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ty-three years, he ended his life. He was an, active man, and more fortunate than the kings that were before him. Now Berosus makes mention of his actions in the third book of his Chaldaic history, where he says thus: "When his fa"ther Nebuchodonosor [Nabopallassar] heard that the governor whom he had set over Egypt, and the places about "Celesyria and Phoenicia, had revolted from him, while he "was not himself able any longer to undergo the hardships [of

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war,] he committed to his son Nebuchadnezzar, who was "still but a youth, some parts of his army, and sent them "against them. So when Nebuchadnezzar had given battle, "and fought with the rebel, he beat him, and reduced the "country from under his subjection, and made it a branch "of his own kingdom; but about that time it happened, that "his father Nebuchodonosor [Nabopollassar] fell ill, and "ended his life in the city Babylon, when he had reigned "twenty-one years; and when he was made sensible, as he "was in a little time, that his father, Nebuchodonosor [Na"bopollassar] was dead, and having settled the affairs of 66 Egypt, and the other countries, as also those that concern"ed the captive Jews, and Phoenicians, and Syrians, and "those of the Egyptian nations, and having committed the 66 conveyance of them to Babylon to certain of his friends, "together with the gross of his army, and the rest of their "ammunition and provisions, he went himself hastily, ac"companied with a few others over the desert, and came "to Babylon. So he took upon him the management of "public affairs, and of the kingdom which had been kept "for him by one that was the principal of the Chaldeans, " and he received the entire dominions of his father, and appointed, that when the captives came, they should be placed as colonies, in the most proper places of Babylo"nia; but then he adorned the temple of Belus, and the rest "of the temples, in a magnificent manner, with the spoils he "had taken in the war. He also added another city to that "which was there of old, and rebuilt it, that such as would

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Chorenensis does also confirm this captivity of the Jews under Nebuchadnezzar; and adds, what is very remarkable, that one of those Jews that were carried by him into captivity got away into Armenia, and raised the great family of the Bagraditæ there.

These 21 years here ascribed to one named Naboulassar in the first book against Apion, or to Nabopollassar, the father of the great Nebuchadnezzar, are also the very same with those given him in Ptolemy's canon. And note here, that what Dr. Prideaux says, at the year 612, that Nebuchadnezzar must have been a common name of other kings of Babylon, besides the great Nebuchadnezzar himself, is a groundless mistake of some modern chronologers only, and destitute of all proper original authority.

VOL. II.

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again. When he had seen this dream, he called the cians together again, and enquired of them about it, an sired them to tell him what it signified; but when none of could find out the meaning of the dream, nor discover the king, Daniel was the only person that explained it as he foretold so it came to pass; for after he had cont in the wilderness the fore-mentioned interval of time, no one durst attempt to seize his kingdom during tho ven years, he prayed to God that he might recover his dom, and he returned to it. But let no one blame n writing down every thing of this nature, as I find it i ancient books; for as to that matter, I have plainly as those that think me defective in any such point, or col of my management, and have told them, in the beginu this history, that I intended to do no more than transla. Hebrew books into the Greek language, and promise to explain those facts, without adding any thing to ti. my own, or taking any thing away from them.

CHAP. XI.

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Concerning Nebuchadnezzar and his successors: their government was dissolved by the Persians; an things befel Daniel in Media; and what prophecie livered there.

§ 1. Now when king Nebuchadnezzar had reign

over Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. iv. 16. to be seven years, we thence lea most probably must have understood those other parallel phrases, times, and an half, Antiq. B. VII. ch. xxv. Vol. I. of so many prophet so, though he withal lets us know, by his hint at the interpretation venty weeks, as belonging to the fourth monarchy, and the destruction. lein by the Romans in the days of Josephus, ch. ii. § 7. that he di those years to be bare years, but rather days for years; by which rech by which alone could 70 weeks, or 490 days, reach to the a phus. But as to the truth of those seven years banishment of Nebu from men, and his living so long among the beasts, the very small have any where else of this Nebuchadnezzar, prevent our expecta other full account of it. So far we know by Ptolemy's canon, a co record, as well as by Josephus presently, that he reigned in all 43 is, eight years after we meet with any account of his actions; one which was the 13 years siege of Tyre, Antiq. B. XI. chap. xi. w Old Latin was but three years and ten months, yet were his actio remarkable, both in sacred and profane authors, that such a vacu years at the least, at the latter end of his reign, must be allowed to well with Daniel's accounts, that after a seven years brutal life he to his reason, and to the exercise of his royal authority, for one w least before his death.

