ain in a feast, by the
conspiracy of his friends with _Nabonnedus_ a _Babylonian_, to whom by
consent they gave the Kingdom: but these nine months are not reckoned apart
in the Canon.

_Nabonnedus_ or _Nabonadius_, according to the Canon, began his Reign in
the year of _Nabonassar_ 193, Reigned seventeen years, and ended his Reign
in the year of _Nabonassar_ 210, being then vanquished and _Babylon_ taken
by _Cyrus_.

_Herodotus_ calls this last King of _Babylon_, _Labynitus_, and says that
he was the son of a former _Labynitus_, and of _Nitocris_ an eminent Queen
of _Babylon_: by the father he seems to understand that _Labynitus_, who,
as he tells us, was King of _Babylon_ when the great Eclipse of the Sun
predicted by _Thales_ put an end to the five years war between the _Medes_
and _Lydians_; and this was the great _Nebuchadnezzar_. _Daniel_ [393]
calls the last King of _Babylon_, _Belshazzar_, and saith that
_Nebuchadnezzar_ was his father: and _Josephus_ tells us, [394] that the
last King of _Babylon_ was called _Naboandel_ by the _Babylonians_, and
Reigned seventeen years; and therefore he is the same King of _Babylon_
with _Nabonnedus_ or _Labynitus_; and this is more agreeable to sacred writ
than to make _Nabonnedus_ a stranger to the royal line: for all _nations
were to serve _Nebuchadnezzar_ and his posterity, till the very time of his
land should come, and many nations should serve themselves of him_, _Jer._
xxvii. 7. _Belshazzar_ was born and lived in honour before the fifth year
of _Jeconiah_'s captivity, which was the eleventh year of
_Nebuchadnezzar_'s Reign; and therefore he was above 34 years old at the
death of _Evilmerodach_, and so could be no other King than _Nabonnedus_:
for _Laboasserdach_ the grandson of _Nebuchadnezzar_ was a child when he
Reigned.

_Herodotus_ [395] tells us, that there were two famous Queens of _Babylon_,
_Semiramis_ and _Nitocris_; and that the latter was more skilful: she
observing that the Kingdom of the _Medes_, having subdued many cities, and
among others _Nineveh_, was become great and potent, intercepted and
fortified the passages out of _Media_ into _Babylonia_; and the river which
before was straight, she made crooked with great windings, that it might be
more sedate and less apt to overflow: and on the side of the river above
_Babylon_, in imitation of the Lake of _Moeris_ in _Egypt_, she dug a Lake
every way forty miles broad, to receive the water of the river, and