of the Assyrian Monarchy. 301 
or interfering with the Jews. It is from 
Diodorus Siculus chiefly, that what is com- 
monly called the history of the first Assyrian 
monarchy is derived, Ctesias being his au- 
thority. According to him, Ninus, a prince 
of boundless ambition, engaging the Arabi- 
ans under his standard, subdued Babylonia, 
Armenia and Media, and proceeded thence 
to remoter countries of Asia, which he redu- 
ced, with the exception of Bactria and India, 
Thence, turning his arms towards the west, 
he overran all the countries from the Euphra- 
tes to the Mediterranean, and from the banks 
of the Tanais to the cataracts of the Nile. (+) 
After these great exploits, he builds Nineveh, 
which he names from himself, and then re- 
turns to his former unsuccessful attempt upon 
Bactria, on which occasion his wife Semira- 
mis is introduced to us. We pass over for 
the present, the miracle of her birth, te 
which we shall have oceasion to refer; she 
was at this time the wife of Menon, the chief 
officer of Ninus’ army, from whom she was 
taken away by the sovereign, to become his 
own wife. A son called Ninyas was born to 
them, and upon the death of Ninus, Semira- 
mis succeeded to the throne. In rivalry of 
her husband she founded Babylon, and spent 
the rest of her days in warlike expeditions 