*These 43 years for the duration of the reign of Nebuchadnez have just now observed, the very same number in Ptolemy's ca

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"besiege it hereafter might no more turn the course of the "river, and thereby attack the city itself: He therefore "built three walls round about the inner city, and three "others about that which was the outer, and this he did with "burnt brick. And after he had, after a becoming manner, "walled the city, and adorned its gates gloriously, he built "another palace before his father's palace, but so that they joined to it; to describe whose vast height, and immense "riches, it would perhaps be too much for me to attempt, yet as large and lofty as they were, they were completed *fifteen days. He also erected elevated places for walking, of stone, and made it resemble mountains, and "built it so that it might be planted with all sorts of trees. "He also erected what was called a pensile paradise, because his wife was desirous to have things like her own country, she having been bred up in the places of Media." Megasthenes also, in his fourth book of his accounts of India, makes mention of these things, and thereby endeavours to shew that this king [Nebuchadnezzar] exceeded Hercules in fortitude, and in the greatness of his actions for he saith, that "he conquered a great part of Lybia and Iberia." Diocles also, in the second book of his accounts of Persia, mentions this king; as does Philostrates in his accounts both of India and of Phenicia, say, that "this king besieged Tyre "thirteen years, while at the same time Ethbaal reigned at " Tyre." These are all the histories that I have met with concerning this king.

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2. But now after the death of Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach his son succeeded in the kingdom, who immediately set Jeconiah at liberty, and esteemed him among his most intimate friends. He also gave him many presents, and made him honourable above the rest of the kings that were in Babylon; for his father had not kept his faith with Jeconiah, when he voluntarily delivered up himself to him, with his wives and children, and his whole kindred, for the sake of his country, that it might not be taken by siege, and utterly destroyed, as we said before. When Evil-Merodach was dead,

These fifteen days for finishing such vast buildings at Babylon, in Josephus's copy of Berosus, would seem too absurd to be supposed to be the true number, were it not for the same testimony extant also in the first book against Apion, sect. 19. Vol. IV. with the same number. It thence indeed appears, that Josephus's copy of Berosus had this small number, but that it is the true number I still doubt. Josephus assures us, that the walls of so much a smaller city as Jerusalem were two years and four months in building by Nehemiah, who yet hastened the work all he could, Antiq. B. XI. chap. v. sect. 8. I should think 115 days, or a year and 15 days, much more proportionable to so great a work.

after a reign of eighteen years, Niglissar his son took the government, and retained it forty years, and then ended his life and after him the succession in the kingdom came to his son Labosordacus, who continued in it in all, but nine months; and when he was dead, it came to Baltasar, who by the Babylonians was called Naboandelus: against him did Cyrus the king of Persia, and Darius the king of Media, make war; and when he was besieged in Babylon, there happened a wonderful and prodigious vision. He was sat down at supper in a large room, and there were a great many vessels of silver, such as were made for royal entertainments, and he had with him his concubines, and his friends; whereupon he came to a resolution, and commanded that those vessels of God which Nebuchadnezzar had plundered out of Jerusalem, and had not made use of, but had put them into his own temple, should be brought out of that temple. He also grew so haughty as to proceed to use them in the midst of his cups, drinking out of them and blaspheming against God. In the mean time, he saw an hand proceed out of the wall, and writing upon the wall certain syllables; at which sight, being disturbed, he called the magicians and Chaldeans together, and all that sort of men that are among these Barbarians, and were able to interpret signs and dreams, that they might explain the writing to him. But when the magicians said they could discover nothing, nor did understand it, the king was in great disorder of mind, and under great trouble at this surprising accident; so he caused it to be proclaimed through all the country, and promised, that to him who could explain the writing, and give the signification couched therein, he would give him a golden chain for his neck, and leave to wear a purple garment, as did the kings of Chaldea, and would bestow on him the third part of his own domi

* It is here remarkable, that Josephus, without the knowledge of Ptolemy's canon, should call the same king, whom he himself here, Bar. i. 11. and Dan. v. 1, 2, 9, 12, 22, 29, 30. stiles Beltazar, or Belshazzar, from the Babylonian god Bel, Naboandelus also; and in the first book against Apion, sect. 19. Vol. IV. from the same citation out of Berosus, Nabonnedon, from the Babylonian God Nabo or Nebo. This last is not remote from the original pronunciation itself in Ptolemy's canon, Nabona:lius, for both the place of this king in that canon, as the last of the Assyrian or Babylonian kings, and the number of years of his reign, seventeen, the same in both demonstrate that it is one and the same king that is meant by them all. It is also worth noting, that Josephus knew that Darius, the partner of Cyrus, was the son of Astyages, and was called by another name among the Greeks, though it does not appear he knew what that name was, as having never seen the best history of this period, which is Xenophon's: But then what Josephus's present copies say presently, sect. 4. that it was only within no long time after the hand-writing on the wall that Baltazar was slain, does not so well agree with our copies of Daniel, which say it was the same night, Dan. v. 50.

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