(515--335 B. C.)
SISINNES TO STRATO.
AND FROM THE FIRST TYRIAN REVOLUTION TO AZELMIC.
At the termination of the siege by Nebuchadnezzar, we have stated,
that the remaining Tyrians fled to the Island, opposite to the ancient
metropolis destroyed by the Babylonian. The inhabitants never rebuilt
the Capital upon the ruins on the mainland, but upon the Island which
had received and sheltered them, they had for the last half-century
turned all their attention;--this was now renewed with redoubled
energy,--upon it they erected their new, and in time, gorgeous
Temples,--especially that dedicated to Hercules-Apollo, the tutelary
God of the Tyrians. They also surrounded the Island with a sea-wall,
150 feet in height, and of proportionate thickness,--and from there
being no approach to it but by water, the new metropolis was
considered impregnable. Upon the mainland they erected many buildings
of a minor character, such as are usually found in the environs of a
City;--and a great proportion of the labouring classes dwelt there;
as, also, the strangers visiting Tyrus in pursuit of traffic or
merchandise. Many years were employed in bringing the Island-Capital
to a state of complete defence, owing to the diminished numbers of the
male population immediately after the siege. Tyrus must now be viewed
as only on the _Island_, which was about 800 yards from the
shore,--somewhat less than half a mile.
From the time of Sisinnes the Nation continued to increase in wealth
and power. The former cause of her pride and glory--Navigation--was
revived with all the energy and perseverance for which their ancestors
in the time of Hiram had been so justly renowned. As in her days of
ancient fame, Tyrus had loaned and built fleets and navies for Israel
and Egypt, she now did the same for the Persian Monarch in his war
upon Greece. A double motive caused this,--not only the pride of being
able to furnish a navy, but her spirit of monopoly had again risen,
and begun to stalk abroad,--for Greece had already aroused the
jealousy of the Tyrians, and any means to crush or destroy the harbour
of the Peiræus, would advance their wishes. From the Persian they
could entertain no fears of commercial rivalry, for he had no river or
port upon the Mediterranean.
The honour of Tyrus, as a Nation, however, was shewn in refusing to
loan or man a navy, intended by a foreign king (who at first concealed
his intent) for carrying on a war against Carthage, and which denial
led to the abandonment of the proposed warfare. It will be remembered
that Carthage was originally founded by a Tyrian Princess and her
countrymen. The Patriotism of the Tyrians was as powerful as their
knowledge of Science was universal.
For thirty-five years Tyrus enjoyed the freedom of an independent
nation, when all Phœnicia was laid under contribution by the
Monarch of Persia:--He was content, however, with a mere nominal
tribute from the Tyrians in return for their aid against the
Greeks,--and perhaps from a distant belief that that assistance might
again be required. In furtherance of this design or policy, he did not
depose the reigning king, but recognised in him the exercise of full
powers (except the tribute) as a monarch of an independent nation.
480 B. C.] This nominal tribute was during the reign of Marten. The
king and nobles were willing to flatter the vanity of the Persian by
the nominal payment, for by his forbearance from any further action
against the Islanders, it enabled them to increase their power, and
retain their "places" both at home and abroad;--they, therefore, could
well afford to spare from their rich and overflowing treasury of
Pride, so small a portion of a superfluity.
ZECHARIAH wrote [ch. ix.] "And Tyrus did build herself a strong hold
[the Island-Citadel], and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine gold
as the mire of the street;"--but her Pride was as subtle, "as broad
and general as the casing air,"--it was in and around her,--it was
her nature,--to have been otherwise would have destroyed her identity
and nationality. It was, however, upon one occasion, exerted as a
noble spirit, and atoned for her errors past,--it proved that Freedom
was not dead within the walls of Tyrus;--and the now noble exertion of
the only Pride justifiable in any country,--that of National
Freedom,--led to the first and only Revolution in the annals of the
Tyrians in Asia. [475 B. C.]
Justin states that it was an insurrection among the _Slaves_! We do
not presume to contradict the record of any Historian, but would
rather use every effort to support their statements by facts and
evidence, as in the instance of Herodotus concerning the first Voyage
around Africa;--but the record of Justin cannot be founded in truth,
so far as relates to the supposed class of human beings rising against
their Monarch and his Council. Tyrus had no _Slaves_, in the usual
acceptation of the word,--for she had no foreign conquests,--and her
subjects were too proud to allow of any but themselves to pilot or man
their galleys,--either for merchandise or warfare;--nor would she
allow foreigners to live within her walls, especially of the lower
ranks of life, lest they should obtain the secret of ship-building,
and so convey intelligence to other nations bordering upon the
Mediterranean. But ancient writers have generally viewed the _tiers
état_,--or the third class of despotic Empires and Kingdoms as
_Slaves_, and so have written of them. Even to so late a period as
half a century ago, the same was done in France, till her Revolution
(although it moved in blood and tyranny, and brought to light
human-monsters) established that the People were to enjoy rights and
liberties; in analogy with those claimed and exercised by the
Islanders of Britain, or their descendants in the Western Hemisphere.
The great National lesson was first taught the World by the Rebellion
of the Patriot,--Jeroboam, and the Ten Tribes,--from the "whip" and
"scorpion" Son of Solomon!
The Rebellion of Jeroboam was but 500 years before this period, [475
B. C.] and from the great intercourse between the Judæans and Tyrians,
the event must have been familiar to the latter, and may have had its
natural influence, therefore, in forwarding a similar action of their
own.
