of all which nations were led captive by _Asserhadon_ and his predecessors into _Samaria_; were all of them conquered by the _Assyrians_ not long before. In these conquests are involved on the west and south side of _Assyria_, the Kingdoms of _Mesopotamia_, whose royal seats were _Haran_ or _Carrhæ_, and _Carchemish_ or _Circutium_, and _Sepharvaim_, a city upon _Euphrates_, between _Babylon_ and _Nineveh_, called _Sipparæ_ by _Berosus_, _Abydenus_, and _Polyhistor_, and _Sipphara_ by _Ptolomy_; and the Kingdoms of _Syria_ seated at _Samaria_, _Damascus_, _Gath_, _Hamath_, _Arpad_, and _Reseph_, a city placed by _Ptolomy_ near _Thapsacus_: on the south side and south east side were _Babylon_ and _Calneh_, or _Calno_, a city which was founded by _Nimrod_, where _Bagdad_ now stands, and gave the name of _Chalonitis_ to a large region under its government; and _Thelasar_ or _Talatha_, a city of the children of _Eden_, placed by _Ptolomy_ in _Babylonia_, upon the common stream of _Tigris_ and _Euphrates_, which was therefore the river of Paradise; and the _Archevites_ at _Areca_ or _Erech_, a city built by _Nimrod_ on the east side of _Pasitigris_, between _Apamia_ and the _Persian Gulph_; and the _Susanchites_ at _Cuth_, or _Susa_, the metropolis of _Susiana_: on the east were _Elymais_, and some cities of the _Medes_, and _Kir_, [352] a city and large region of _Media_, between _Elymais_, and _Assyria_, called _Kirene_ by the _Chaldee_ Paraphrast and _Latin_ Interpreter, and _Carine_ by _Ptolomy_: on the north-east were _Habor_ or _Chaboras_, a mountainous region between _Assyria_ and _Media_; and the _Apharsachites_, or men of _Arrapachitis_, a region originally peopled by _Arphaxad_, and placed by _Ptolomy_ at the bottom of the mountains next _Assyria_: and on the north between _Assyria_ and the _Gordiæan_ mountains was _Halah_ or _Chalach_, the metropolis of _Calachene_: and beyond these upon the _Caspian_ sea was _Gozan_, called _Gauzania_ by _Ptolomy_. Thus did these new conquests extend every way from the province of _Assyria_ to considerable distances, and make up the great body of that Monarchy: so that well might the King of _Assyria_ boast how his armies had destroyed all lands. All these nations [353] had 'till now their several Gods, and each accounted his God the God of his own land, and the defender thereof, against the Gods of the neighbouring countries, and particularly against the Gods of _Assyria_; and therefore they were never 'till now united under the _Assyrian_ Monarchy, especially since the King of _Assyria_ doth not boast of their being conquered by the _Assyrians_ oftner than once: but these being small Kingdoms the King of _Assyria_ easily overflowed them: _Know ye not_, saith [354] _Sennacherib_ to the _Jews_, _what I and my fathers have done unto all the People of other lands?--for no God of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out