that his reign, which was appointed, like thofe of the preceding monarchs, to be of fifty years continuance, was shortened on account of his too great lenity. Mycerinus likewife built a pyramid, but much inferior in dimensions to that of his father.

ASYCHIS. He enacted the law relating to loans, which forbids a fon to borrow money without giving the dead body of his father by way of fecurity for it. The law added, that in cafe the fon took no care to redeem his father's body, by reftoring the loan, both himself and his children fhould be deprived for ever of the rights of fepulture.

He valued himself for having furpaffed all his predeceffors, by the building a pyramid of brick, more magnificent, if this king was to be credited, than any hitherto feen. The following infcription, by its founder's order, was engraved upon it. COMPARE ME NOT

WITH PYRAMIDS BUILT OF STONE; WHICH I AS MUCH EXCEL AS JUPITER DOES ALL THE OTHER GODS*.

If we fuppofe the fix preceding reigns (the exact duration of fome of which is not fixed by Herodotus) to have continued one hundred and feventy years, there will remain an interval of near three hundred years, to the reign of Sabachus the Ethiopian. In this interval I fhall place a few circumftances related in holy fcripture.

PHARAOH, king of Egypt, gives his daughter in inarriage to Solomon king of Ifrael; who received her in that part of Jerufalem, called the city of David, till he had built her a palace.

SESACH or Shifhak, otherwife called Sefonchis.

a It was to him that Jeroboam fled, to avoid the wrath of Solomon, who intended to kill him. He

Herod. 1. ii. c. 136.

iii. 1.

A. M 2991. Ant. J. C. 1013. 1 Kings

a A. M. 3026. Ant. J. C. 978. 1 Kings xi. 40, and c. xii.

The remainder of the infcription, as we find it in Herodotus, is, for men plunging long poles down to the bottom of the lake, drew bricks (wawduç aguay) out of the mud which fuck to them, and gave nethis formX.”

abode

abode in Egypt till Solomon's death, and then return ed to Jerufalem, when putting himself at the head of the rebels, he won from Rehoboam the fon of Solomon, ten tribes, over whom he declared himself king..

This Sefach, in the fifth year of the reign of Reho boam marched against Jerufalem, becaufe the Jews had tranfgreffed against the Lord. He came with twelve hundred chariots of war, and fixty thousand horse, He had brought numberless multitudes of people, who were all *Lybians, Troglodytes, and Ethiopians. He feized upon all the ftrongeft cities of Judah, and advanced as far as Jerufalem. Then the king, and the princes of Ifrael, having humbled themselves and asked the protection of the God of Ifrael; he told them, by his prophet Shemaiah, that he would not, because they humbled themselves,destroy them all as they had deferv. ed; but that they should be the fervants of Sefach: in order that they might know the difference of his fervice, and the fervice of the kingdoms of the + country. Sefach retired from Jerufalem, after having plundered the treafures of the houfe of the Lord, and of the king's houfe; he carried off every thing with him, and even alfo the 300 fhields of gold which Solomon had made.

ZERAH, king of Ethiopia, and doubtlefs of Egypt at the fame time, made war upon Afa king of Judah, His army confifted of a million of men, and three hundred chariots of war. Afa marched against him, and drawing up his army in order of battle, in full reliance on the God whom he ferved: "Lord, fays he, it is nothing for thee to help whether with many, or with them that have no power. Help us, O Lord our God, for we reft on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude; O Lord, thou art our God, let not man prevail against thee." A prayer offered up with fuch Itrong faith was heard. God ftruck the Ethiopians with b A. M. 3033. Ant. J. C. 971. 2 Chron. xii. 1–9.

A. M. 3063. Ant. J. C. 741. 2 Chron. xiv. 9-13. *The English verfion of the Bible fays, The Lubits, the Sukkiims, and the Ethiopians.

+ Or, of the kingdoms of the earth.

terror;

terror; they fled, and all were irrecoverably defeated, being deftroyed before the Lord, and before his hoft. ANYSIS. He was blind, and under his reign,

SABACHUS, king of Ethiopia, being encouraged by an oracle, entered Egypt with a numerous army, and poffeffed himself of it. He reigned with great clemency and juftice. Instead of putting to death fuch criminals, as had been sentenced to die by the judges, he made them repair the caufeys, on which the respective cities, to which they belonged, were fituated. He built feveral magnificent temples, and among the reft, one in the city of Bubafte, of which Herodotus gives a long and elegant defcription. After a reign of fifty years, which was the time appointed by the oracle, he retired voluntarily to his old kingdom of Ethiopia; and left the throne of Egypt to Anyfis, who, during this time, had concealed himself in the fens. It is believed that this Sabachus was the fame with So, whofe aid was implored by Hofea king of Ifrael, against Salmahafer king of Affyria.

SETHON. He reigned fourteen years.

