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 OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE 53 negotiation, and to consider falsehood and perjury as the most powerful instruments of regal policy. He affected to praise the prudent and moderate conduct of the king of Ai'menia ; and the unsuspicious Tiranus was persuaded, by the repeated assurances [Arshaki of insidious friendship, to deliver his person into the hands of a faithless and cruel enemy. In the midst of a splendid enter- tainment, he was bound in chains of silver, as an honour due to the blood of the Arsacides ; and, after a short confinement in the Tower of Oblivion at Ecbatana,^^* he was released from the miseries of life, either by his own dagger or by that of an [sev a.d3 assassin. The kingdom of Armenia was reduced to the state of a Persian province ; the administration was shared between a distinguished satrap and a fovourite eunuch ; and Sapor marched, without delay, to subdue the martial spirit of the Iberians. Sauromaces, who reigned in that country by the per- mission of the emperors, was expelled by a superior foi'ce ; and, as an insult on the majesty of Rome, the King of kings placed a diadem on the head of his abject vassal Aspacuras. The city of Artogerassa ^'-^^ was the only place of Armenia which presumed to resist the effort of his arms. The treasure deposited in that strong fortress tempted the avarice of Sapor ; but the danger of Olympias, the wife, or widow, of the Armenian king, excited [Pharandzem] the public compassion, and animated the desperate valour of her subjects and soldiers. The Persians were surprised and re- pulsed under the walls of Artogerassa, by a bold and well- concerted sally of the besieged. But the forces of Sapor were continually renewed and increased ; the hopeless courage of the gan-ison was exhausted ; the strength of the walls yielded to the assault ; and the proud conqueror, after wasting the rebellious city with fire and sword, led away captive an unfortunate queen, who, in a more auspicious hour, had been the destined bride of the son of Constantine.^^'^ Yet, if Sapor already triumphed in the easy conquest of two dependent kingdoms, he soon felt that a country is unsubdued, as long as the minds of the people are actuated by an hostile and contumacious spirit. The satraps, whom he was obliged to trust, embraced the first opportunity 1^ [Castle of Aniush (Ammian calls it Agabana), in Susiana ; exact locality is uncertain. For the events (Gibbon makes Arshak into Tiran) see Faustus, iv. 54.] i-''9 Perhaps Artagera, or Ardis [= Ardakers] ; under whose walls Gaius, the grandson of Augustus, was wounded. This fortress was situate above Amida, near one of the sources of the Tigris. See d'Anville, G^ographie Ancienne, torn. ii., p. 106. i-*" Tillemont (Hist, des Empcreurs, torn. v. p. 701) proves from chronology that Olympias must have been the mother of Para, [The wife was Pharandzem, not Olympias; Faustus, iv. 55.]