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

SASSANIDAE. SASSANIDAE. 7 17
286, in the reign of Bahram II., Diocletian had mother. This is a strange story, yet we cannot
put Tiridates, the fugitive son of King Chosroes, but admit it as an historical fact. Agathias, the
of Armenia, on the throne of his forefathers, and only Western historian who mentions it (iv. p. 135,
kept him there by his assistance, although not ed. Paris), took it from Eastern sources; and those
without an obstinate resistance on the part of the Persian historians who are known to us, relate the
Persians. Narses succeeded in expelling Tiridates, story with all its details (see Malcolm, quoted
and re-united his kingdom with Persia. This led below). Zosimus (ii. p. 100, &c. ed. Oxon, 1679)
to all immediate war with Diocletian, who took does not mention the coronation of an unborn
proper measures to put a final check on Persian child, but only of a younger son of Hormuz, the
ambition in that quarter. Galerius Caesar com- elder, who bore his father's name Hormuz, or Hormanded the Roman army. In the first campaign misdas, having been excluded from the succession.
in 296, he sustained most signal defeats in Meso- Now this Hormuz is again a well-known historical
potamia, and fled in disgrace to Antioch. In the person, but we must presume that he was a prince
second campaign Narses was the loser, and among of royal blood, and not the elder brother of the
the trophies of Galerius was the harem of the infant Shapur. Hormisdas was one of the causes
Persian king, a triumph which the Western arms of the great struggle that took place afterwards
had perhaps not obtained over the Persians since between Sapor and the emperor Constantius, and
the victory of Alexander over Darius at Issus. the matter came to pass in the following way.
In his conduct to his female captives, Galerius Zosimus is here a valuable source, and he is corroacted as nobly as Alexander. At Nisibis Diocle- borated by the Persian historians. Once, long
tian and Galerius received Apharban, the ambas- before the birth of Sapor, and during the reign of
sador of Narses, who sued for peace with a dignity Hormisdas II., Prince Hormisdas, then heir-apbecoming the representative of a great, though parent as it seems, spoke of some grandees in a
vanquished monarch, and the Romans sent Sicorius very contemptuous manner, menacing them with
Probus to the camp of Narses with power to con- the fate of Marsyas when he should be their king.
clude a final peace, of which they dictated the Unacquainted with Greek mythology, the nobles
conditions. Probus was not immediately admitted inquired who Marsyas was, and were greatly
to the presence of Narses, who obliged the ambas- alarmed when they heard that they might expect
sador to follow him on various excursions, and to be flayed alive, a punishment which was somecaused a considerable delay to the negotiations for times inflicted in the administration of the criminal
the evident purpose of collecting his dispersed law in Persia. This explains the election of an
forces, and either avoiding the peace altogether, or unborn baby, and also the fate of Prince Horobtaining more favourable conditions. At last, how- misdas, who was thrown into a dungeon as soon
ever, that famous treaty was made in which Narses as King Hormisdas was dead. After a captivity
ceded to Diocletian Mesopotamia (the northern of many years, he gained his liberty through a
and north-western portions as far down as Cir- stratagem of his wife, who sent him a fish in
cesium at the junction of the Chaboras and Eu- which she had hidden a file, the most welcome
phrates), five small provinces beyond the Tigris present to any prisoner who finds nothing between
oni the Persian side, the kingdom of Armenia, and himself and liberty but a couple of iron bars.
some adjacent Median districts, over which Tiridates Hormisdas accordingly escaped and fled to the
was re-established as king, and lastly, the supre- court of the emperor Constans, whither young
macy over Iberia, the kings of which were hence- Sapor generously sent his wife after him. Conforth under the protection of Rome. Narses, dis- stans received him well, and he afterwards appears
abled from thinking of further conquests west of as an important person on the stage of events.
the Tigris, seems to have occupied himself during (Suidas, s. v. Mpru'ars, relates the same story, and
the last year of his reign with domestic affairs, and speaks of it as a well-known fact: 7 orropia Wroia.)
in 303 he abdicated in favour of his son. It is a The minority of Sapor passed without any remarkstrange coincidence ofcircumstancesthatbothNarses able event regarding Rome. We must presume
and Diocletian, the vanquished and the victor, that the Persian aristocracy employed their time
were, through quite opposite causes, filled with dis- well in augmenting their power during that migust at absolute power, and retreated into private nority. In this time also falls the pretended conlife. Narses, who, notwithstanding his defeats quest of Ctesiphon by Thair, an Arabic or 1H-imyand the inglorious peace of 297, was a man of no aritic king of Yemen; and the minister of Sapor
common means and character, died soon after his issued cruel edicts against the Christians, who,
abdication in the same year, 303. tired of the state of oppression in which they
8. HORMUZ or HORMISDAS II., the son of lived, sought for an amelioration of their condition
Narses, reigned from A. D. 303-310. During his by addressing themselves to Constantius. For this
reign nothing of importance happened regarding step they were punished by Sapor, who, however,
Rome. 1His successor was his son contented himself with imposing a heavy tax upon
9. SHAPUR or SAPOR II. POSTUaMUs,who reigned them. Symeon, bishop of Seleucia, complained of
from A. n. 310-381, and was crowned in his this additional burthen in so haughty and offensive
mother's womb. His father dying without issue, a manner as to arouse the king's anger, and orders
butlt leaving his queen pregnant, the princes of the were accordingly given to shut up the Christian
collateral branches of the royal house were elated churches, confiscate the ecclesiastical property, and
with hopes of the succession. The Magi, however, put the priest to death. Some years afterwards,
discovered by means only known to them, that the in 344, the choice was left to the Christians bequeen was pregnant with a male child, and they tween fire worship and death, and during fifty
prevailed upon the grandees to acknowledge the years the cross lay prostrate in blood and ashes till
unborn child as their lawful sovereign, and the it was once more erected by the Nestorians. After
diadem destined to adorn the future king was the death of King Tiridates and the conquest of
placed with great solemnity upon the body of his his kingdom by Sapor in 342, the same cruelties