The Lydian war commenced, B. c. 608, about which time, probably, Cyaxares, and his ally, Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, renewed the siege of Nineveh, and took it, B. c. 606, as related in the history of the Assyrians, page 112. During the Lydian war many battles were fought with equal success on both sides. In the sixth year, however, B. C. 603, it was brought to a crisis. During an obstinate battle, says Herodotus, the day suddenly became night. Thales, the Milesian, had foretold this alteration, or eclipse, to the Ionians. The Lydians and Medes, seeing darkness take the place of light, desisted from the sanguinary strife, and showed an inclination on both sides to come to terms of peace. Syennesis, king of Cilicia, and Nabopolassar, king of Babylon, seeing this, acted as mediators; and they expedited the treaty, and confirmed it by a marriage, persuaded, that treaties cannot be lasting, without a powerful bond of union. They engaged Alyattes to give Aryenis, his daughter, in marriage to Astyages, the son of Cyaxares. Two years after, B. c. 601, Cyaxares died, and he was succeeded in his kingdom by ASTYAGES, OR KAI KAUS, who, according to Eschylus, Herodotus, and several oriental historians, was the son of Cyaxares, though others say the grandson. The reign of Astyages was very extended, continuing for thirty-five years, or till B. c. 566. But though his reign was thus long, there are no particulars handed down to us, worthy of credit, respecting it, except his repulsing the Babylonians, who, under the conduct of Evil Merodach, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, had made an inroad into his territories. Astyages had two children, whose names are famous in history: these were, Cyaxares, by his wife Aryenis, and Mandane, by a former marriage. Mandane was married, during her father's lifetime, to Cambyses, the son of Achemenes, king of Persia, from which union sprang the celebrated Cyrus. Herodotus represents Astyages, during the course of his reign, as foolish, mad, and infatuated. His accounts of his actions, however, are a tissue of the strangest absurdities and contrarieties, refuting themselves. They are, moreover, in opposition to Eschylus, Xenophon, Josephus, the Persian historians, and, above all, to Scripture; and therefore they are omitted in these pages. Astyages was succeeded in his kingdom by CYAXARES II., FRAIBORZ, OR DARIUS THE MEDE, who came to the throne at the age of forty-nine years. Of this prince, Dr. Hales says, "Being naturally of an easy, indolent disposition, and fond of his amusements, he left the burden of military affairs, and the care of the government, to Cyrus, his nephew and son-in-law, who married his only daughter, and was therefore doubly entitled to succeed him." In his latter days, indeed, he seems to have been governed by his nephew and heir, Cyrus, "by that ascendancy which great souls have always over little ones." In the thirteenth year of his reign, or B. c. 553, Belshazzar having been slain, Darius succeeded him on the throne of Babylon. The first act of his sovereignty, according to Berosus, was the appointment of Nabonadius, a Babylonian nobleman, not allied to the royal family, to be king, or viceroy, under him, according to the established policy of the Medes and Persians, to conciliate the good-will of his new subjects, in leaving them to be governed by a native prince. Horne, remarking on the truth with which the characters of kings are delineated in the book of Daniel, observes, that Xenophon "represents Cyaxares as weak and pliable, but of a cruel temper, easily managed for the most part, yet ferocious in his anger. Is not this Darius? the same Darius who allowed his nobles to make laws for him, and then repented?— suffered Daniel to be cast into the lion's den, and then spent a night in lamentation for him; and at last, in strict conformity with Xenophon's description, condemned to death not only his false counsellors, but also their wives and children ?" This is one of the remarkable coincidences in which the writings of profane and sacred historians harmonize. Daniel, who contributed so materially to the accession of Darius, was naturally in high favour with him. According ly, on his next appointment of the presidents of the provinces, he set Daniel at their head, and designed, on account of his consummate wisdom, to set him over the whole united realm, Dan. vi. 1-3. But worldly distinctions are not a bower of roses, under which the possessor, though pious and upright, may rest without fear of being disturbed. And so Daniel found. His elevation and integrity aroused the jealousy of those beneath him, (for it is a strong desire