ures should make us regard it.

Upon these grounds, I think we may allow Nimrod to have been the founder
of the first Assyrian empire, which subsisted with more or less extent and
glory upwards of 1450 years,(957) from the time of Nimrod to that of
Sardanapalus, the last king, that is to say, from the year of the world
1800 to the year 3257.

(M155) NIMROD. He is the same with Belus,(958) who was afterwards
worshipped as a god under that appellation.

He was the son of Chus, grandson of Ham, and great grandson of Noah. He
was, says the Scripture, "a mighty hunter before the Lord."(959) In
applying himself to this laborious and dangerous exercise, he had two
things in view; the first was, to gain the people's affection by
delivering them from the fury and dread of wild beasts; the next was, to
train up numbers of young people by this exercise of hunting to endure
labour and hardship, to form them to the use of arms, to inure them to a
kind of discipline and obedience, that at a proper time, after they had
been accustomed to his orders and seasoned in arms, he might make use of
them for other purposes more serious than hunting.

In ancient history we find some footsteps remaining of this artifice of
Nimrod, whom the writers have confounded with Ninus, his son: for Diodorus
has these words:(960) "Ninus, the most ancient of the Assyrian kings
mentioned in history, performed great actions. Being naturally of a
warlike disposition, and ambitious of the glory that results from valour,
he armed a considerable number of young men, that were brave and vigorous
like himself; trained them up a long time in laborious exercises and
hardships, and by that means accustomed them to bear the fatigues of war
patiently, and to face dangers with courage and intrepidity."

What the same author adds,(961) that Ninus entered into an alliance with
the king of the Arabs, and joined forces with him, is a piece of ancient
tradition, which informs us, that the sons of Chus, and by consequence,
the brothers of Nimrod, all settled themselves in Arabia, along the
Persian gulf, from Havilah to the Ocean; and lived near enough to their
brother to lend him succours, or to receive them from him. And what the
same historian further says of Ninus, that he was the first king of the
Assyrians, agrees exactly with what the Scripture says of Nimrod, "that he
began to be mighty upon the earth;" that is, he procured himself
settlements, built cities, subdued