began at latest A. M. 2700; for Cyrus began his reign at the death of Astyages, about A. M. 3444. Astyages, according to Herodotus, reigned thirty-five years,' and therefore be gan his reign A. M. 3409; he succeeded Cyaxares. Cyaxares reigned forty years,* and therefore began his reign A. M. 3369. Phraortes was the predecessor of Cyaxares, and reigned twenty-two years,' and so began his reign A. M. 3347. Deioces preceded Phraortes, and reigned fifty-three years, and therefore began to reign A. M. 3294. Herodotus supposes that the Medes lived for some time after their revolt from the Assyrians without a king, we cannot suppose less than two or three years; and he remarks, that the Assyrians had governed Asia five hundred and twenty years before the revolt of the Medes; so that according to his computations the Assyrian empire.

d

began about A. M. 2771, which is about the time of Abimelech.b Sir Isaac Newton begins the Assyrian empire in the days of Pul, who was contemporary with Menahem, in the year before our Saviour seven hundred and ninety, i. e. A. M. 3212; so that Herodotus, however cited in favour of our learned author's scheme, does, in reality differ near four hundred and fifty years from it. But to come to the particulars for which our learned author cites Herodotus: he says, that Herodotus tells us, that Semiramis was five generations older than Nitocris the mother of Labynitus, or Nabonnedus, the last king of Babylon; therefore, he adds, she flourished four generations, or about one hundred and thirty-four years before Nebuchadnezzar. I answer; if Herodotus intended to represent, that Semiramis lived but one hundred and thirty-four years before Nebuchadnezzar, when, according to

с

to his own computations, the Assyrian empire began as above, A. M. 2771, he was absurd indeed; for all writers have unanimously agreed to place Semiramis near the beginning of the empire; but this would be to suppose her in the later ages of it. Sir Isaac Newton himself, who begins the empire with Pul, places Semiramis in the reign of Tiglath-Pileser, whom he supposes to be Pul's successor; and certainly Herodotus must likewise intend to place her near the times where he begins the empire, as all other writers ever did; and indeed, the works he ascribes to her seem to intimate that he did so too; so that I must suspect there is a misrepresentation of Herodotus' meaning. Herodotus does indeed say, that Semiramis was eva YEVENσ before Nitocris; but the word yea has a double acceptation. It is sometimes used to signify a generation or descent, and I am sensible

γενεα

that Herodotus has more than once used it in this sense; but it sometimes signifies what the Latins call Etas, or Ævum; or we in English, an age. Now if Herodotus used it in this sense here, then he meant that Semiramis was releyevent, quinque ætatibus, πενθε (says the Latin translator) before Nitocris; not five generations or descents, but five ages before her. The ancient writers both before and after Herodotus, computed a generation or age of those who lived in the early times, to be a hundred years. Thus they reckoned Nestor, of whom Tully says, "tertiam ætatem hominum vivebat;" was ❝ter ævo functus,"

h

Horace, that he

because it was

reported that he had lived three generations or ages, to have lived about three hundred years. Ovid, well expressing the common opinion, makes him say,

..vixi

Annos bis centum, nunc tertia vivitur ætas. *

Lib. de Senectute.

Metamorph. lib. 12.

* Lib. 2. Ode II.

The two ages or generations which he had lived, were computed to be about two hundred years; and he was thought to be going on for the third century. Now, if Herodotus in the place before us used the word yeva, in this sense, then by Semiramis being five ages or generations before Nictoris, he meant nothing like what our learned author infers from him; but that she was about five hundred years before her. I might add, this seems most probably to be his meaning: because, if we take him in this sense, he will, as all other writers have ever done, place Semiramis near the time where he begins the Assyrian empire. I have formerly con-. sidered Herodotus' opinion, about the rise. of this empire, as to the truth of it,' and I may here from the most learned Dean Prideaux add," that "Herodotus having tra-. velled through Egypt, Syria, and several other countries, in order to write his history, did, as travellers usually do, put down all re

2

Preface to vol. i.

Connection, vol. i. book ii, page 156.