SETHON, King of Egypt, reign’d in this Country, at the Time that Sennacherib invaded Hezekiah King of Judah. Herodotus l. 2. thus speaks of this King Sethon: “ He succeeded King Amasis, who was Blind. Sethon committed a great Fault in Government, by neglecting warlike Men, as useless, disgracing them on all Occasions, and taking from them those Estates that had been given them by the Kings his Predecessors. This was the Reason that in the War, which was declared against him by Sennacherib King of Assyria and Arabia, they refused to obey him. In this Perplexity Sethon address’d himself to his God, and with Tears laid before him the Danger he was in. After Prayer he fell asleep, and while he slept his God commanded him in a Dream, to march out boldly to meet his Enemy, and he would supply him with auxiliary Troops. He therefore took with him what Soldiers he had, and went to encamp at Pelusium, which is, as it were, the Key of Egypt. His little Army was compos’d only of Citizens and Merchants, Men without Experience in Affairs of War; for those that had made War their Profession would not follow him. The same Night that he arrived at Pelusium, a Multitude of Field Rats set upon the Camp of the Enemy, gnaw’d their Bows and Quivers, and the Thongs of their Bucklers; so that the Day following, finding themselves unable for War, they betook themselves to Flight, after losing many of their Men. To preserve the Memory of this Event, they represented Sethon in the Temple of Vulcan, in a Statue of Stone, holding a Rat in his Hand, with this Inscription; Those that look upon me, let them remember to be pious. This Figure was still to be seen in Herodotus’s Time.
‘Twas thus the Egyptian Priests related the Defeat of Sennacherib; but the Hebrews tell it in another Manner, as may be seen under the Article of this Prince.