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and beha

CHA P. nage, and, in the general confusion, the wounded monarch (for Narses commanded his armies. in person) fled towards the deserts of Media. His sumptuous tents, and those of his satraps, afforded an immense booty to the conqueror; and an incident is mentioned, which proves the rustic, but martial ignorance of the legions, in the elegant superfluities of life. A bag of shining leather, filled with pearls, fell into the hands of a private soldier; he carefully preserved the bag, but he threw away its contents, judging, that whatever was of no use, could not possibly be of any value *. The principal loss of Narses was viour to his royal of a much more affecting nature. Several of his captives. wives, his sisters, and children, who had attended the army, were made captives in the defeat. But though the character of Galerius had, in general, very little affinity with that of Alexander, he imitated, after his victory, the amiable behaviour of the Macedonian towards the family of Darius. The wives and children of Narses were protected from violence and rapine, conveyed to a place of safety, and treated with every mark of respect and tenderness, that was due from a generous enemy, to their age, their sex, and their royal dignity †.

Negociation for peace.

While the East anxiously expected the decision of this great contest, the emperor Diocletian, having

The story is told by Ammianus, 1. xxii. Instead of saccum some read scutum.

The Persians confessed the Roman superiority in morals as well as in arms. Eutrop. ix. 24. But this respect and gratitude of enemies is very seldom to be found in their own accounts.

XIII.

having assembled in Syria a strong army of ob- CHA P. servation, displayed from a distance the resources of the Roman power, and reserved himself for any future emergency of the war. On the intelligence of the victory, he condescended to advance towards the frontier, with a view of moderating, by his presence and counsels, the pride of Galerius. The interview of the Roman princes at Nisibis was accompanied with every expression of respect on one side, and of esteem on the other. It was in that city that they soon afterwards gave audience to the ambassador of the Great King*. The power, or, at least, the spirit of Narses, had been broken by his last defeat ; and he considered an immediate peace as the only means that could stop the progress of the Roman arms. He dispatched Apharban, a servant who possessed his favour and confidence, with a commission to negociate a treaty, or rather to receive whatever conditions the conqueror should impose. Apharban opened the conference, by ex- Speech of pressing his master's gratitude for the generous sian amtreatment of his family, and by soliciting the li- bassador. berty of those illustrious captives. He celebrated the valour of Galerius, without degrading the reputation of Narses, and thought it no dishonour to confess the superiority of the victorious Cæsar, over a monarch who had surpassed in glory all the

L 3

*The account of the negociation is taken from the fragments of Peter the Patrician, in the Excerpta Legationum, Peter lived under published in the Byzantine Collection. Justinian; but it is very evident, by the nature of his materials, that they are drawn from the most authentic and respectable writers.

the Per

XIII.

CHA P. the princes of his race. Notwithstanding the justice of the Persian cause, he was empowered to submit the present differences to the decision of the emperors themselves; convinced as he was, that, in the midst of prosperity, they would not be unmindful of the vicissitudes of fortune, Apharban concluded his discourse in the stile of Eastern allegory, by observing, that the Roman and Persian monarchies were the two eyes of the world, which would remain imperfect and mutilated, if either of them should be put out.

Answer of Gale

rius.

"It well becomes the Persians," replied Galerius, with a transport of fury, which seemed to convulse his whole frame," it well becomes the "Persians to expatiate on the vicissitudes of for

66

tune, and calmly to read us lectures on the vir"tues of moderation. Let them remember their "own moderation towards the unhappy Vale

rian. They vanquished him by fraud, they "treated him with indignity. They detained "him till the last moment of his life in shame"ful captivity, and after his death they exposed "his body to perpetual ignominy." Softening, however, his tone, Galerius insinuated to the ambassador, that it had never been the practice of the Romans to trample on a prostrate enemy; and that, on this occasion, they should consult their own dignity, rather than the Persian merit. He dismissed Apharban with a hope, that Narses would soon be informed on what conditions he might obtain, from the clemency of the emperors, a lasting peace, and the restoration of his

XIII.

wives and children. In this conference we may CHA P. discover the fierce passions of Galerius, as well as his deference to the superior wisdom and authority of Diocletian. The ambition of the former grasped at the conquest of the East, and had proposed to reduce Persia into the state of a province. The prudence of the latter, who adhered Moderato the moderate policy of Augustus and the An- Diocletonines, embraced the favourable opportunity of terminating a successful war by an honourable and advantageous peace *.

tion of

tian.

sion.

In pursuance of their promise, the emperors Conclusoon afterwards appointed Sicorius Probus, one of their secretaries, to acquaint the Persian court with their final resolution. As the minister of

peace, he was received with every mark of politeness and friendship; but under the pretence of allowing him the necessary repose after so long a journey, the audience of Probus was deferred from day to day; and he attended the slow motions of the king, till at length he was admitted to his presence, near the river Asprudus in Media. The secret motive of Narses in this delay, had been to collect such a military force, as might enable him, though sincerely desirous of peace, to negociate with the greater weight and dignity. Three persons only assisted at this important conference, the minister Apharban, the præfect of the guards, and an officer who had commanded

1 1

L4

on

* Adeo Victor (says Aurelius) ut ni Valerius, cujus nutu omnia gerebantur, abnuisset, Romani fasces in provinciam novam ferrentur. Verum pars terrarum tamen nobis utilior quæsita.

XIII.

CHA P. on the Armenian frontier *. The first condition proposed by the ambassador, is not at present of a very intelligible nature; that the city of Nisibis might be established for the place of mutual exchange, or, as we should formerly have termed it, for the staple of trade between the two empires. There is no difficulty in conceiving the intention of the Roman princes to improve their revenue, by some restraints upon commerce; but as Nisibis was situated within their own dominions, and as they were masters both of the imports and exports, it should seem that such restraints were the objects of an internal law, rather than of a foreign treaty. To render them more effectual, some stipulations were probably required on the side of the king of Persia, which appeared so very repugnant either to his interest or to his dignity, that Narses could not be persuaded to subscribe them. As this was the only article to which he refused his consent, it was no longer insisted on; and the emperors either suffered the trade to flow in its natural channels, or contented themselves with such restrictions, as it depended on their own authority to establish.

and arti

As soon as this difficulty was removed, a socles of the lemn peace was concluded, and ratified between the two nations. The conditions of a treaty so glorious to the empire, and so necessary to Persia,

treaty.

may

* He had been governor of Sumium. (Pet. Patricius in Excerpt. Legat. p. 30.) This province seems to be mentioned by Moses of Chorene, (Geograph. p. 360.) and lay to the East of Mount Ararat.