culty, and almost without striking a stroke, might make himself master of all Greece. This wise advice was not followed, and a battle was resolved upon.

Herodotus gives us also a particular account of the different armor of all the nations this army consisted of. Besides the generals of every nation, who each of them commanded the troops of their respective country, the land army was under the command of six Persian generals; viz., Mardonius, the son of Gobryas; Tirintatechmus, the son of Artabanes, and Smerdonus, son of Otanes, both near relations to the king; Masistus, son of Darius and Atossa; Gergis, son of Ariazes; and Megabysus, son of Zopyrus. The ten thousand Persians, who were called the immortal band, were commanded by Hydarnes. The cavalry had its particular commanders.

There were likewise four Persian generals who commanded the fleet. The Persians had a fleet of above a thousand ships.

Both sides therefore prepared themselves for the battle. The Grecian fleet consisted of three hundred and eighty sail of ships, which in every thing followed the direction and orders of Themistocles. As nothing escaped his vigilance, and as, like an able commander, he knew how to improve every circumstance and incident to advantage, before he began the engagement he waited till a certain wind which arose regularly every day at a certain hour, and which was entirely contrary to the enemy, began to blow. As soon as this wind arose, the signal was given for battle. The Persians, who knew that their king had his eyes upon them, advanced with such courage and impetuosity as were capable of striking an enemy with terror. But the heat of the first attack quickly abated, when they came to be engaged. Every thing was contrary to, and disadvantageous for them: the wind, which blew directly in their faces; the height, and the heaviness of their vessels, which could not move and turn without great difficulty, and even the number of their ships, which was so far from being of use to them, that it only served to embarrass them in a place so strait and narrow, as that they fought in: whereas on the side of the Grecians every thing was done with good order, and without hurry and confusion; because every thing

was directed by one commander. The Ionians, whom Themistocles had advised by characters engraven upon stones along the coasts of Euboea to remember from whom they derived their original, were the first that betook themselves to flight, and were quickly followed by the rest of the fleet. But queen Artemisa distinguished herself by incredible efforts of resolution and courage, so that Xerxes, who saw in what manner she had behaved herself, cried out, that the e men had behaved like women in this engagement, and that the women had shewed the courage of men. The Athenians, being enraged that a woman had dared to appear in arms against them, had promised a reward of ten thousand drachmas to any one that should be able to take her alive; but she had the good fortune to escape their pursuit. If they had taken her, she could have deserved nothing from them but the highest commendations, and the most honorable and generous treatment.

The manner in which that queen escaped ought not to be omitted. Seeing herself warmly pursued by an Athenian ship, from which it seemed impossible for her to escape, she hung out Grecian colors, and attacked one of the Persian vessels, on board of which was Damasithymus, king of Calynda, with whom she had some difference, and sunk it: this made her pursuers believe that her ship was one of the Grecian fleet, and give over the chase. [Rollin.]

ARABIAN KINGS.

KING PHILIP the Great, the son of Amyntas and father of Alexander the Great, an Arabian. He mounted the throne of Macedon; the battle of Cheronea was fought by him, 338 years B. C. In this battle, the liberty of all Greece was at stake. He subjected all the Grecian states to his dominion. The reign of this warlike personage first brought Macedon into notice. He met the Grecians at Cheronea, and the fortunes of that day fixed the condition of Greece. It was not, however, his policy to treat them as a conquered people. Their separate and independent government they retained, while he controlled all the na

tional movements in a general council of the states, being chosen generalissimo of the forces of the nation.

ARETAS, an Arabian. He was the first king of the Arabians, who took Damascus and reigned there. His name became common to the Arabian kings both at Damascus and Petræa, as we learn from Josephus in many places.

ZERAH. (2 Chron. xiv., 9.) An Arabian king, who, with an immense army, invaded the kingdom of Judah.

THE ETHIOPIAN KINGS OF BABYLON AND ASSYRIA.

2247 B. C., NIMROD, the Belue of the ancients, [the son of Cush] was the first king of Babylon; a wise and great one in the earth, a mighty man before God, and a king of Assyria. (Gen. x. 8 9, 10.)

NIMUS, or Ninus, the son of Nimrod who succeeded his father and united the kingdom of Babylon and Assyria, by marrying Semiramis the queen.

SEMIRAMIS, a female conqueror and able princess, became Queen of Nations after her husband's death.

NINYAS, the son of Ninus, when of age received the sovereignty from his mother and reigned king of Assyria and Babylon.

AMRAPHEL. (Gen. xiv. 1.) The king of Shinar, (Gen. xi. 2,) or Babylonia, who, confederated, with other kings, made war on Sodom and the other cities of the plain; plundering them, and making prisoners of their inbabitants. Among the captives was Lot, Abraham's nephew.

