BABYLON AND PERSIA

170 MEDIA, BABYLON, AND PERSIA.succeeded in 610 by his son, Neclio II., who im¬mediately set to work to carry out his father's pol¬icy with regard to Syria.True, Psammetik's longyears of warfare had not brought him farther thanthe Philistine cities, * but he had been interruptedby the downpouring of the Scythian and Cim¬merianhordes and the necessity of retreating intohis own equally open country to be in readiness foran invasion. That obstacle was now removed ; in¬terference from Assyria was the lastthing to befeared, and a warm welcome from the Syrianprinces, judging from precedents, could be countedupon.Necho's plan probably was to assure himselfof their allegiance, and, his rear securely co\f*red bya breastwork of tribute-paying friends, to proceed tothe Euphrates, to the main business of the cam¬paign the actual conquest of Assyria itself. Thereisno reason why this plan should not have beensuccessful, but that others were beforehand with theEgyptian.3. Moreover, the princes may not have been soready to welcome him.Now that their colossalfoe lay at the last gasp, their dreams musthavebeen of total emancipation, not of exchanging oneforeign rule for another, even though probably amilder one.That such was their feeling, and thatNecho's progress was not a peaceful one, we mayconclude from the fact that it took him four yearsto get to the Euphrates, and from the 'hostile atti¬tude of one of them, Josiah, King of Judah, recorded*See " Story of Assyria," pp. 4iS, 423.