Page images
PDF
EPUB
[blocks in formation]

THE

HISTORY

OF THE

ASSYRIANS.

PLAN.

This book will contain the history of the Assyrian empire, both of Nineveh and Babylon, the kingdom of the Medes, and the kingdom of the Lydians,

CHAP. I.

THE FIRST EMPIRE OF THE ASSYRIANS..

THE

SECTION I.

DURATION OF THAT EMPIRE.

HE Assyrian empire was undoubtedly one of the most. powerful in the world. As to the length of its dura tion two particular opinions have chiefly prevailed. Some authors, as Ctesias, whose opinion is followed by Justin, give it a duration of thirteen hundred years: others reduce it to five hundred and twenty, of which number is Herodotus. The diminution, or rather the interruption of power, which happened in this vast empire, might possibly give occasion to this difference of opinion, and may perhaps serve in some measure to reconcile it.

The history of those early times is so obscure, the monuments which convey it down to us so contrary to each other, and the systems of the * moderns upon that matter so different, that it is difficult to lay down any opinion about it, as certain and incontestible. But where certainty is not to be had, I suppose a reasonable person will be satisfied with probability: and, in my opinion, a man can hardly be deceived if he makes the Assyrian empire equal in antiquity with the city of Babylon, its capital. Now we learn from the holy scripture, that this was built by Nimrod, who certainly was a great conqueror, and in all appearance the first and most ancient that ever aspired after that denomination.

*

They that are curious to see more of this matter may read the dissertations of Abbot Banier, and Mr. Freret, upon the Assyrian empire, in the Memoirs of the Academy of Belles Lettres; for the first, see Tom. III. and for the other, Tom. V.: as also what Father Tournemine has written upon this subject in his edition of Menos

*The Babylonians (as Callisthenes, a philosopher in Alexander's retinue, wrote to Aristotle) reckoned themselves to be at least of 1903 years standing, when that prince entered triumphant into Babylon; which makes their origin reach back to the year of the world 1771, that is to say, 115 years. after the deluge. This computation comes within a few years of the time we suppose Nimrod to have founded that city. Indeed this testimony of Callisthenes, as it does not agree with any other accounts of that matter, is not deemed authentic by the learned; but the conformity we find between it and the holy scripture should make us regard it.

Upon these grounds I think we may allow Nimrod to have been the founder of the first Assyrian empire, which subsisted with more or less extent and glory upwards of † 1450 years, from the time of Nimrod to that of Sardanapalus, the last king, that is to say, from the year of the world 1800 to the year 3257.

NIMROD. He is the same with Belus §, who was afterwards worshipped as a god under that appellation.

He was the son of Chus, grandson of Cham, and greatgrandson of Noah. He was, says the scripture, "a mighty hunter before the Lord." In applying himself to this la borious and dangerous exercise, he had two things in view; the first was, to gain the people's affection, by delivering them from the fury and dread of wild beasts; the next was, to train up numbers of young people by this exercise of hunting to endure labour and hardship, to form them to the use of arms, to inure them to a kind of discipline and obedience, that at a proper time after they had been accustomed to his orders, and seasoned in arms, he might make use of them for other purposes more serious than hunting.

In ancient history we find some footsteps remaining of this artifice of Nimrod, whom the writers have confounded with Ninus, his son: for Diodorus ¶ has these words: "Ninus, the "most ancient of the Assyrian kings mentioned in history, per-.. "formed great actions. Being naturally of a warlike dispo"sition, and ambitious of glory that results from valour, he "armed a considerable number of young men, that were brave "and vigorous, like himself; trained them up a long time in "laborious exercises and hardships, and by that means accus"tomed them to bear the fatigues of war patiently, and to “face dangers with courage and intrepidity."

Porphr. apud Simplic. in lib. ii. de cœlo.

+ Here I depart from the opinion of bishop Usher, my ordinary guide, with respect to the duration of the Assyrian empire, which he supposes, with Herodotus, to have lasted but 520 years; but the time when Nimrod lived and Sardanapalus died, I take from him. A. M. 1800. Ant J. C. 2204, $ Belus or Baal signifies Lord: Gen. x. 9, Lib, ii. p. 90.

What the same author adds, that Ninus entered into an alliance with the king of the Arabs, and joined forces with him, is a piece of ancient tradition, which informs us, that the sons of Chus, and by consequence the brothers of Nimrod, all settled themselves in Arabia, along the Persian gulf, from Havila to the Ocean, and lived near enough their brother to lend him succours, or to receive them from him. And what the same historian further says of Ninus, that he was the first king of the Assyrians, agrees exactly with what the scripture says of Nimrod, "that he began to be mighty upon the earth;" that is, he procured himself settlements, built cities, subdued his neighbours, united different people under one and the same authority, by the band of the same polity and the same laws, and formed them into one state; which, for those early times, was of a considerable extent, though bounded by the rivers, Euphrates and Tigris; and which in succeeding ages made new acquisitions by degrees, and at length extended its conquests very far.

"The capital city of his kingdom," says the scripture, 66 was Babylon." Most of the profane historians ascribe the founding of Babylon to § Semiramis, the rest to Belus. It is visible, that both the one and the other are mistaken, if they speak of the first founding of that city; for it owes its beginning neither to Semiramis, nor to Nimrod, but to the foolish vanity of those persons mentioned in scripture, who desired to build a tower and a city, that should render their memory immortal.

¶ Josephus relates, upon the testimony of a Sibyl (which must have been very ancient, and whose fictions cannot be imputed to the indiscreet zeal of any christians,) that the gods threw down the tower by an impetuous wind, or a violent hurricane. Had this been the case, Nimrod's temerity must have been still the greater, to rebuild a city and a tower, which God himself had overthrown with such marks of his displeasure. But the scripture says no such thing; and it is very probable, the building remained in the condition it was when God put an end to the work by the confusion of languages; and that the tower consecrated to Belus, which is described by Herodotus,* was this very tower which the sons of men pretended to raise to the clouds.

It is further probable, that this ridiculous design being defeated by such an astonishing prodigy as none could be the author of but God himself, every body abandoned the place, which had given him offence; and that Nimrod was the first Gen. x. 10.

+ Diod. l. ii. p. 90. Semiramis eam condiderat, vel, ut plerique tradidere, Belus, cujus gia ostenditur. Q. Curt. lib. v. c. 1.

Gen. xi. 4,

Hist. Jud. 1. i. c. 4.

* Lib. i. e. 181.

« PreviousContinue »