ght not to appear incredible, since, not to mention the
innumerable armies of Darius and Xerxes, the city of Syracuse alone, in
the time of Dionysius the Tyrant, furnished one hundred and twenty
thousand foot and twelve thousand horse, besides four hundred vessels well
equipped and provided. And a little before Hannibal's time, Italy,
including the citizens and allies, was able to send into the field near a
million of men. Ninus made himself master of a great number of cities, and
at last laid siege to Bactria, the capital of the country. Here he would
probably have seen all his attempts miscarry, had it not been for the
diligence and assistance of Semiramis, wife to one of his chief officers,
a woman of an uncommon courage, and peculiarly exempt from the weakness of
her sex. She was born at Ascalon, a city of Syria. I think it needless to
recite the account Diodorus gives of her birth, and of the miraculous
manner of her being nursed and brought up by pigeons, since that historian
himself looks upon it only as a fabulous story. It was Semiramis that
directed Ninus how to attack the citadel, and by her means he took it, and
thus became master of the city, in which he found an immense treasure. The
husband of Semiramis having killed himself, to prevent the effects of the
king's threats and indignation, who had conceived a violent passion for
his wife, Ninus married her.

After his return to Nineveh, he had a son by her, whom he called Ninyas.
Not long after this he died, and left the queen the government of the
kingdom. She, in honour of his memory, erected a magnificent monument,
which remained a long time after the ruin of Nineveh.

I find no appearance of truth in what some authors relate concerning the
manner of Semiramis's coming to the throne.(976) According to them, having
secured the chief men of the state, and attached them to her interest by
her benefactions and promises, she solicited the king with great
importunity to put the sovereign power into her hands for the space of
five days. He yielded to her entreaties, and all the provinces of the
empire were commanded to obey Semiramis. These orders were executed but
too exactly for the unfortunate Ninus, who was put to death, either
immediately or after some years' imprisonment.

(M157) SEMIRAMIS. This princess applied all her thoughts to immortalize
her name, and to cover the meanness of her extraction by the greatness of
her enterprises.(977) She proposed to h