; this done, she brought stones, with
which the sides of the lake were lined. Both these works--the
diverting of the river and the reservoir--were formed with the
intention of rendering the current less rapid by its many windings,
which broke its force, and at the same time made the navigation more
circuitous; so that those who descended toward Babylon by water might
have to make a long circuit around the lake. These works were
effective on that side which was exposed to the inroads of the Medes,
and where the distance between her dominions and theirs was the least;
for she wished to cut off all communication with them, and to keep
them in ignorance of her movements.

Thus did this princess raise from the depths a fortification, within
which she was included. The city being divided into two portions by
the river in former times, whoever wished to pass from one to the
other was obliged to take a boat, which manifestly was a great
inconvenience. This defect she supplied. When she had dug the lake in
the marsh, she availed herself of the occasion to construct another
monument also, by which her fame will be perpetuated. She caused
stones of great magnitude to be hewn, and when they were ready, the
lake being empty, she turned the waters of the Euphrates into it;
which, as it filled, left the old channel dry. Then she lined both
sides of the river and the descent from the gates with burnt bricks,
in like manner as the city walls; and with the stones already
mentioned she constructed, as near the middle of the city as possible,
a bridge, binding the stones together with iron and lead. During the
day, planks of wood were extended from pier to pier, so as to form a
pathway; these were withdrawn at night, to prevent the people from
passing over to plunder one another. This bridge was, as we have said,
formed by withdrawing the water of the Euphrates into the artificial
lake; when completed, the river was restored to its ancient channel;
the propriety of this mode of proceeding then become apparent, by
means of which the citizens obtained the accommodation of a bridge.

The same queen also executed the following machination: she
constructed for herself a tomb, aloft upon a gate in one of the most
frequented ways of the city; upon the sepulcher she engraved this
inscription: "If any one of my successors, the kings of Babylon, shall
lack money, let him open the sepulcher, and take what treasures he
pleases. But let him beware of