A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

976 MAURICIUS. MAUtRICItS.
Soon afterwards the brave Tiberius fell danger- peror's affairs in the East. They refused to n-''ously ill; and feeling his end approach, assembled knowledge Priscus, forced Germants to take the
the senate, and proposed Maurice as his successor. supreme command, and deposed all officers with
His touching speech met with no opposition; Con- whom they were displeased, choosing others in
stantinople was in rapture; and the dying em- their stead. In this emergency Aristobulus arperor increased the joy of his subjects by giving rived, whom Maurice had sent into Mesopotamia,
his eldest daughter Constantina in marriage to immediately upon being informed of the mutiny;
Maurice. A few days afterwards Tiberius died and this able man having gained some ascendancy
(13th of August, 582); and the fortunate Maurice over the rioters, availed himself of his advantage,
now ascended the throne. and together with Heraclius led the army, who
His mature age (43) was a guarantee to the were then encamped under the walls of Martynation that the rapid fortune of their new master ropolis (on the Nymphius, in Sophene) against
was not likely to turn his head; and indeed he did the main body of the Persians, who approached to
not deceive their expectation, although his reign besiege that great fortress. The Romans carried
was an uninterrupted series of wars. We shall the day; but in the pride of victory the soldiers
first speak of the Persian war. once more raised the standard of rebellion. At
Maurice had scarcely ascended the throne, and this critical time, Gregory, bishop of Antioch, argiven proof of his forbearance, by pardoning instead rived, as the emperor's plenipotentiary, and he at
of punishing various persons who had been guilty last succeeded in soothing the turbulent spirit.of the
of treason, when news came from the Persian fron- legions, and prevailed upon them to obey Philiptier that Hormisdas, the son of Chosroes, had picus as their commanllder-in-chief. This was exbroken the peace, and attacked the empire. Before actly what this ambitious man wished for; but as
the end of the year (582) John Mystacon, the he was unable to do honour to his important funccommander-in-chief in those quarters, engaged in a tion, when he had obtained it in a fair way, he
pitched battle with the Persians. near the junction was found to be still less competent now his mind
of the Nymphius and the Tigris; but although the was inflated by unfair success (589). His first act of
Romans fought with great valour, the day was incompetency was the loss of Martyropolis, of which
lost, through the jealousy of one of their generals, the Persians made themselves master by a straCurs, and their army was dispersed. They suffered tagem; and the recapture of the fortress became
another defeat at Acbas, and Mystacon was com- next to impossible, when, through his carelessness,
pelled, through misfortune and illness, to spend the a strong body of Persians was allowed to relieve the
whole season of 583 on the defensive. Maurice, garrison. Maurice was extremely vexed at these
dissatisfied with his conduct, recalled him, and proceedings, and full ofrancour against all those who
sent Philippus or Philippicus in his stead, having had promoted the mutiny; he showed no further
previously given him his sister Gordia in marriage. indulgence to his brother-in-law, but deprived him
This general would have ventured some decisive of his post, and appointed Comentiolus in his place.
blow in 584, but his army was decimated by This was the very man who commanded those
famine, diseases, and fatigues; he took the offen- legions which first mutinied in 588. This faithless
sive in 585, but performed nothing particular. In and incompetent general would have made a sorry
586 Philippicus.-at last brought the enemy to a figure but for the aid of the gallant Heraclius: at
stand at Solacon, not far from Dara, and obtained the battle of Sisarbene he was among the first who
a decisive victory, which he owed especially to his took to flight; and the Romans seemed to be lost
infantry, which, until the time of Maurice, was when Heraclius restored order, and gained one of
made little use of in the later wars in the East. the most glorious victories ever obtained over the
The Persian army was nearly destroyed. A strong Persians: the camp of the enemy was taken, and
body of their veterans, however, reached safely a an immense booty sent to Constantinople, creating
hill at some distance from the field of battle, where the most unlimited satisfaction and joy in the
they entrenched themselves, but were routed, with court as well as in the town. Soon afterwards
great slaughter, by the Roman, Stephanus. Now Acbas was re-taken by Heraclius; and affairs
Philippicus invaded Arzanene. He was in sight speedily took a turn in favour of the Romans, by a
of another Persian army, and ready to fight them, commotion in Persia, which, on account of its
when some trifling circumstance caused such a important consequences for the empire, deserves a
panic among his troops, that they gave way to the short explanation. While the Roman arms became
impulse, and fled in the utmost confusion. The more and more dangerous, Hormisdas concluded an
Persians followed them without loss of time, took alliance with the Turks in Bactriana (Turkistan),
and plundered the baggage, and pursued them as whose khan consequently came to his apparent refar as Amida. Philippicus fell ill through grief, lief with a host of some hundred thousand maraufor the fruit of his great victory at Solacon seemed ders on horseback. They behaved like allies till.
to be entirely lost; and being unable to appear in they had quartered themselves on the frontier of
the field, he gave the command to Heraclius, An- Media, when they altered their conduct, and it bedreas, and Theodore of Addea. Heraclius, who came manifest that they had made a secret alliance
afterwards became emperor, retrieved the fortune with Maurice; and being now in the heart of
of the Romans, and gave such splendid proofs of his Persia, were ready to fall upon the rear of the
military skill, that, Philippicus having been recalled royal armies engaged in Mesopotamia. In this
in 588, he was entrusted with the temporary com- extremity Persia was saved by Baram, a general
mand-in-chief till the arrival of Priscus, whom the highly distinguished for his former campaigns
emperor had despatched to supersede Philippicus. against the Romans, who attacked the Turks in the
The latter was so extremely jealous of his suc- passes of the Hyrcanian mountain, and gave them
cessor, that he employed treason in order to avenge such a bloody lesson, that they desisted from further
himself. for the insult, and kindled a rebellion hostile attempts. Baram was rewarded with inamong the troops which threatened to ruin the em- gratitude, for he was deprived of his command, and