into a Satrapy or
Province: whereby the bounds were long after known: and by this means
_Herodotus_ [426] gives us an estimate of the bigness of this Monarchy in
proportion to that of the _Persians_, telling us that _whilst every region
over which the King of _Persia_ Reigned in his days, was distributed for
the nourishment of his army, besides the tributes, the _Babylonian_ region
nourished him four months of the twelve in the year, and all the rest of
_Asia_ eight: so the power of the region_, saith he, _is equivalent to the
third part of _Asia_, and its Principality, which the _Persians_ call a
_Satrapy_, is far the best of all the Provinces_.

_Babylon_ [427] was a square city of 120 furlongs, or 15 miles on every
side, compassed first with a broad and deep ditch, and then with a wall
fifty cubits thick, and two hundred high. _Euphrates_ flowed through the
middle of it southward, a few leagues on this side _Tigris_: and in the
middle of one half westward stood the King's new Palace, built by
_Nebuchadnezzar_; and in the middle of the other half stood the Temple of
_Belus_, with the old Palace between that Temple and the river: this old
Palace was built by the _Assyrians_, according to [428] _Isaiah_, and by
consequence, by _Pul_ and his son _Nabonassar_, as above: _they founded the
city for the _Arabians_, and set up the towers thereof, and raised the
Palaces thereof_: and at that time _Sabacon_ the _Ethiopian_ invaded
_Egypt_, and made great multitudes of _Egyptians_ fly from him into
_Chaldaea_, and carry thither their Astronomy, and Astrology, and
Architecture, and the form of their year, which they preserved there in the
_AEra_ of _Nabonassar_: for the practice of observing the Stars began in
_Egypt_ in the days of _Ammon_, as above, and was propagated from thence in
the Reign of his son _Sesac_ into _Afric_, _Europe_, and _Asia_ by
conquest; and then _Atlas_ formed the Sphere of the _Libyans_, and _Chiron_
that of the _Greeks_, and the _Chaldaeans_ also made a Sphere of their own.
But Astrology was invented in _Egypt_ by _Nichepsos_, or _Necepsos_, one of
the Kings of the lower _Egypt_, and _Petosiris_ his Priest, a little before
the days of _Sabacon_, and propagated thence into _Chaldaea_, where
_Zoroaster_ the Legislator of the _Magi_ met with it: so _Paulinus_,

_Quique magos docuit mysteria vana Necepsos_:

And _Diodorus_, [429] _they say that the _Chaldaeans_ in _Babylonia_ are
colonies of the _Egyptia