Page:The History of Armenia - Avdall - Volume 1.djvu/180

 covered by one of the soldiers of the youngs prince, the man dashed out his brains with a blow of his sabre. Artaces being informed of it, ordered his remains to be buried with all the pomp of a prince, his mother being of the race of the Arsacidse. Thus perished Erwand after a reign of twenty years.

��CHAPTER XI.

The reign of Artaces the Second.

Artaces the son of Sanatruk, by the death of a. 0.88. Erwand, was left in undisputed possession of the kingdom of Armenia. After his coronation he distributed presents to the Medes and Per- sians, by whose means he had obtained his crown, and sent them back to their own country. To Sumbat, sumamed the Great, who had been the principal instrument of his success, he gave the rank of generalissimo of the Armenians, and the military superintendence of the whole of his dominions. Argam also experienced the grati* tude of the king. Artaces gave him the rank and power of a viceroy, permitting him to wear a crown set with rubies ; to place rings of gold ifi his ears i to wear on one of his feet a red

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