He was educated from his tender years after the manner of ancient Persia, where the youth were in∣ured to hardship and fatigue hunting and war were their only exercises out confiding too much in their natural courage, they neglected military disci∣pline. Such was the state of Asia when Cyrus was born: his father Cambyses was king of Persia, Mandana his mother was the daughter of Astyages king of the Medes. Neighboring nations under tribute, and particularly Persia so that the kings of Media and Babylon be∣came the two great potentates of the East.
It was not long before the last became a prey to the ambitious successors of Belesis nor did those of Arbaces fail to push their conquests they brought several of the Ninus the true heir succeeded him in the throne, and reigned at Nineveh but Arbaces took possession of Media, with all its dependencies, and Belesis of Chaldea, with the neighboring territories † And thus was the ancient empire of the Assyrians di∣vided into three monarchies, the capitals of which were Ecbatan, Babylon and Nineveh. THE Assyrian empire having been for many ages extended over all Asia, was at length dismem∣bered, upon the death of Sardanapalus * Arbaces governor of Media entered into a league with Belesis governor a Babylon, to dethrone that effeminate monarch: they besieged him in his capital, where the unfortunate Emperor, to avoid being made a priso∣ner, and to hinder his enemies from becoming masters of his immense riches, set fire to his palace, threw himself into the flames, and perished with all his trea∣sures.
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