a trophy of his victory, he raised three towers with great art, built with the heads of those whom he had slaughtered. After this it was restored and repossessed by the soldan of Egypt, with a garrison of Mammalukes. And in the year 1517, Selimus, emperor of the Turks, wrested it out of the hands of the Egyptians; in whose possession it now remaineth, inhabited with Mahometans and Christians of all neighbouring nations.

SECT. II.

Of the first kings of Damascus, and of the growing up of their power.

NOW be it that Damascus were founded by Hus the son of Aram, or by Damascus the son of Eliezer, Abraham's steward, we find no relation of their kings or commonwealth till David's time. For it stood without the bounds of Canaan, and therefore neglected by Moses, Joshua, and the Judges, as impertinent to that story; but were it so, that it had some reguli, or petty kings over it, as all the cities of those parts had, yet none of them became famous, for ought that is left to writing, till such time as David overthrew Adadezer prince of Sophena, or Syria Zoba; the same nation which b Pliny calleth Nubæi, inhabiting between Batanea and Euphrates. Now the better to understand the story of those Syrian princes, whom soon after the kings of Damascus made their vassals, the reader may inform himself, that on the north-east parts of the Holy Land there were three chief principalities, whereof the kings or commanders greatly vexed or disturbed the state or commonwealth of Israel, namely, Damascus or Aram, Sophena or Syria Zoba, and Chamath or Chamath Zoba, of which these were the princes in David's and Solomon's times: Razon, or Rezon, of Damascus, Adadezer of Syria Zoba, and Tohu of Chamath. But it seemeth that Damascus was one of the cities subject to Adadezer when David invaded him, though when Saul made war against Zoba Damascus was not named. And, as Josephus affirmeth, the leader of those succours, which were c1 Sam. xiv. 47.

Plin. l. 6. c. 28.

levied and sent to Hadad-Hezar from Damascus, had the name of Adad, who was in that battle slain with d 22,000 Aramites of Damascus; whereof, as of the overthrow of Adadezer, Rezon, the commander of his army, taking advantage, made himself king of Damascus; Adadezer and * Adad of Damascus being both slain. About the same time Tohu, king of Chamath or Iturea, hearing that his neighbour and enemy Adadezer was utterly overthrown, sendeth for peace to David, and presented him with rich gifts, but in dolo, saith St. Jerome, it was craftily done of him. Now to the north of the Holy Land, and to the west of Damascus, the Tyrians and Zidonians inhabited; but they for the most part were in league and peace with the Judeans and Israelites. But to return to the kings of Syria; I mean of Syria as it is taken in the scriptures, containing Damascena, Soba or Zoba, and Chamath or Iturea, to which I may add Geshur, because it is so accounted in 2 Sam. xv. as joining in the territory to Damascus, (for Syria at large is far greater, of which Palestina itself is but a province, as I have noted in the beginning of this tract.) It is not agreed among the historians of former times, nor of our latter writers, who was the first of those Adads of Syria Zoba and Da

mascus.

Some account Rezon, other Adad of Idumæa; of whom it is written in the 1st of Kings, that David having invaded that region, and left Joab therein to destroy all the male children thereof, Adad, of the king's seed, fled into Egypt, and was there married to Taphnes the queen's sister, as before; who hearing of David's death, and of the death of his captain Joab, (whom indeed all the bordering nations feared,) he returned again, and, as Bunting thinketh, this Adad did expel Rezon out of Damascus, and was the first of the Syrian kings. To me it seemeth otherwise. For, as I take it, f Adadezer the son of Rehob, whom Saul invaded, was the founder of that principality; and the first of Adads, who, forsaking his father's name as he grew powerful, took upon him the style of Adad, the great god of the Assyrians, saith 1 Kings xi. f 2 Sam. viii. 3, 12. 1 Sam. xiv. 47.

d

2 Sam. viii.

Macrobius, which signifieth oneness or unity. I also find a city called Adada in the same part of Syria; of which whether these princes took the name or gave it, I am ignorant. For Adad-ezer, Ben-adad, Eli-adad were the same in name, with the differences of Ezer, Ben, and Eli adjoined. And that Adadezer was of greatest power, it appeareth, first, because it is against him that David undertook the war; secondly, because he levied 22,000 Aramites out of the territory of Damascus, as out of his proper dominions; for had the Damascenes had a king apart, it is probable that the scriptures would have given us his name; thirdly, because Syria Zoba, of the most of which Adadezer was king, was an exceeding large territory, and contained of Arabia the Desert as far as to Euphrates, according to 5 Pliny, and the greatest part of Arabia Petræa, according to Niger. Whosoever was the first, whether Adadezer or Adad of Idumæa, Rezon was the second; who was an enemy to Israel all the days of Solomon. Besides, the evil that Adad did seemeth to be referred to Hadad of Idumæa, lately returned out of Egypt, to wit, twenty-three years after he was carried thither.

