6 The Chronology of the Sieges of Nineveh reétified. [Auguft 1, 
to an utter end by an overrunning ficod 
(i. 8), as turned Into a poo} of water (ii. 
8). The palace is diffolved (ii. 6); the 
temples are plundered (i. 14); fire has 
devoured them like ftubble (1.10); the 
queen is led captive (ii. 7) 5 the people are 
{cattered upon the mountains (iii. 18); 
the nobles lic firetched in the duft. Inthe 
fireets there is no end of corpfes (iii. 3) ; 
the lion’s whelp f-eks his prey there, aad 
mects none to mske him afraid (ii. 11). 
When did this moft ruinous ficge occur ? 
Tobit being but young, was carried 
from Samaria to Shalmanefer (Tobit i. 
8-9), with other captives, to Nineveh ; 
and ‘© when he was come to the age of a 
man,” married Anna, by whom he had 
Tobias. Suppofe this fon already born 
when his father had attained the age of 
twenty-three: then, as Tobias lived (xiy. 
14) to the age of 127, and hefore his death 
rejoiced over the fal! of Nineveh, it fol- 
lows, that within and about 150 years 
after the taking of Samaria happened the 
deftruction of Nineveh. This brings 
down the event to a time pofterior to the 
fecend taking of Jerufaiem; and the later 
in life Tobit is fuppoied to marry and to 
have a fon, the longer after the deftruc- 
tion of Jerufalem will this mode of reck- 
oning chronicle that of Nineveh. Nahum 
accordingly places it after the extinétion 
of both (ii. 2) the Jewith kingdoms: Ze- 
phaniah confirms the fame order of event: 
he alludes (ii. 13) to the defolation of 
Nineveh as imminent, while he preiup- 
pofes (ii. 7) that of Judea to have already 
occurred. In the poems called after Mi- 
cah (for to him only the two firft chapters 
can reafonably be attributed) the laying 
wafte of the land of Nimrod is again 
reprefented as only impending (v. 6), 
when Zerubbabel of Bethlehem Ephra- 
tah, a branch cf the ftem of Jeffe, was 
already returned to Jerufalem to re-col- 
le& its feattered inhabitants. This return 
took place in the reign of Cyrus, not very 
long, it fhould feem (compare Ezra iii. 8, 
and iv. 6) besore that of Ahafuerus or 
Darius began, who no doubt dated his ac- 
ceffion from the deceafe of Cyrus, without 
any attention tothe intervening fhori-lived 
or local claims of Merodach and Balfha- 
fir. Now, as the genera] current of allu- 
fion in the poems called Micah’s (iii. to 
vii) coincides fo minutely with that of 
Zechariah, it is probably fair todate them 
both about the fecond year of Ahafuerus, 
So that all the notices of the Jewith wri- 
ters concur in-placing the fubverfion of 
Nineveh after the fecond fiege of Jerufa- 
lem, and early in the reign of Darius, No 
motive for the fiege is fo probable, as that 
Efarhaddon, and the people of Nineveh, 
in concert with thofe of Babylon, had de- 
clared for Balihafar, or for independence ; 
and not for the king of the feven confpi- 
Tators. 
Diodorus Siculus is more vague in his 
chronology: after afcribmg to Efarhad- 
don very libertine manners, but much 
perfonal prowefs, he thus details the over- 
throw of the kingdom of Affyria. 
Arbaces, a Mede of talent and diftine- 
tion, the commander of the troops annual- 
ly fent trom his country to Nineveh, was 
inftigated by Belefis of Babylon, a chief- 
prieft of the Chaldees, to get under the 
Affvrian afcendancy at Nineveh. Arbaces, 
with great fkill, attached to himfelf the 
leading men of the country, by affability 
and fealts. By bribes, he obtained from 
the eunuchs of the palace fuch details of 
the private life of Eiarhaddon as were moft 
fitted on promulgation to lower his repu- 
tation and authority. Among the troops, 
Arbaces fecured the Medes and Perfans; 
Belefis the Babylonians and Arabs, one 
of whofe princes was devoted to him. The 
foldiers, at the expiration of their yearly 
engagement, were replaced by more, who 
had alfo been tampered with. 
Efarhaddon, when he difcovered the 
apoftacy of h‘s troops, engaged others, 
forced the difsffeGied to a cembat, and 
drove them into the mountains ; proclaim- 
ing, at the fame time, the conipirators, 
Arbaces and Belefis, as traitors, and offer- 
ing a reward for their heads. Aflaffins 
were not found ; but Arbaces received a 
wound in one of thofe fkirmifhes to which 
his followers were occafionaily compelled 
by the army of Efarhaddon. They grew 
difpirited, and were’ only prevented from 
feparating in defpair by the promifes of 
reinforcement, which Belefis, after pafling 
a night in obferving the ftars, had ventured 
to make. From Baétriana arrived the ex- 
pected affiftance, under colour of bringing 
aid to Efarhaddon, who had imprudently 
abandoned himfelf to triumphal rejoicings, 
and entruited to Salomon, his wife’s bro- 
ther, the cares of the camp, and the de- 
fence of the city. Him the rebels attack- 
ed with fuccefs and flew; and were now 
ftrong enough to befiege the King of Ni- 
neveh in his metropolis. This reverfe of 
fortune was a fignal for the defertion of 
many of his allies and fubjeéts ; but the 
town, fortified by nature and art, and 
eafily provihoned by water, refitted for 
more than two years the ingrefs of the be- 
fegers, until an unufual {well of the river, — 
which levelled the ramparts, and flooded 
part 
