XLV. The favi The merits of Gregory were treated by the Byzan- CHAP. tine court with reproach and infult; but in the attachment of a grateful people, he found the pureft reward of a citizen, and the best right of a fovereign". 75 The temporal reign of Gregory I. is ably expofed by Sigonius in the first book, de Regno Italiæ. See his works, tom. ii. p 44 -75. our of Rome. 2 CHA P. Rome and CHA P. XLVI. Revolutions of Perfia after the Death of Chofroes or Nufhirvan.-His Son Hormouz, a Tyrant, is depofed.-Ufurpation of Baharam. Flight and Reftoration of Chofroes II.-His Gratitude to the Romans.-The Chagan of the Avars.-Revolt of the Army against Maurice.-His Death. Tyranny of Phocas.-Elevation of Heraclius.The Perfian War.-Chofroes fubdues Syria, Egypt, and Afia Minor.-Siege of Conftantinople by the Perfians and Avars.-Perfian Expeditions. -Victories and Triumph of Heraclius. THE HE conflict of Rome and Perfia was prolonged from the death of Crassus to the reign' Conteft of of Heraclius. An experience of seven hundred Perla. years might convince the rival nations of the impoflibility of maintaining their conquefts, beyond the fatal limits of the Tigris and Euphrates. Yet the emulation of Trajan and Julian was awakened by the trophies of Alexander, and the fovereigns of Perfia indulged the ambitious hope of restoring the empire of Cyrus'. Such extraordinary efforts of power and courage will always command the attention of pofterity; but the events by which the Miffis qui... repofcerent ... veteres Perfarum ac Macedonum terminos, fequi invafurum poffeffa Cyro et poft Alexandro, per vaniloquentiam ac minus jaciebat. Tacit. Annal. vi. 31. Such was the language of the Arfacides: I have repeatedly marked the lofty claims of the Saffanians. fate XLVI. fate of nations is not materially changed, leave à CHAP. faint impreffion on the page of history, and the patience of the reader would be exhausted by the repetition of the fame hoftilities, undertaken without cause, profecuted without glory, and terminated without effect. The arts of negociation, unknown to the fimple greatness of the fenate and the Cæfars, were affiduously cultivated by the Byzantine princes; and the memorials of their perpetual embaffies repeat, with the fame uniform polixity, the language of falsehood and declamation, the insolence of the Barbarians, and the fervile temper of the tributary Greeks. Lamenting the barren fuperfluity of materials, I have ftudied to comprefs the narrative of these uninteresting transactions: but the juft Nufhirvan is still applauded as the model of Oriental kings, and the ambition of his grandfon Chofroes prepared the revolution of the Eaft, which was fpeedily accomplished by the arms and the religion of the fucceffors of Mahomet. of Yemen by Nu thirvan, A.D. 579, &c. In the useless altercations, that precede and Conqueft justify the quarrels of princes, the Greeks and the Barbarians accused each other of violating the peace which had been concluded between the two empires about four years before the death of Juftinian. The fovereign of Perfia and India afpired to reduce under his obedience the province of Yemen or Arabia' Felix, the diftant land of myrrh 2 See the embaffies of Menander, extracted and preferved in the Xth century by the order of Conftantine Porphyrogenitus. 3 The general independence of the Arabs, which cannot be admitted without many limitatious, is blindly afferted in a separate differtation XLVI. CHAP. myrrh and frankincense, which had escaped, rather than opposed, the conquerors of the Eaft. After the defeat of Abrahah under the walls of Mecca, the difcord of his fons and brothers gave an eafy entrance to the Perfians: they chased the strangers of Abyffinia beyond the Red Sea; and a native prince of the ancient Homerites was restored to the throne as the vaffal or viceroy of the Great Nufhirvan. But the nephew of Juftinian declared his refolution to avenge the injuries of his Christian ally the prince of Abyffinia, as they fuggested a decent pretence to difcontinue the annual tribute, which was poorly disguised by the name of penfion. The churches of Perfarmenia were oppreffed by the intolerant fpirit of the Magi; they fecretly invoked the protector of the Christians, and after the pious murder of their fatraps, the rebels were avowed and fupported as the brethren and fubjects of the Roman emperor. The complaints of Nufhirvan were disregarded by the Byzantine court; Justin yielded to the importunities of the Turks, who offered an alliance against the common enemy; and the Perfian monarchy was threatened at the differtation of the authors of the Universal History, vol. xx. p. 196 250. A perpetual miracle is supposed to have guarded the prophecy in favour of the posterity of Ishmael; and these learned bigots are not afraid to rifk the truth of Christianity on this frail and flippery foundation. 4 D'Herbelot, Biblioth. Orient. p. 477. Pocock, Specimen. Hift. Arabum, p. 64, 65. Father Pagi (Critica, tom. ii. p. 646.) has proved that after ten years peace, the Perfian war, which continued twenty years, was renewed A. D. 571. Mahomet was born A. D. 569, in the year of the elephant, or the defeat of Abrahah (Gagnier, Vie de Mahomet, tom. i. p. 89, 90. 98.); and this account allows two years for the conqueft of Yemen. fame XLVI. His laft war with mans, Ro A. D. 5725 &c. fame inftant by the united forces of Europe, of CHAP. Æthiopia, and of Scythia. At the age of fourfcore, the fovereign of the Eaft would perhaps have chofen the peaceful enjoyment of his glory and greatness: but as foon as war became inevitable, he took the field with the alacrity of youth, whilst the aggreffor trembled in the palace of Conftantinople. Nufhirvan, or Chofroes, conducted in perfon the fiege of Dara; and although that important fortress had been left deftitute of troops and magazines, the valour of the inhabitants refifted above five months the archers, the elephants, and the military engines of the great king. In the mean while his general Aderman advanced front Babylon, traversed the defert, paffed the Eus phrates, infulted the suburbs of Antioch, reduced to afhes the city of Apamea, and laid the fpoils of Syria at the feet of his mafter, whofe perfeverance in the midst of winter at length fubverted the bulwark of the Eaft. But these loffes, which aftonished the provinces and the court, produced a falutary effect in the repentance and abdication of the emperor Juftin: a new spirit arose in the Byzantine councils; and a truce of three years was obtained by the prudence of Tiberius. That seasonable interval was employed in the preparations of war; and the voice of rumour proclaimed to the world, that from the distant countries of the Alps and the Rhine, from Scythia, Mæsia, Pannonia, Illyricum, and Ifauria, the strength of the Imperial cavalry was reinforced with one hundred and fifty thoufand foldiers. Yet the king of Per |