Page:The History of Armenia - Avdall - Volume 1.djvu/219

 176 HISTORY OF AmMEKTA.

Julian, on preparing to prosecute his ezpedidoa against Persia, demanded further aid from Tiran, who furnished him with the southern division of the Armenian troops, under the command of Zura, chief of the Rushtunians. To convince the emperor of his good faith, he gave into his hands as hostages, Tiridates, his third son, with the wife and children of the latter, and the only child of Artaces his own eldest son, who waft lately deceased. The king retained by him his second son, Arsaces, to succeed him on the throne. Julian, on receiving the hostages, dispatched them to Constantinople. He gave Tiran, as a mark of his favour and esteem, his own abominable portrait, which bore a great resemblance to his diabolical features* He requested Tiran to place his present on the eastern side of one of the churches, in the Arme* nian metropolis. Tiran was in the act ofhanging this picture with his own hands in a church of the province of Zophs, when Husik the pontiff, arrived there and exhorted him to desist from so horrible an abomination. The king however persisted in his design, when the holy saint, unable any longer to restrain his indigna- tion, snatched the picture from his hands, and throwing it on the ground, trampled it to pieces. Tiran, fearing that Julian would at- tribute this to disrespect on his part, .and that

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