queen of Assyria, reigned about five generations before Nitocris, and constructed some wonderful works to restrain the waters of the Euphrates within its banks. Diodorus gives a more detailed account of her, which is copied principally from Ctesias. Omitting the fabulous statements respecting her youth, we there find that she had a son, Ninias, from Nimus; and that after her husband's death she thought herself capable of governing the empire. She founded the city of Babylon, which she surrounded by walls of immense strength, and adorned by very wonderful buildings. On the top of the temple of Belus she placed three statues of massive gold, and from

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1 See Calvin's Letters. the middle of the temple rose a tower higher than the highest pyramid of Egypt. Some have thought that this was the tower of Babel. She made warlike expeditions against the Medes, Persians, Libyans, and Ethiopians. She is said to have executed many wonderful works in different parts of her kingdom; changing mountains into plains, and constructing canals and palaces. Hearing of the riches and power of India, she determined to make war on that kingdom, and prepared an immense army; but she was in a great measure unsuccessful, and returned with the loss of nearly her whole army. When she reached Babylon, her son laid snares for her; and as it had been predicted by the oracle of Jupiter Ammon that she would disappear from the world when this took place, the prediction was fulfilled. Semiramis was no more seen, having died in the sixty-second year of her age, and the forty-second of her reign.