lly and friend, "sent
messengers" with proposals, which appear to have been accepted; for on
their return Hoshea revolted openly, withheld his tribute, and declared
himself independent. Shalmaneser, upon this, came up against Samaria for
the second time, determined now to punish his vassal's perfidy with due
severity. Apparently, he was unresisted; at any rate, Hoshea fell into
his power, and was seized, bound, and shut up in prison. A year or two
later Shalmaneser made his third and last expedition into Syria. What
was the provocation given him, we are not told; but this time, he came
up _throughout all the land_ and being met with resistance, he laid
formal siege to the capital. The siege commenced in Shahnaneser's fourth
year, B.C. 724, and was protracted to his sixth, either by the efforts
of the Egyptians, or by the stubborn resistance of the inhabitants. At
last, in B.C. 722, the town surrendered, or was taken by storm; but
before this consummation had been reached, Shalmaneser's reign would
seem to have come to an end in consequence of a successful revolution.

While he was conducting these operations against Samaria, either in
person or by means of his generals, Shalmaneser appears to have been
also engaged in hostilities with the Phoenician towns. Like Samaria,
they had revolted at the death of Tiglath-Pileser; and Shalmaneser,
consequently, marched into Phoenecia at the beginning of his reign,
probably in his first year, overran the entire country, and forced all
the cities to resume their position of dependence. The island Tyre,
however, shortly afterwards shook off the yoke. Hereupon Shalmaneser
"returned" into these parts, and collecting a fleet from Sidon,
Paleo-Tyrus, and Akko, the three most important of the Phoenician towns
after Tyre, proceeded to the attack of the revolted place. His vessels
were sixty in number, and were manned by eight hundred Phoenician
rowers, co-operating with probably, a smaller number of unskilled
Assyrians. Against this fleet the Tyrians, confiding in their maritime
skill, sent out a force of twelve vessels only, which proved, however,
quite equal to the occasion; for the assailants were dispersed and
driven off, with the loss of 500 prisoners.

Shalmaneser, upon this defeat, retired, and gave up all active
operations, contenting himself with leaving a body of troops on the
mainland, over against the city, to cut off the Tyrians from the
supplies of water which they were in t