osing his crown. Under these circumstances he
called to his assistance his second son Shamas-Vul, and placing him at
the head of such of his troops as remained firm to their allegiance,
invested him with full power to act as he thought best in the existing
emergency. Shamas-Vul at once took the field, attacked and reduced the
rebellious cities one after another, and in a little time completely
crushed the revolt and reestablished peace throughout the empire.
Asshur-danin-pal, the arch conspirator, was probably put to death; his
life was justly forfeit; and neither Shamas-Vul nor his father is likely
to have been withheld by any inconvenient tenderness from punishing
treason in a near relative, as they would have punished it in any other
person. The suppressor of the revolt became the heir of the kingdom; and
when, shortly afterwards, Shalmaneser died, the piety or prudence if his
faithful son was rewarded by the rich inheritance of the Assyrian
Empire.

Shalmaneser reigned, in all, thirty-five years, from B.C. 858 to B.C.
823. His successor, Shamas-Vul, held the throne for thirteen years, from
B.C. 823 to B.C. 810. Before entering upon the consideration of this
latter monarch's reign, it will be well to cast your eyes once more over
the Assyrian Empire, such as it has now become, and over the nations
with which its growth had brought it into contact. Considerable changes
had occurred since the time of Tiglath-Pileser I., the Assyrian
boundaries having been advanced in several directions, while either this
progress, or the movements of races beyond the frontier, had brought
into view many new and some very important nations.

The chief advance which the "Terminus" of the Assyrians had made was
towards the west and the north-west. Instead of their dominion in this
quarter being bounded by the Euphrates, they had established their
authority over the whole of Upper Syria, over Phoenicia, Hamath, and
Samaria, or the kingdom of the Israelites. These countries were not
indeed reduced to the form of provinces; on the contrary, they still
retained their own laws, administration, and native princes; but they
were henceforth really subject to Assyria, acknowledging her suzerainty,
paying her an annual tribute, and giving a free passage to her armies
through their territories. The limit of the Assyrian Empire towards the
west was consequently at this time the Mediterranean, from the Gulf of
Iskanderun to Cape Carmel, or perhaps we