the year CHA P. XIV. Of the Epocha of the three hundred and ninety years of the Iniquity of the HOUSE of ILrael, mentioned in Ezec. Chap. 4. v. 5. & Leq. RULËS. 1. The beginning of the Epocha of these 390 year's must be fixed at the time of the General Defection of the People of Ifrael under the Reign of their King Jeroboam, of whom it is faia frequently in the Holy Scripture, that be made Ifrael to fin: But the utmost Period of this Epocha muft not be extended beyond the Deftruction of the Temple of Solomon, this being the intention of the Prophetical Vifion, as is manifeft out of Ver. 1, 2, 7, 13, &c. 2. Accordingly we affirm the first year of this Epocha of 390 years to have been coincident with the 3734th year, and the last year of the fame Epocha with the 4124th year of the Julian Pe riod. To find out 3. If therefore you fubtract from any certain Sum of years of the Julian Period 3733 years, the Refidue fhews the year fince the beginning of this Epocha. And if you add the known time of this Epocha to the faid 3733 years, the Product will be equivalent to the year of the Julian Period. Since the beginning of this E pocha. The Begin⋅ §. 1. Bucholzerus, Crentzhemius and fome others ning and begin this Epocha from the fourth year of End of this Rehoboam and Feroboam; for which they alledge 2 Epocha. Chron. 11.v. 17. Tremellius begins it from the time that Solomon turned his Heart from the Lord, as Funccius, Codomannus, and fome others, extend its Period till the 23d year of Nebuchadnezzar, or the 5th after the the Destruction of the Temple. But they neglected to take notice that Ezechiel in this Paffage, fpeaks particularly of the iniquity of the Houfe of Ifrael, feparately from that of Judah. S. 2. It is exprefly faid, 1 Kings 6. v. 1. that Solo. How long mon began to build the Temple in the 4th year of his after the Reign, and it being likewile evident from 1 Kings 11. building of the Temple v. 42. that he reigned in all 40 years, it muft of nethis Epoche ceffity follow, that the first year of Jeroboam, who at the fame time with Rehoboam immediately fucceeded Solomon, was the 37th year after the beginning of the Building of the Temple, and confequently the 2734th year of the Julian Period. CHAP. XV. Of the End of the Reign of Sardanapalus, and the Epocha of the Median Empire. RULES, i. Sardanapalus was the laft, and (according to Diodorus Siculus) the five and thirtieth Affyrian Monarch, of the fame Family with Ninus, de fcended in a direct Line and uninterrupted Succeffion from Father to Son; of which fee Velleins Paterculus. 2. This Sardanapalus being Besieged in the City of 3. This Difafter hapned in the 20th year of his began. 5. Arbaces was the firft Founder of the Monarchy of of the Medes; and reigned 18 years according to Ctefias, Diodorus and Eufebius, who 6. Give the following Account of the Succeffion of the Kings of Media. 7. The Period or End of the Empire of the Medes is to be fixed in the first year of the Epocha of Cyrus the Founder of the Perfian Monarchy, about the year 4155 of the Julian Period, after it had flourifhed 317 years. 8. Cyaxares, the last King but one of the Medes, began his Reign in the 2d year of the 37th Olympiad (according to Eufeb. in Chron.) and reigned 40 years. See Ctef: and Herodot. 9. Under the Reign of Cyaxares the last King but one, or elfe the Reign of Aftyages the last King of Media, there hapned a very remarkable Eclipfe of the Sun. Of which Herodotus Speaking of Cyaxares Lib. 1. This is he, who being engaged in a War with the Lydians, when they were in the very heat of Battle, the Day turned into Night. Clemens Alexandrinus Lib. 1. Stromat. makes alfo mention of the fame Eclipfe. Eudemus, fays he, in his Aftrological History, affirms that Thales foretold that great Eclipfe of the Sun which hapned at the time when the Medes and Lydians were engaged in a bloody Battle, Battle, under the Reigns of Aftyages the Son of Cyaxares over Media, and of Alyartes the Father of Crafus over Lydia. 