bloody battle she put her
enemies to flight. Above a thousand of their boats were sunk, and above a
hundred thousand of their men taken prisoners. Encouraged by this success,
she advanced directly into the country, leaving sixty thousand men behind
to guard the bridge of boats, which she had built over the river. This was
just what the king desired, who fled on purpose to bring her to an
engagement in the heart of his country. As soon as he thought her far
enough advanced, he faced about, and a second engagement ensued, more
bloody than the first. The counterfeit elephants could not long sustain
the shock of the real ones: these routed her army, crushing whatever came
in their way. Semiramis did all that lay in her power to rally and
encourage her troops, but in vain. The king, perceiving her engaged in the
fight, advanced towards her, and wounded her in two places, but not
mortally. The swiftness of her horse soon carried her beyond the reach of
her enemies. As her men crowded to the bridge, to repass the river, great
numbers of them perished, through the disorder and confusion unavoidable
on such occasions. When those that could save themselves were safely over,
she destroyed the bridge, and by that means stopt the enemy; and the king
likewise, in obedience to an oracle, had given orders to his troops not to
pass the river, nor pursue Semiramis any farther. The queen, having made
an exchange of prisoners at Bactra, returned to her own dominions with
scarce one-third of her army, which (according to Ctesias) consisted of
three million foot, and five hundred thousand horse, besides the camels
and chariots armed for war, of which she had a very considerable number. I
have no doubt that this account is highly exaggerated, or that there is
some mistake in the numeral characters. She, and Alexander after her, were
the only persons that ever ventured to carry the war beyond the river
Indus.

I must own, I am somewhat puzzled with a difficulty which may be raised
against the extraordinary things related of Ninus and Semiramis, as they
do not seem to agree with the times so near the deluge: I mean, such vast
armies, such a numerous cavalry, so many chariots armed with scythes, and
such immense treasures of gold and silver; all which seem to be of a later
date. The same thing may likewise be said of the magnificence of the
buildings, ascribed to them. It is probable, the Greek historians, who
came so many ages afterwards, deceiv