to be above, which makes people uneasy beneath,) and they confederated against him. ́ At first, they sought for some occasion in his public conduct, that they might accuse him; but they sought in vain: his probity, diligence, and faithfulness to the duties of his function, were perfect. Having thus no fault against him, they determined to make his piety the matter of accusation, and for this purpose they plotted a very artful scheme. It was the practice of Daniel, amidst all the worldly cares that pressed upon him, to retire to his chamber, which looked towards Jerusalem, to pray, three times a day. This his enemies knew; and they were well assured, also, that he would not forego his practice, though death should stare him in the face. They therefore proposed a decree to Darius, to this effect-That whosoever should ask any petition of God or man for thirty days, save of the monarch himself, should be cast into a den of lions. To this proposal, so flattering to the vanity of an ambitious spirit, without suspecting their intentions, Darius consented. He signed the decree, and by that act it was made "Irrevocable as the stedfast law Of Mede and Persian, which can never change." MOORE. Human prudence would have dictated the expediency of refraining prayer till thirty days had passed away. But Daniel was not left to the guidance of so pitiful a taper as human prudence. On his soul the light of religion shed its refulgent rays: he well knew that God could protect him from danger, or, if he saw proper to permit him to suffer, would take him to himself. When he heard of the decree, he neither discon tinued his practice, nor made a secret of his devotions. This his adversaries soon discovered, and the report was laid before Darius. The misguided monarch now saw the error into which he had fallen, and he endeavoured to save his faithful minister: but it was too late; the edict could not be reversed, and his accusers were clamorous for his execution. The monarch, therefore, gave the order, expressing this assurance to Daniel, when he was thrown into the den of lions, "Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee," Dan. vi. 10-17. The next morning, after a night of mourning and fasting, he king arose very early, and went in haste to the den of `s; and when he came to it, he cried to Daniel: "O Daniel, ✦ of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest t continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?" The prophet answered triumphantly in the affirmative: "My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt." The king was exceeding glad; and he retaliated the same punishment upon his accusers, their wives, and their children; whom the lions instantly devoured, breaking their bones to pieces before they reached the bottom of the den, ver. 18—24. Darius now made a decree in honour of the religion of Daniel, in which he acknowledged the God of Daniel, to be the only living God in heaven and on earth, ver. 25-28. Soon after this, B. c. 551, Cyaxares died, and the kingdom of Media, etc., became united to that of Persia, under the rule of "Cyrus the Persian." Thus kingdoms pass away, and kingdoms rise, THE HISTORY OF THE LYDIANS. CHAPTER I. THE PHYSICAL HISTORY OF LYDIA. WHENCE this country obtained the name of Lydia is not determined. According to a tradition of the people who inhabited it, as quoted by Josephus, it was from Lud, the fourth son of Shem. Ancient writers, however, tell us, that Lydia was first called Mæonia, or Meonia, from Meon, king of Phrygia and Lydia, and that it was known by that name till the reign of Atys, when it was called Lydia, from his son Lydus. Bochart, finding in his collection of Phenician words, the verb Luz, which signifies "to wind," and observing that the country is watered by the Meander, so famous for its windings, concludes that it was thence named Lydia, or Ludia. To support this hypothesis, he contends, that the Phenicians, and after them Moses, who in the descriptions of countries made use of their terms, gave the name of Lud, not only to Lydia on the banks of the Meander, but likewise to Ethiopia, where the Nile, according to Herodotus, has as many windings as the Meander itself. As these two countries, therefore, lying on the two most winding rivers known to the ancients, were named Lud, which signifies "to wind," who can doubt, says he, that they derived their common denomination from the rivers which watered them? With reference to the ancient name Meonia, he conceives it is a Greek translation of the Phenician word Lud, which is partly borne out by Stephanus, who derives the name of Meonia from Meon, the ancient name of the Meander. Some imagine the |