For

The third king of Damascus, and of Zobah both, was Hezion; to Hezion succeeded Tabrimmon, or Tabremmon; to him Benhadad, as is proved in 1 Kings xv. 18. Asa king of Juda, the son of Abiam, the son of Roboam, the son of Solomon, being vexed and invaded by Baasha, the successor of Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, sent to Benhadad, the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion king of Aram, that dwelt at Damascus, to invade Israel, (while Baasha sought to fortify Rama against Asa; thereby to block him up, that he should not enter into any of the territories of Israel,) who, according to the desire of Asa, having received his presents, willingly invaded the country of Nephtalim, and took divers cities and spoils thence; i Asa in the mean while carrying away all the materials which Baasha had brought to fortify Rama withal, and converted them to his own use.

Plin. 1. 6. c, 18.

h

1 Kings xi.

1 Kings xv. 18.

1

This Benhadad's father Tabremmon was in league with Asa, and so was his father Hezion; for Asa requireth the continuance of that friendship from Benhadad his son; though it seemeth that the gold and silver sent him out of the temple was the most forcible argument. And that this Tabremmon invaded Israel, before the enterprise of his son Benhadad, it is conjectured. For Benhadad, when he was prisoner with Achab, spake as followeth: The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets or keepers of the borders for thee in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria. And herein there ariseth a great doubt, (if the argument itself were of much importance,) because Tabremmon was father indeed to Benhadad which invaded Baasha, at the request of Asa. But this Benhadad, that twice entered upon 1 Achab, and was the second time taken prisoner, was rather the son of Benhadad, the first of that name, the confederate of Asa and Abiam, as before, than the son of Tabremmon. For between the invasion of Benhadad the first in Baasha's time, and the siege of Samaria, and the overthrow of Benhadad by Achab, there passed forty-nine years, as may be gathered out of the reigns of the kings of Israel. So that if we allow thirty years of age to Benhadad when he invaded Baasha, and after that forty-nine years ere he was taken by Achab, which make eighty lacking one, it is unlikely that Benhadad, at such an age, would make war. Besides all this, the first Benhadad came with no such pomp, but the second Benhadad vaunteth that he was followed with thirty-two kings; and therefore I resolve, that Benhadad the son of Tabremmon, invaded Baasha and Omri, and Benhadad the second invaded Achab, at whose hands this Benhadad received two notorious overthrows; the first at Samaria, by a sally of 700 Israelites; the second at Aphec, where with the like number in effect the Israelites slaughtered 100,000 of the "Aramites, besides 27,000 which were crushed by the fall of the wall of Aphec. And this Benhadad Achab again setteth at liberty, to whom he rendereth those towns that k I Kings xx. 34. m 1 Kings xx.

1 1 Kings xv.

his father had taken from the predecessor of Achab; but being returned, he refused to render 'Ramoth-Gilead, a frontier town, and of great importance. Now three years after, (for so long the league lasted,) n Ramoth not being delivered, Achab invadeth Gilead, and besiegeth the city, being assisted by Jehosaphat. The Aramites came to succour and fight, in which Achab is wounded, and dieth that night. After this, Benhadad sendeth the commander of his forces, called Naaman, to Joram the son of Achab, to be healed of the leprosy; and though Elizeus had healed him, yet he picketh quarrel against Joram; and when Joram by Elizeus's intelligence had escaped his plot, he sent men and chariots to take the prophet, as is aforesaid. After P Benhadad besiegeth Samaria again; and being terrified thence from heaven, he departeth home, and sickeneth, and sendeth Azael with great gifts to Elizeus, to know his estate, if he might live. Azael returning smothereth him. Zonaras and Cedrenus call this Benhadad, Adar, the son of Adar: Amos and Jeremiah mention the towers of Benhadad. Josephus writeth, that Benhadad and his successor Azael, were worshipped for gods, by the Syrians to his time, for the sumptuous temples which they built in Damascus. The Syrians also boasted much of their antiquity, ignorant, saith he, that scarce yet 1100 years are complete, since their wars with the Israelites.

Hazael, or Azael, the first king of the race of the Adads of Damascus, was anointed by Elisha, or Elizeus, when he was sent by Benhadad to the prophet, to know whether Benhadad should recover his present sickness. He waged war with Joram, who received divers wounds at the encounter at Ramoth in Gilead; from whence returning to be cured at Jesrael, he and the king of Juda, Ahaziah, or Ochozias, are slain by Jehu, as before is said. After the death of Joram, Azael continued the war against Jehu, and wasted Gilead, and all those portions of Gad, Reuben, and

t

Amos i. Jer. xlix. s Ant. 1. 8. c. 8.

2 Kings xii. 17.