aldea, which belonged to
Nabopolassar.

After this expedition Cyaxares died, and left his dominions to his son
Astyages.

ASTYAGES reigned thirty-five years. This prince is called in (M188)
Scripture Ahasuerus. Though his reign was very long, no less than
thirty-five years, yet have we no particulars recorded of it in history.
He had two children, whose names are famous, namely, Cyaxares, by his wife
Aryenis, and Mandane, by a former marriage. In his father's lifetime he
married Mandane to Cambyses, the son of Achemenes, king of Persia: from
this marriage sprung Cyrus, who was born but one year after the birth of
his uncle Cyaxares. The latter succeeded his father in the kingdom of the
Medes.

CYAXARES II. This is the prince whom the Scripture calls Darius the Mede.

Cyrus, having taken Babylon, in conjunction with his uncle Cyaxares, left
it under his government. After the death of his uncle, and his father
Cambyses, he united the kingdom of the Medes and the Persians into one: in
the sequel, therefore, they will be considered only as one empire. I shall
begin the history of that empire with the reign of Cyrus; which will
include also what is known of the reigns of his two predecessors, Cyaxares
and Astyages. But I shall previously give some account of the kingdom of
Lydia, because Croesus, its king, has a considerable share in the events of
which I am to speak.

Chapter IV. The History of the Lydians.

The kings who first reigned over the Lydians, are by Herodotus called
Atyadae, that is, descendants from Atys.(1089) These, he tells us, derived
their origin from Lydus, the son of Atys; and Lydus gave the name of
Lydians to that people, who before this time were called Moeonians.

These Atyadae were succeeded by the Heraclidae, or descendants of Hercules,
who possessed this kingdom for the space of five hundred and five years.

(M189) ARGO, great grandson of Alcaeus, son of Hercules, was the first of
the Heraclidae who reigned in Lydia.

(M190) The last was CANDAULES. This prince was married to a lady of
exquisite beauty; and, being infatuated by his passion for her, was
perpetually boasting of her charms to others. Nothing would serve him, but
that Gyges, one of his chief officers, should see, and judge of them by
his own eyes; as if the husband's own knowledge of them was not sufficient
for his happiness, or the beauty of his wife would have been impaired by
his silence.(1090) The king to this end p