The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-05-17
iSSiR RIA.

succeeded the Deluge We read in zen.
esis that out f the land Of Shinar e went
forth A,shur the second son Of >hemJ,
% and haildcd NineyeL and the city Reno
both. and CalGh.
81 the end OF about one hundrrd and
twenty years, Minus. the sovereign Of As
syria, 20 whom The BabyIou,anS Lad be-
come tributary, deposei Narbouius, their
king, and united the two nations, which
henceforth we aye 70 regard as one-the
Assyrian empire. This monarch, il is re
Iated, extended his conques,s from Egypt
20 India.
Semiramis, his widow, who at his death
assumed the government is the most eel
ebrated name in .tssyrian history she
was alike distinguished Tor her beau.
her talents, and her vices OF obscure
parentage, and married 20 Menones, an
officer, she attracted the notice Of the king.
Her husband, despairing before such a ri
val, killed himself, on which Minus es.
poused her and at his death left her on the
throne of his widely-extended empire.
from Nineveh TO Babylon, she made the
latter, by the grandeur of her improve
ments, the most magnificent city on the
earth Il is difficult 10 credit all that an
cient writers have told concerning these
wonders Of architecture but il seems GER
tain that the city was decorated with the
most splendid structures, both for use and
ornament: bridges, palaces, and temples /;
walls upon which three chariots might
drive abreast, and vast forests suspended
al an immense height in the air
The private vices and RIGHTEOUSNESS IN
puted TO Semiramis by some historians,
are TOO enormous 10 be entirely credited ,
il would appear, however, that she lived
in the utmost luxury and prohigacy and
was finally put 10 death by Ninyos, her
son, who avaled himself of these causes
20 hasten his accession to the throne
From this time, with few unimportant
exceptions, we lose sight OF Assyrian his
tory for period Of more than eight hun.
dred years
AT last, about eight hundred years be
fore Christ, we again gain sight of an As
syrian monarch in the person Of Pal or
Phul, by whom the lsrselites were sub
dued and made tributary, in the reign OF
Menahem
Sardanapalus, supposed 10y some 10 have
been the son Of Pul, appears 20 have been
the last ruler OF the Assyran empire who
inherited It's wide possessions in their full
extent. lie was Of an eaeminate and dis
solute disposition, entirely immersed in
sensual pleasures.
At last, about the year 7G1 b. C., an in
surrection broke out, headed by Arbaces
the governor Of the Medes, and Beesis, an
eminent priest aud astrologer Aroused
by this emergency from bis etfeminate
life, Sardanapalus defended his throne
with great bravery, and eyinced kingly
courage and magnanimity Being gradu.
ally overpowered by the insurgents, he
retreated 10 Babylon, his capital, resolved
10 defend it TO the last extremity lie was
the more encouraged in this, because On
oracle had declared that the city should
never be overthroWn. until theriver should
become an enemy lie held oat against
the besicging armies for some time, until
the river Euphrate-, which washed The
walls Of Babylon, rose in great iuUndGtiJn
By undermining their foundation, it threw
down vast extent Of the ramparts, for a
distance Of twenty stadia or two and a
half miles. Seeing al farther resistant
useless, lie constructed an immense funeral
pile within the palace, and consumed
thereon his treasures, his women, and him
self
After the death Of Sardanapalus, his do
minions were separated into three king
dons, the Medes retaining their indepen-
dence, and Assyria Proper being divided
between the kingdoms of Nineveh and
Babylon This last, however remained
an independent nation for only seventy
years, being conquered and annexed TO that
of Nineveh by Esarhaddon.
The first ruler Of the new kingdom o,
Nineveh WAS Tiglath- Pileser, who is recor.
ded in the Book of Kings as having taken
many cities of the Hebrews, and carried
thclI luudDlNauts III NdptlNltJ 10 AHSS Ild
We also read that Ahaz, king of Judah
being besieged at Jerusalem by the Sy.
rians and lsraelites, entreated assistance
of him, and sent as propitiatory offering
the sacred vessels of gold and silver from
the temple. Being freed from his enc
mics by the aid of the Assyrian, he joined
in his idolatries.
We next find that Shalmaneser, his sue
cessor, made Hoshea, king OF Israel trib
utary TO him, and finally carried the Ia
raeltes into captivity. lie pursued fre
queut policy of conquerors, distributing
his prisoners among various provinces oi
Assyria, and supplying their places il
Samaria by colonists Of his own people.
Senacherib, who next succeeded to the
throne, attacked and took possession o,
the fortified cities Of Judah. in the reign
of Hezekial, son Of Ahaz. The defeated
prince humbled himself before the inva
der, and sacrificed all his own treasures
and those OF the temple 10 secure peace
1t was not long, however, before the As
syrians sent fresh army against Jerusa
lem. The king and his people, despairine
of succour were ENCOURAGED by the