XLVI CHA P. fia, without fear, or without faith, refolved to pre vent the attack of the enemy: again paffed the Euphrates, and difmiffing the ambaffadors of Tiberius, arrogantly commanded them to await his arrival at Cæfarea, the metropolis of the Cappadocian provinces. The two armies encountered each other in the battle of Melitene: the Barba rians, who darkened the air with a cloud of arrows, prolonged their line, and extended their wings across the plain; while the Romans, in deep and folid bodies, expected to prevail in closer action, by the weight of their swords and lances. A Scythian chief, who commanded their right wing, fuddenly turned the flank of the enemy, attacked their rear-guard in the prefence of Chofroes, penetrated to the midst of the camp, pillaged the royal tent, profaned the eternal fire, loaded a train of camels with the fpoils of Afia, Perfian hoft, and returned with fongs of victory to his friends, who had confumed the day in fingle combats, or ineffectual fkirmishes. The darkness of the night, and the feparation of the Romans, afforded the Perfian monarch an opportunity of revenge; and one of their camps was swept away by a rapid and impetuous affault. But the review of his lofs, and the consciousness of his danger, determined Chofroes to a speedy retreat; he burnt, in his paffage, the vacant town of Melitene; and, without confulting the fafety of his troops, boldly fwam the Euphrates on the back of an elephant. After this unfuccefsful campaign, the want of magazines, and perhaps fome inroad of the Turks, obliged him to difband or divide his cut his way through the forces; XLVI. forces; the Romans were left mafters of the field, CHAP. and their general Juftinian, advancing to the relief of the Perfarmenian rebels, erected his standard on the banks of the Araxes. The great Pompey had formerly halted within three days march of the Cafpian that inland fea was explored, for the first time, by an hostile fleet, and seventy thoufand captives were tranfplanted from Hyrcania to the ifle of Cyprus. On the return of spring, Juftinian defcended into the fertile plains of Affyria, the flames of war approached the refidence of Nufhirvan, the indignant monarch funk into the His death, grave, and his laft edict reftrained his fucceffors from expofing their perfon in a battle against the Romans. Yet the memory of this transient affront was loft in the glories of a long reign; and his formidable enemies, after indulging their dream of conqueft, again folicited a fhort refpite from the calamities of war 7. He had vanquished the Albanians, who brought into the field 12,000 horfe and 60,000 foot; but he dreaded the multitude of venomous reptiles, whose existence may admit of fome doubt, as well as that of the neighbouring Amazons. Plutarch, in Pompeio, tom. ii. p. 1165, 1166. 6 In the history of the world I can only perceive two navies on the Cafpian: 1. Of the Macedonians, when Patrocles, the admiral of the kings of Syria, Seleucus and Antiochus, defcended most probably the river Oxus, from the confines of India (Plin. Hift. Natur. vi. 21.). 2. Of the Ruffians, when Peter the First conducted a fleet and army from the neighbourhood of Moscow to the coaft of Perfia (Bell's Travels, vol. ii. p. 325-352.). He justly observes, that fuch martial pomp had never been displayed on the Volga. 7 For these Perfian wars and treaties, fee Menander, in Excerpt. Legat. p. 113-125. Theophanes Byzant. apud Photium, cod. lxiv. P. 77, 80, 81. Evagrius, 1. v. c. 7-15. Theophylact, 1. iii. c. 9-ma 16. Agathias, 1. iv. p. 140. VOL. VIII. N The A.D. 579. CHAP. Tyranny and vices The throne of Chofroes Nufhirvan was filled by Hormouz, or Hormifdas, the eldest or the most favoured of his fons. With the kingdoms of Perfia and India, he inherited the reputation and example A. D. of his father, the fervice, in every rank, of his 579-590. wife and valiant officers, and a general system of of his fon Hormouz, 8 administration, harmonised by time and political $ Buzurg Mihir may be confidered, in his character and station, as the Seneca of the Eaft; but his virtues, and perhaps his faults, are lefs known than those of the Roman, who appears to have been much more loquacious. The Perfian fage was the perfon who imported from India the game of chefs and the fables of Pilpay. Such has been the fame of his wifdom and virtues, that the Christians claim him as a believer in the gospel; and the Mahometans revere Buzurg as a premature Mufulman. D'Herbelot, Bibliotheque Orientale, p. 218. the XLVI. the fatal viciffitude of human affairs, the fame CHAP. fcenes were renewed at Ctefiphon, which had been exhibited in Rome after the death of Marcus Antoninus. The minifters of flattery and corruption, who had been banished by the father, were recalled and cherished by the fon; the difgrace and exile of the friends of Nushirvan established their tyranny; and virtue was driven by degrees from the mind of Hormouz, from his palace, and from the government of the state. The faithful agents, the eyes and ears of the king, informed him of the progress of diforder, that the provincial governois flew to their prey with the fierceness of lions and eagles, and that their rapine and injuftice would teach the moft loyal of his fubjects to abhor the name and authority of their fovereign. The fincerity of this advice was punished with death, the murmurs of the cities were despised, their tumults were quelled by military execution; the intermediate powers between the throne and the people were abolished; and the childish vanity of Hormouz, who affected the daily use of the tiara, was fond of declaring, that he alone would be the judge as well as the mafter of his kingdom. In every word, and in every action, the fon of Nufhirvan degenerated from the virtues of his father. His avarice defrauded the troops; his jealous caprice degraded the fatraps the palace, the tribunals, the waters of the Tigris, were stained with the blood of the innocent, and the tyrant exulted in the fufferings and execution of thirteen thousand victims. As the excuse of his cruelty, he fometimes condefcended to obferve, that the fears of the Perfians N 2 would XLVI. CHAP. would be productive of hatred, and that their hatred must terminate in rebellion; but he forgot that his own guilt and folly had infpired the fentiments which he deplored, and prepared the event which he fo juftly apprehended. Exafperated by long and hopeless oppreffion, the provinces of Babylon, Sufa, and Carmania, erected the standard of revolt; and the princes of Arabia, India, and Scythia, refused the customary tribute to the unworthy fucceffor of Nufhirvan. The arms of the Romans, in flow fieges and frequent inroads, afflicted the frontiers of Mefopotamia and Affyria; one of their generals profeffed himself the difciple of Scipio, and the foldiers were animated by a miraculous image of Chrift, whofe mild afpect fhould never have been difplayed in the front of battle. At the same time, the eastern provinces of Perfia were invaded by the great khan, who paffed the Oxus at the head of three or four hundred thousand Turks. The imprudent Hormouz accepted their perfidious and formidable aid; the cities of Khorafan or Bactriana were commanded to open their gates; the march of the Barbarians towards the mountains of Hyrcania, revealed the correfpondence of the Turkish and Roman arms; and their union must have fubverted the throne of the house of Saffan. 9 See the imitation of Scipio in Theophylact, 1. i. c. 14.; the image of Chrift, 1. ii. c. 3. Hereafter I fhall speak more amply of the Chriftian images-I had almost faid idols. This, if I am not mif. taken, is the oldest axɛgsmont✪ of divine manufacture; but in the next thousand years, many others iffued from the fame workthop. |