that there is none befides me: I am the Lord, and there is none elfe. Concerning the application of the name, which, it may be observed, is twice mentioned, no cavil can be raised, or doubt entertained. The Greek and Latin vary very little, either in orthography or pronunciation, from the Hebrew text, and the antient Chaldee Paraphrafe; and in the various editions of the Hebrew Bible it is uniformly found to be the fame. At the time when the Prophecy was delivered, the Affyrian Empire had reached the fummit of its glory; and the Medes and Perfians, although making fome advances towards the establishment of a rival power in Afia, were, in comparison, very inconfiderable. The final union of these kingdoms, which effected the conqueft of Affyria, was occafioned by a circumstance, to which, from the extreme diftance of time at which Ifaiah prophefied, no human forefight could poffibly look forward. Cambyfes king of Perfia married Mandane the daughter of Aftyages king of the Medes, and the offspring See the Hebrew text and the Chaldee Paraphrafe, Waltoni Polyglot. vol. iii. p. 120. Vitringa, tom. ii. p. 491. Critici Sacri, tom. iv. p. 5190. Poli Synopfis Critic. tom. iii. p. 430. of of that alliance was the renowned Cyrus. When appointed general of the confederate forces of the East, by his uncle Cyaxares, who is called in the book of Daniel, Darius the Median, he extended his conquests from the Egean Sea to the Euphrates d.. He derived much of his fuccefs, as the antient writers inform us, from being the first to establish the use of cavalry in the Persian army. His people rode upon horfes. An affembly of great nations, as the Prophets had likewife foretold, came up against Babylon. It was the only place that for any confiderable time refifted the attacks of Cyrus and his allies. They fet themselves in array against her, because he had finned against the Lord-a ftandard was fet up in the land— the nations were prepared against her —the kingdoms of Arrarat, Minni, and Afhchenaz; Newton, vol. i. p. 276. Jerom. 1. 42. Xenophon mentions at large the great attention paid by Cyrus to the training his cavalry-a species of military force totally unknown in Perfia before his time. To the fuperiority of his horsemen, he was chiefly indebted for his victory over Croefus; and the numerous troops of them, which he led to the fiege of Babylon, are particularly defcribed. Cyropæd. lib. i. lib. iv. p. 366. lib. vii. p. 632, 669. Edit. Zeunii. f * Jerem. li. 27. [the [the Armenians, Phrygians, and other neighbouring nations ;] and they appointed a captain against her. The vaft dimenfions of the celebrated capital of the Eaft; the loftinefs and strength of its walls and towers; its riches; the number of its inhabitants, and the ample means of their fubfiftence, in cafe of a tedious fiege, fupplied by large and cultivated fields, inclosed within the city, infpired Belshazzar and his fubjects with the greatest confidence. Prefuming that they could hold out against the most furious affaults, or the most tedious blockade of the enemy, they derided the operations of the Perfians, and fcoffed at their hoftile attempts. The mighty men of Babylon forebode to fight-they remained in their holds. Cyrus was employed for two years before the city; first, in an attempt to take it by ftorm; and next, in endeavouring to compel the Affyrians to furrender, by cutting off all foreign affiftance. At length, tired with making these ineffectual attempts, Cyrus put a ftratagem in exccution, which rendered • Jerem. li. 30: him master of the place. By the efforts of his numerous army, he turned the course of the Euphrates into the fpacious refervoir which Nitocris, the mother of Belshazzar, had caused to be dug to receive its waters while a ftupendous bridge was building; and through the bed of the river he opened a paffage for his forces into the midst of the city. The deep was dry, and the rivers were dried up: a fnare was laid for thee; thou wert taken, O Babylon, and thou waft not aware h He entered it in the night, when the inhabitants were celebrating a great and general feast, with every circumftance of conviviality and riot. They prepared a table; they watched in the watch-tower; they eat and drank. They made their feafts, and their princes were made drunken. The hand-writing was feen by the astonished Belshazzar upon the wall of his palace; but the aftrologers ftood up, and could not fave him from those things that were come upon bim.-The gates of the city, composed of 1 Jerem. 1. 24. VOL. I. *Ifaiah xxi. 5. Jerem. li. 57. *Ifaiah xlvii. 13. K folid folid brafs, that led from the river to the ftreets, were carelessly left open. "If the gates had not been left open," fays Herodotus," the Perfians would have been shut up in the bed of the river, and taken as a net, and all destroyed." Alarmed by the tumult occafioned by the approach of the invaders, Belshazzar ordered the gates of his palace to be opened, and fent perfons to enquire into the caufe. The Lord opened before Cyrus the two-leaved gates, and the gates were not fout. One messenger ran to meet another, to fhew the King of Babylon that his city was taken at one end'. The troops of Cyrus feized the advantage, and rushing in, flew the monarch, and quickly gained complete poffeffion of the city. Therefore evil came upon her, she did not know from whence it arofe; mifchief fell upon her, and defolation came upon her fuddenly, which She did not know. Her young men fell in the Streets, and all her men of war were cut off in that day." The treasures taken by the conquerors were immenfe, as Babylon was the magazine of all the spoils of Judea, as well as of the other rich provinces of the Eaft. Chaldea was for Ifaiah xlv. 1. Jerem. li. 31, m Ifaiah xlvii. II. a Spoil, |