of the Assyrian Monarchy. 339 
Semiramis, regina illa vetus, que teneros mares castravit 
omnium prima, 
Ammian. Marcell. 14. 6. 
(3°) Thus Jupiter is said to have committed incest 
with Proserpine. Such representations would naturally 
arise, since the male and female divinities with different 
names, were most of them radically the same. In the 
present instance Belus, Ninus and Ninyas, are only three 
different forms, as we have seen, of the great male deity . 
Semiramis alone represents the female, and consequently is 
given to them all as consort. According to Conon apud 
Phot. she was the daughter of Ninus and married ber own 
son, who must therefore have been a successor of Ninyas; 
according to others, she was incestuously the wife of Ni- 
nyas ; the general account makes her the wife of Ninus ; 
Malela the wife of Belus. Now can it be explained on 
any historical principles, how it should be uncertain res- 
pecting a personage of such celebrity, whether she were 
the wife of Belus or his great-grandson? yet this is a 
small part of the contradictions which exist among histo- 
rians respecting this queen. I shall quote here a note of 
Mr. Bryant on this subject. “ It may be worth while,” says 
he, “to observe the different opinions of authors respecting 
the time when Semiramis is supposed to have lived. 
According to Syncellus before Christ......... 2177 
Petavius....cccccrcsccoscssescnscoesevecseccas ees ses 2000 
Bel vicus.....cccesene cscescssecserscovensceseasesesa 240 
NIGP Ricots coc canstaschexendecsdesccidessessocese al OOF 
Abp. Usher....crcocsosseecesceceeses erence eoseres 1215 
Philo-Byblius from Sanchoniathon (apud t jo99 
Euseb. Prem. Evang. |. 1. p. 31.) about 
Pectatid ab0UE a ..s<.ccceecccssstctmiaticacs 719 
What credit can be given to the history of a person, the 
time of whose life cannot beascertained within 1536 years ?”” 