10. From whence it may be concluded that the Difafter of Sardanapalus hapned about the year 3890 of the Julian Period, which was also the first of the Reign of Arbaces; that Arbaces was fucceeded by Mandauces in the year 3866 of the Julian Peri· od; that about the year 3916 of the Julian Period Sofarmus began his Reign, whofe Succeffor in the year 3946 was Artycas, who in the year 3997 was fucceeded by Cardiaceas; that after him in the year of the Julian Period 4019 Dejoces began his Reign; in the year 4058 Phraortes; in the year 4081 Cyaxares; and in the year 4121 Aftyages; and that laftly the Empire of the Medes ended with Aftyages in the year 4155 of the Julian Period. 11. Now therefore by subtracting the several abovementioned Numbers of years of thefe Kings from any certain year of the Julian Period, the true time of each of them fince the beginning of their Reigns may be found out, as is fufficiently feen out of the foregoing Examples. §. 1. Vidas, and fome others, have endeavoured to The Etymodedtice the Etymology of Sardanapalus from logy of Sarthe Greeks; but in my Opinion Reinerus Reineccius, danapalus and many others have with more reafon fought for its Original among the Affyrians; to wit, from SAR, DAN and NIPHIL, which three Words fignifie GREAT, LORD and CONQUEROR; and which Title they fay he affumed,in the fame inanuer as Attila called himself the SCOURGE OF GOD, and Mahomet the Turkish Emperor affumed the Title of TERROR OF THE WORLD. S.2. The Effeminacy of Sardanapalus proved the Oc- The Occaficafion of the Ruin of the Affyrian Monarchy: For Ar∙ on of the baces Governour of Media being admitted into his Revolution Prefence as he was fitting among his Concubines in Wo- in the Afy. mens Apparel,handling his Needle like the reft,took up R 2 2 rion Ex pire. Book IV. a Refolution from that time to withdraw himself from under the Jurifdiction of fo Effeminate a Prince; and being incouraged afterwards in the Hopes of Success, by an gyptian Prieft, famous for his Skill in Aftrology, he put his Defigns in Execution, and in a bloody War at laft vanquished this Monarch, and be. came Mafter of the Empire. Sardana palus is not the $.3.Schotanus in his B.bl. Hiftor, is of Opinion that Sardanapalus is the fame with Afer-Haddon, who is mentioned 2 Kings 19. v. 37.and in Es. 37. 38. as befame with ing the Son of Sennacherib. But there are many Reafons to the contrary: For it is related of SardanaHadden. palus that he lived a very lazy and effeminate Life: Affer Con ern Whereas Affer-Haddon, when he began to take the Adminiftration of the Kingdom in hand, found it in a very ill State, and was forced to wage long and bloody Wars with the Murtherers of his Father. Herodotus, upon whofe Authority Schotanus fo much relies, relates that the Medians having fhaken off the Afy rian Yoke in the Reign of Sardanapalus, lived for many years without Kings or Laws, till at laft Dejoces fubjected 'em to a Tyrannical Government. But from the time that Afer-Haddon fucceeded his Father in the Empire,being the 14th of Hiskiab,and the 3999th of the Julian Period, there was but a flender Interval till the Reign of Dejores, fo that the defection of the Medians could not be in Affer-Haddon's time; not to mention that 'tis improbable Herodetus would lave omitted the fuppofed Fate of Affer-Haddon (I mean upon the fappofition of his being the fame with Sardanapalus) Besides,Sennacherib was known to Herodotu as well as Sardanapalus, as appears from Lib. 2. p. 168, 169. and yet he makes no mention of the revolt of the Medians as happening in the time of Sennacherib's Son. §. 4. Annius and Robertus Bailius Op. Chron. L. 1. ing he Di-P. 105. are of Opinion that after the Death of Sarda vifin of apalus, the Affyrian Monarchy was divided betwixt this Monarchy. ob or Belefis and Arbace, fo that the firft had for his hare Babylon, and the laft Media and Perfia. But this is abfolutely contradicted by Diodorus SicnLus, who lays that this Belochus being a Babylonian Pricft, fuch as they call Chaldeans, famous for his great |