xix., v. 37. "For the angel of death spread his wings on the blast, "And there lay the steed, with his nostril all wide, "And there lay the rider distorted and pale, With the dew on his brow and the rust on his mail; "And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail; Esarhaddon was succeeded by Nebuchodonosor the First, in whose reign Tobit died.* Perceiving his end approaching, that good old man called his children around him, and exhorted them to lose no time, after they had buried him and their mother, in quitting the city; for "the ruin of Nineveh," said he," is at hand; the wickedness of the city will occasion its ruin." Nahum, too, represents the depravity of this city in terms exceedingly vivid: "Wo to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery." "It shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste; who will bemoan her?" "The gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies; the fire shall devour thy bars." "The sword shall cut thee off; it shall eat thee up like the canker-worm." Thy nobles shall dwell in the dust; thy people be scattered upon the mountains, and no man shall gather them." 66 *Tobit, xiv., ver. 5, 13. + Nahum, chap. iii. "The Zephaniah uttered similar denunciations.* Lord will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness; and flocks shall lie down in the midst of her; both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds." "This is the rejoicing city, that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart I am, and there is none beside me.' How shall she become a desolation; a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passes by shall hiss and wag his hand." The ruin thus predicted came in the reign of Saracus. Cyaxares, king of the Medes, entering into an alliance with the King of Babylon, they joined their forces together, laid siege to the city, took it, slew the king, and utterly destroyed it. "God," says the historian, "had foretold by his prophets that he would bring vengeance upon that impious city for the blood of his servants, wherewith the kings thereof had gorged themselves like ravenous lions; that he himself would march at the head of the troops that should come to besiege it; that he would cause consternation and terror to go before him; that he would deliver the old men, the mothers, and their children, into the merciless hands of the soldiers; that all the treasures of the city should fall into the hands of rapacious and insatiable plunderers; that the city itself should be so totally destroyed, that not so much as a footstep of it should be left; and that the people should ask thereafter, Where did the proud city of Nineveh stand?" " This prophecy, however, appears not to have been fulfilled to the utmost. In the time of Hadrian, portions of it still existed; and at a later period a great battle was fought among its ruins, between Heraclius, emperor of Constantinople, and Rhazates, gen * Zephaniah, chap. ii. |