He is the fame with Sevechus, the fon of Sabacon or Sual the Ethiopian, who reigned fo long over Egypt. This prince, fo far from difcharging the functions of a king, was ambitious of thofe of a prieft; he caufing himfelf to be confecrated high-prieft of Vulcan. Abandoning himself entirely to fuperftition, he neglected to defend his kingdom by force of arms; paying no regard to military men, from a firm perfuafion that he fhould never have occasion for their affiftance; he therefore was fo far from endeavouring to gain their affections, that he deprived them of their privileges, and even difpoffeffed them of fuch lands, as his predeceffors had given them.

He was foon made fenfible of their resentment in a war that broke out fuddenly, and from which he delivered himself folely by a miraculous protection, if

a Herod. 1. ii. cap. 137. Diod. 1. i. p. Ant. J. C. 725. 2 Kings xvii, 4,

A. M. 3285.

c A. M. 3279. Ant. J. C. 719. Herodotus

Herodotus may be credited, who intermixes his açcount of this war with a great many fabulous particu lars. Sennacharib (fo Herodotus calls this prince) king of the Arabians and Affyrians, having entered Egypt with a numerous army, the Egyptian officers and .foldiers refufed to march against him. The high-priest ,of Vulcan, being thus reduced to the greateft extremity, had recourfe to his god, who bid him not defpond, but march courageoufly against the enemy with the .few foldiers he could raife. Sethon obeyed the god. A fmall number of merchants, artificers, and others who were the dregs of the populace, joined him; and with this handful of men, he marched to Pelufium, where Sennacharib had pitched his camp. The night following, a prodigious multitude of rats entered the enemy's camp, and gnawing to pieces all their bowftrings and the thongs of their fields rendered them incapable of making the leaft defence. Being difarmed in this manner, they were obliged to fly; and they retreated with the lofs of a great part of their forces. Sethan, when he returned home, ordered a statue of himself to be fet up in the temple of Vulcan, holding in his right hand a rat, and these words iffuing out of his mouth; LET THE MAN WHO BEHOLDS ME LEARN TO REVERENCE' THE GODS*.

It is very obvious that this ftory, as related here from Herodotus, is an alteration of that which is told in the - fecond book of Kings. We there fee, that Sennacharib, king of the Affyrians, having fubdued all the neighbouring nations, and feized upon all the cities of Judah, refolved to befiege Hezekiah in Jerufalem his capital city. The minifters of this holy king, in fpite of his oppofition, and the remonftrances of the prophet Ifaiah, who promifed them, in God's name, a fure and certain protection, provided they would truft in him only, fent fecretly to the Egyptians and Ethiopians for fuccour. Their armies being united, marched to the relief of Jerufalem at the time appointed, and were met and vanquished by the Affyrian in a pitched battle. He 8 Chap. xvii. Εις εμε τις δρέων, εύσθης εσωτ M 5. purfued

purfued them into Egypt, and entirely laid wafte the country. At his return from thence, the very night before he was to have given a general affault to Jerufalem, which then feemed loft to all hopes, the destroying angel made dreadful havoc in the camp of the Affyrians; deftroyed a hundred four fcore and five thoufand men by fire and fword; and proved evidently, that they had great reafon to rely, as Hezekiah had done, on the promise of the God of Ifrael.

This is the real fact. But as it was no ways honourable to the Egyptians, they endeavoured to turn it to their own advantage, by difguifing and corrupting the circumstances of it. Nevertheless the foot-steps of this hiftory, though fo much defaced, ought yet to be highly valued, as coming from a historian of so great antiquity and authority as Herodotus.

The prophet Ifaiah had foretold, at several times, that this expedition of the Egyptians, which had been concerted, feemingly, with fuch prudence, conducted with the greateft fkill, and in which the forces of two powerful empires were united, in order to relieve the Jews, would not only be of no fervice to Jerufalem, but even deftructive to Egypt itself, whofe ftrongest cities would be taken, and its inhabitants of all ages and fexes led into captivity. See the 18th, 19th, 20th, 30th, 31ft, · &c. chapters of the fecond book of Kings.

h

It was doubtlefs in this period, that the ruin of the famous city No-Amon* spoken of by the prophet Nahum, happened. That prophet fays, that he was carried away that her young children were dafhed in pieces at the top of all the streets-that the enemy caft lofts for her honourable men, and that all her great men were bound in chains. He obferves, that all these misfortunes befel

Aiii. 8. 10.

* The Vulgate calls that city Alexandria, to which the Hebrew gives the name of No-Amon; because Alexandria was afterwards built in the place where this flood Dean Prideaux, after Bochart, thinks that it was Thebes, furnamed Diofpolis. Indeed, the Egyptian Amon is the fame with Jupiter. But Thebes is not the place where Alexandria was fince built. Perhaps there was another city there, which also was called No-Aman,

that