The division of Egypt into more Kingdoms than one, both before and after the Reign of the Ethiopians, and the conquest of the Egyptians by Asserhadon, the prophet Isaiah [340] seems allude unto in these words:  I will set, saith he, the Egyptians_ against the Egyptians, and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour, city against city, and Kingdom against Kingdom, and the Spirit of Egypt shall fail.—­And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel Lord [viz. Asserhadon_]_ and a fierce King shall Reign over them.—­Surely the Princes of Zoan [Tanis] are fools, the counsel of the wise Councellors of Pharaoh is become brutish:  how long say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the ancient Kings.—­The Princes of Zoan are be come fools:  the Princes of Noph [Memphis] are deceived,—­even they that were the stay of the tribes thereof.—­In that day there shall be a high-way out of Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve the Assyrians_.

After the death of Asserhadon, Egypt remained subject to twelve contemporary Kings, who revolted from the Assyrians, and Reigned together fifteen years; including I think the three years of Asserhadon, because the Egyptians do not reckon him among their Kings.  They [341] built the Labyrinth adjoining to the Lake of Moeris which was a very magnificent structure, with twelve Halls in it, for their Palaces:  and then Psammitichus, who was one of the twelve, conquered all the rest.  He built the last Portico of the Temple of Vulcan, founded by Menes about 260 years before, and Reigned 54 years, including the fifteen years of his Reign with the twelve Kings.  Then Reigned Nechaoh or Nechus, 17 years; Psammis six years; Vaphres, Apries, Eraphius, or Hophra, 25 years; Amasis 44 years; and Psammenitus six months, according to Herodotus. Egypt was subdued by Nebuchadnezzar in the last year but one of Hophra, Anno Nabonass. 178, and remained in subjection to Babylon forty years, Jer. xliv. 30. & Ezek. xxix. 12, 13, 14, 17, 19. that is, almost all the Reign of Amasis, a plebeian set over Egypt by the conqueror:  the forty years ended with the death of Cyrus; for he Reigned over Egypt and Ethiopia, according to Xenophon.  At that time therefore those nations recovered their liberty; but after four or five years more they were invaded and conquered by Cambyses, Anno Nabonass. 223 or 224, and have almost ever since remained in servitude, as was predicted by the Prophets.