It is more than probable that the People disapproved of the payment of
the nominal tribute (which was more degrading than any other), and
made a remonstrance to the Throne upon the subject,--for their just
pride had been aroused, and while they continued to pay to the Persian
for mere political existence, they _ceased_ to be a Nation of
_Freemen_,--and Justin might consequently have written that _all_ the
Tyrians,--King, Nobles, and People, were _Slaves_,--for they were so,
while their golden manacles rattled, and echoed along the distant
shores of the Euphrates. Tyrus was, also, safe now from any attack by
land,--and by water the Capital defied apparently both man and
elements. The tribute had been originally imposed and levied upon the
National weakness,--it was now to be thrown off in its day of
strength. The King who would cowardly surrender, and continue to
submit a Nation's liberty to a foreign yoke, while he had power to be
free,--and yet was willing to wear and hold the mere shadows of a
Crown and Sceptre,--must have been, at heart, no fit guardian, or
steward, of a People's honour or prosperity;--and especially, when in
the very rank of life, the rights of which he continued to
betray,--there was a Spirit--like the Sun--ready to disperse the
clouds lowering upon, and obscuring his Country's freedom! This Tyrian
Patriot was STRATO,--who, upon the successful issue of the Rebellion,
and breaking of the foreign yoke imposed by Persia, was instantly
elected Sovereign,--the Royal title continued to his descendants, even
to the last King of the Tyrians.
475 B. C.] From this time forward, Tyrus continued not only to enlarge
her Navigation, but to increase her _inland_ commerce. One of the
chief complaints made by the Prophet NEHEMIAH against his countrymen
was,--that their Sabbath was desecrated by buying merchandise of the
Tyrians upon the Holy-Day. NEHEMIAH caused the traffickers to be
thrust out of Jerusalem more than once, and the Gates to be closed
upon them; but they still lingered around the walls in order to sell
their commodities on the Jewish Sabbath,--upon which the Chief Ruler
of the restored House of Judah, instantly threatened to have recourse
to violence, and drive the Tyrian merchants from their locality. This
event [434 B. C.] was forty-one years after the accession of the new
dynasty.
It was no sin in the estimation of the Tyrians to _sell_ upon the
Sabbath Day of Israel, for they being heathens they did not esteem
that Seventh day:--the crime was, that of _buying_ by the Jews upon
their own Sacred Sabbath.--In this manner is it justly reproved by
NEHEMIAH: viz.--
"There dwelt men of Tyrus also therein [_i. e._ in Jerusalem], which
brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath unto the
Children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles
of Judah and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and
profane the Sabbath Day? And it came to pass that when the gates of
Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the
gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till
after the Sabbath: and some of my servants [guards] set I at the
gates, that there should be no burden brought in on the Sabbath Day.
So the merchants and sellers of all kinds of ware _[i. e._ the
Tyrians] lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. Then I testified
against them, and said unto them, 'Why lodge ye about the wall? If ye
do so again, I will lay hands upon you!' From that time forth came
they no more on the Sabbath." [Jeremiah xiii. 16--21.]
Jerusalem is about 80 miles from Tyrus, and the Merchants of the
latter Capital must have had communication with the former by land
conveyance only,--or they may have landed at Joppa [Jaffa], as in the
days of Hiram, and from thence by Camel conveyance to Jerusalem. In
either case the words of NEHEMIAH prove that Tyrians themselves were
at the Holy-City as merchants and traders; and that consequently their
commercial intercourse, at this time, was by land, as well as by
water, with distant countries.
The same spirit of Monopoly which had actuated the early Tyrians, was
still professed and practised by their descendants;--but, with Sidon,
their Parent,--and Carthage, their Daughter, were they on terms of
friendship and reciprocity. This continued throughout the following
century, when the sympathy and gratitude of both Nations were evinced
upon the last solemn occasion of Tyrian Nationality in Asia. With
every other country, and especially with Rome, they betrayed their
envy and growing jealousy. The incident related [Vol. i., Book ii.,
ch. iii.] in reference to the ingenious stratagem of the Tyrians in
entrapping the Roman Galley, whereby it and the crew were totally
lost, while they themselves were saved, and the secret of their
discovery secured,--is but one of many proofs of the National
character. This same feeling would naturally lead them to conceal from
all foreign countries their previous discovery of the Fortunate
Isles,--they were their own,--and none but the Tyrians knew of their
locality;--which knowledge gave them the means of finding a temporary
resting-place, from the devastating effects of an approaching
whirlwind.
335 B. C.] Allowing twenty years as the average reign of the
Sovereigns, AZELMIC would be the eighth king in the present family,
including STRATO, the original founder of the last line of Tyrian
Monarchs.
We have now approached to the great National event, which led a
portion of the Asiatic family to become the Aborigines of the Southern
(or Mexican) division of the Western Hemisphere.
As we believe that the reader will have admitted that the Tyrians are
identified as the original Builders of the ruined edifices in
America,--and that this was sufficiently established in the first Book
of this Volume,--the chief circumstances then to be established, are
the _time_ and _means_ in which, and whereby, they reached the Western
Continent. And, also, is it essentially required to prove a sufficient
_cause_ leading to these eventful incidents in a Nation's History. In
the following chapters we believe that the Veil of Mystery--woven even
by the hands of the Prophets--will be raised from that creating
_cause_,--and by so doing, it will not only unfold Time's Romance in
Ancient America, but uphold the truth of Prophecy, and therefore of
the _past_: explain the latest wonder of the _present_ age; and we
would feign indulge the hope, that, with the preceding pages, and
those to follow,--not without some beneficial reflections for that of
the _future_.