PUL. (2 Kings xv. 19.) The first king of Assyria, who invaded Canaan, and by a present of one thousand talents of silver, [equivalent to nearly two millions of dollars, in our day,] was prevailed on by Menahem to withdraw his troops, and recognise the title of that wicked usurper. This is the first mention of Assyria in the sacred history after the days of Nimrod, and Pul was the first Assyrian invader of Judea. A town of this name is mentioned in Isa. lxvi. 19; which is supposed, without authority, to be the island of Philæ, in the Nile, not far from Syene, where are found magnificent ruins. PEKIAH, the son of Pul, succeeded his father and was

king of Assyria. He was slain by Pekah, one of his captains, who usurped his kingdom.

TIGLATH-PILEZER, a king of Assyria, who was called upon by Ahaz, king of Judah, for help against Pekah, king of Israel, and Rezin, king of Damascus. Tiglathpileser took many cities from the Jews, and carried the inhabitants into captivity. (2 Kings xv. 29; 1 Kings xi.) He died, B. C. 729, and was succeeded by Shal

maneser.

SHALMANESER, (2 Kings xvii. 3,) king of Assyria, was probably the son of Tiglath-pileser. He commenced his reign, B. C. 724, and reigned fourteen years. He found the countries of Israel and Judah entirely open to invasion. He conquered Israel when Hoshea was its king, and three years afterward, finding out a negotiation with Egypt to set themselves free from his yoke, he overrun Israel with his armies, ravaged the country, destroyed the fenced cities, killed many of the inhabitants, captured Samaria, the metropolis, and transported Hoshea and the chief citizens to Media and other eastern parts of his empire. (2 Kings xvii.) Among these was Tobit, whose history is given in the Apocryphal book which bears his name. At this time Hezekiah reigned in Judah; and Sabacus in Egypt. He was succeeded by his son Sennacherib. Some suppose that Shalman (Hos. x. 14) is the same with Shalmaneser.

SENNACHERIB (2 Kings xviii. 13) was king of Assyria when Hezekiah reigned in Judah. The kings of Judah having refused to pay tribute to him, he laid waste their country. Taking part of his army to invade Egypt, he left Rabshakeh in the command of the army in Judah, whose blasphemy and insults we read in 2 Kings xviii. 19. Hezekiah and Isaiah resorted to prayer, and an angel destroyed 185,000 of the Assyrians in one night. the remnant of the invaders returned to Nineveh, where, shortly after, Sennacherib was slain by his sons, as we are told in 2 Kings xviii. During the reign of this monarch, Sevechus was king of Egypt, and Deioces king of Media. About this time, also, Romulus laid the foundation of Rome.

ASARHADDON, or Esarhaddon, (2 Kings xix. 37,) the third son of Sennacherib, who succeeded his father

about the 22d year of the reign of Hezekiah, who, after reigning 32 years in Nineveh, obtained the kingdom of Babylon, (2 Kings xix. 37.) and in him the kingdoms of Assyria and Babylon became united; after which he invaded Judah, and carried Manasseh away in chains; which was the occasion of the repentance and reformation of that wicked prince. (2 Kings xxi.) He reigned over Assyria 39 years, and over Babylon 13, and is the same with Sargon, (Isa. xx. 1,) and with Sardanapalus of profane history. He died 668 years before the birth of Christ.

NABOPOLASSER, king of Babylon, having raised an immense army to quell a revolt of the Syrians, Phoenicians, &c., he appointed his son Nebuchadnezzar, to its command, and with it not only subdued those provinces, but overran Canaan, Moab, Ammon, Assyria, Egypt, &c., and made them tributary. He carried to Babylon, among other princes of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; whom he called Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These, and other young captives, he caused to be trained up in all the learning of the Chaldeans, that they might serve in the court. (Dan. i.) He died about A. M. 3399.

NEBUCHADNEZZAR, (2 Kings xxiv. 1,) king of Babylon, was son and successor of Nabopolassar. He lived about six hundred years before the birth of Christ, and shared in the administration of the government about two years before his father's decease. He took and destroyed the city of Jerusalem, as had been foretold by the prophets. (2 Kings xxv.)

NEBUZAR-ADAN. (2 Kings XXV. 8.) General of the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. He conducted the siege of Jerusalem to a successful issue, the particulars of which are given in 2 Kings xxv. 8-21.

EVIL-MERODACH. (2 Kings XXV. 27.) Son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who reigned during the exile of that monarch from human society. Soon after his permanent accession to the throne, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison, and treated him with great regard through life. (Jer. lii. 31—34.) It is supposed that when Nebuchadnezzar was restored to his reason and his crown, he caused Evil-Merodach