nere to which he was brought vp. Hee foyled his grandfather in warre, and tooke the Mo∣narchy from the Medes, placing it in persia. He conquered Chaldaea also. For the Me•…•… hauing gotten the Monarchy to them-selues after Sardanapalus his death▪ had their Kings all crowned at Babilon, and Nabuchodrosor was their most royall ruler: his exploytes they extoll aboue the Chaldean Hercules actes: saying that hee had a conquering a•…•…mye, as farre as the Gades. Strabo ex Megasthene. Megasthenes, (sayth Alphaeus) affirmes that Nabuchodrosor was a stouter soldier then Hercules, and that hee conquered all Libya and Asia as farre as Armenia, and returning to his home, he cryed out in manner of prophecy∣ing: O Babilonians, I presage that a great misfortune shall befall you, which neither B•…•…lus, nor any of the gods can resist: The Mule of Persia shall come to make slaues of you all! Haui•…•…g thus sayd, presently hee vanished away, Milina Rudocus his sonne succeeded him, and was slaine by Iglisares who reigned in his place, and left the crowne to his sonne Babaso Arascus, who was slaine by treason, Nabiuidocus was made King. Him did Cyrus, taking Babilon, make Prince of Carmania. Thus farre Alphaeus. Alexander Polyhistor differeth somewhat from this but not much. Iosephus sayth there were two Nabuchodrosors: and that it was the sonne that▪ Megasthenes pre•…•…erres before Hercules, and the father that tooke Bab•…•…lon. The sonne dying left his crowne to Amilmadapak, or Abimatadok▪ and he freed Iechonias and made him one of his Courtiers. Amilmadapak dyed hauing reigned eighteene yeares, and left his son Agressarius to inher•…•…te, who reigned fourty yeares, and his sonne Labosordak succeeded him, who dyed at the end of nine monthes, and Balthazar otherwise called Noboar had his crowne, and him did Cyrus chase out of his Kingdome when hee had reigned seauenteene yeares. Now if this account bee true, there are more then an hundred yeares betweene the beginning of the Iewes captiuitie and Cyrus the Persian. But sure an error there •…•…s, eyther in the author or in the transcriber. Now Cyrus being moued by the Prophecy of Esay, who had fore-told the original of his Empire twenty yeares ere it came to passe, sette the Iewes free and sent them to build the Temple, restoring all the vessels that Nabuchodrosor had brought away. This was now fourty yeares after the beginning of their captiuity, Euseb. So they went and built, but their enemies troubled them so that they were fayne to let it alone vn∣till the second yeare of Darius his reigne, the sonne of Histaspis, who expelled the Magi, and was King alone. For hee in fauour of Zorobabell, sent all the Iewes home, and forbad any of his subiects to molest them. So in the seauentith yeare after their captiuation they returned home. This is after Eusebius his account, vnto whome Clement 〈◊〉〈◊〉, saying. The Iewes captiuity indured •…•…eauenty yeares vnto the second yeare of Darius King of Per∣sia, Aegypt and Assyria, in whose time, Aggee, Zachary and one of the 12. called Angelus, prophecyed; and Iesus the son of Iosedech was high Priest. That Darius his second yeare, and the seauentith of the captiuity, were both in one, Zachary testifieth Chap. 1. 1. 12. But Iose∣phus maketh seauenty yeares of the Captiuity to be runne in Cyrus his time. (b) The sto•…•…y of Iudith] This booke (sayth Hierome) hath no authority in matter of Controuersie: But yet the synode of Nice hath made it canonicall. Bede sayth that Cambysis sonne to the elder Cyrus was called by the Iewes the second Nabuchodrosor, and that the fact of Iudith was done in his time. (c) Had profixed] Chap. 25. 11.