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CHAP. hiftorian, who has preferved the name of Tirida tes from oblivion, celebrates, with a degree of national enthusiasm, his personal prowess; and, in the true spirit of eastern romance, defcribes the giants and the elephants that fell beneath his invincible arm. It is from other information that we difcover the diftracted ftate of the Perfian monarchy, to which the king of Armenia was indebted for fome part of his advantages. The throne was difputed by the ambition of contending brothers; and Hormuz, after exerting without fuccefs the ftrength of his own party, had recourse to the dangerous affiftance of the barbarians who inhabited the banks of the Cafpian Sea ". The civil war was, however, foon terminated, either by a victory, or by a reconciliation; and Narfes, who was universally acknowledged as king of Perfia, directed his whole force against the foreign enemy. The conteft then became too unequal; nor was the valour of the hero able to withstand the power of the monarch. Tiridates, a fecond time expelled from the throne of Armenia, once more took refuge in the court of the emperors. Narfes foon re-established his authority over the revolted province; and loudly complaining of the protection afforded by the Romans to rebels and fugitives, afpired to the conqueft of the Eaft ".

War be tween the Perfians and the Komans.

A. D. 296.

Neither prudence nor honour could permit the emperors to forfake the cause of the Armenian king, and it was refolved to exert the force of the empire in the Perfian war. Diocletian, with the calm dignity which he constantly affumed,

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fixed his own ftation in the city of Antioch, from whence he prepared and directed the military operations". The conduct of the legions was intrufted to the intrepid valour of Galerius, who, for that important purpose, was removed from the banks of the Danube to thofe of the Euphrates. The armies foon encountered each other in Defeat of Galerius. the plains of Mefopotamia, and two battles were fought with various and doubtful fuccefs: but the third engagement was of a more decifive nature; and the Roman army received a total overthrow, which is attributed to the rashness of Galerius, who, with an inconfiderable body of troops, attacked the innumerable hoft of the Perfians "*. But the confideration of the country that was the scene of action, may suggest another reason for his defeat. The fame ground on which Galerius was vanquished, had been rendered memorable by the death of Craffus, and the slaughter of ten legions. It was a plain of more than fixty miles, which extended from the hills of Carrhæ to the Euphrates; a smooth and barren furface of fandy defert, without a hillock, without a tree, and without a spring of fresh water ". The steady infantry of the Romans, fainting with heat and thirst, could neither hope for victory if they preferved their ranks, nor break their ranks without expofing themselves to the most imminent danger. In this fituation they were gradually encompaffed by the fuperior numbers, haraffed by the rapid evolutions, and destroyed by the arrows of the barbarian cavalry. The king of Armenia had

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CHAP fignalized his valour in the battle, and acquired perfonal glory by the public misfortune. He was. purfued as far as the Euphrates; his horfe was wounded, and it appeared impoffible for him to escape the victorious enemy. In this extremity. Tiridates embraced the only refuge which he saw before him he difmounted and plunged into the ftream. His armour was heavy, the river very deep, and at thofe parts at least half a mile in breadth ; yet fuch was his ftrength and dexterity, that he reached in fafety the oppofite bank "7. With regard to the Roman general, we are ignorant of the circumftances of his escape; but when he returned to Antioch, Diocletian received him, not with the tenderness of a friend and colleague, but with the indignation of an offended fovereign., The haughtieft of men, clothed in his purple, but humbled by the fense of his fault and misfortune, was obliged to follow the emperor's chariot above a mile on foot, and to exhibit, before the whole court, the fpectacle of his disgrace

His recep tion by Diocle tian.

Second campaign of Gale

rius.

A. D. 297.

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As foon as Diocletian had indulged his private refentment, and afferted the majefty of fupreme power, he yielded to the fubmiffive entreaties of the Cæfar, and permitted him to retrieve his own honour as well as that of the Roman arms. In the room of the unwarlike troops of Afia, which had moft probably ferved in the first expedition, a second army was drawn from the veterans and new levies of the Illyrian frontier, and a confiderable body of Gothic auxiliaries were taken into the Imperial pay. At the head of a chofen

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army of twenty-five thoufand men, Galerius again CHAP, paffed the Euphrates; but, instead of expofing his legions in the open plains of Mefopotamia, he advanced through the mountains of Armenia, where he found the inhabitants devoted to his cause, and the country as favourable to the operations of infantry, as it was inconvenient for the motions of cavalry ". Adverfity had confirmed the His vic Roman difcipline, while the barbarians, elated by tory, fuccefs, were become fo negligent and remifs, that in the moment when they leaft expected it, they were surprised by the active conduct of Galerius, who, attended only by two horfemen, had with his own eyes fecretly examined the state and position of their camp. A furprize, especially in the night-time, was for the most part fatal to a Perfian army. Their horfes were tied, and generally shackled, to prevent their running ,, away; and if an alarm happened, a Persian had his houfing to fix, his horfe to bridle, and his corslet to put on, before he could mount On this occafion, the impetuous attack of Galerius fpread diforder and difmay over the camp of the barbarians. A slight refistance was followed by a dreadful carnage, and, in the general confufion, the wounded monarch (for Narfes commanded his armies in perfon) fled towards the deferts of Media. His fumptuous tents, and thofe of his fatraps, afforded an immenfe booty to the conqueror; and an incident is mentioned, which proves the ruftic but martial ignorance of the legions in the elegant fuperfluities of life. A bag

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and beha

viour to

his royal captives.

CHAP. of shining leather filled with pearls, fell into the hands of a private foldier; he carefully preferved the bag, but he threw away its contents, judging, that whatever was of no ufe could not poffibly be of any value ". The principal lofs of Narfes was of a much more affecting nature. Several of his wives, his fifters, 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 Narfes 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 fex, and their royal dignity".

Negocia

tion for peace.

While the Eaft anxiously expected the decifion of this great conteft, the emperor Diocletian having affembled in Syria a ftrong army of obfervation, difplayed from a distance the refources of the Roman power, and referved himself for any future emergency of the war. On the intelligence of the victory, he condefcended to advance towards the frontier; with a view of moderating, by his prefence and counfels, the pride of Galerius. The interview of the Roman princes at Nifibis was accompanied with every expreffion of respect on one fide, and of esteem on the other. It was in that city that they foon afterwards gave audience to the ambaffador of the