y_ signifying a
Prince: for _Daniel_ tells us, that _Darius_ was the son of _Achsuerus_, or
_Ahasuerus_, as the _Masoretes_ erroneously call him, of the seed of the
_Medes_, that is, of the seed royal: this is that _Assuerus_ who together
with _Nebuchadnezzar_ took and destroyed _Nineveh_, according to _Tobit_:
which action is by the _Greeks_ ascribed to _Cyaxeres_, and by _Eupolemus_
to _Astibares_, a name perhaps corruptly written for _Assuerus_. By this
victory over the _Assyrians_, and subversion of their Empire seated at
_Nineveh_, and the ensuing conquests of _Armenia_, _Cappadocia_ and
_Persia_, he began to extend the Reign of one man over all _Asia_; and his
son _Darius_ the _Mede_, by conquering the Kingdoms of _Lydia_ and
_Babylon_, finished the work: and the third King was _Cyrus_, a happy man
for his great successes under and against _Darius_, and large and peaceable
dominion in his own Reign.

_Cyrus_ lived seventy years, according to _Cicero_, and Reigned nine years
over _Babylon_, according to _Ptolemy_'s Canon, and therefore was 61 years
old at the taking of _Babylon_; at which time _Darius_ the _Mede_ was 62
years old, according to _Daniel_: and therefore _Darius_ was two
Generations younger than _Astyages_, the grandfather of _Cyrus_: for
_Astyages_, according to both [401] _Herodotus_ and _Xenophon_, gave his
daughter _Mandane_ to _Cambyses_ a Prince of _Persia_, and by them became
the grandfather of _Cyrus_; and _Cyaxeres_ was the son of _Astyages_,
according [402] to _Xenophon_, and gave his Daughter to _Cyrus_. This
daughter, [403] saith _Xenophon_, was reported to be very handsome, and
used to play with _Cyrus_ when they were both children, and to say that she
would marry him: and therefore they were much of the same age. _Xenophon_
saith that _Cyrus_ married her after the taking of _Babylon_; but she was
then an old woman: it's more probable that he married her while she was
young and handsome, and he a young man; and that because he was the
brother-in-law of _Darius_ the King, he led the armies of the Kingdom until
he revolted: so then _Astyages_, _Cyaxeres_ and _Darius_ Reigned
successively over the _Medes_; and _Cyrus_ was the grandson of _Astyages_,
and married the sister of _Darius_, and succeeded him in the Throne.

_Herodotus_ therefore [404] hath inverted the order of the Kings _Astyages_
and _Cyaxeres_, making _Cyaxeres_ to be the son and successor of
_Phraortes_, and the father and pred