[ 1*0 ] 



was again defeated, and had the heavy additional calamity to lose 

 the valiant and faithful Peiran Visseh, over whom Khosru himsdf 

 shed a tear of regret. The Iranian monarch, determined to follow 

 up his victory, and crush, by one decisive, blow, all the remaining 

 hopes of Afrasiab, pursued his march towards the capital of Turk- 

 estan, and at Kharesm, on the banks of the Oxus, obtained that me- 

 morable victory over Afrasiab, which proved the means of giving its 

 present name to that province ; for Khosru, finding he had gained 

 the day, without any material loss on his side, is said exultingly to 

 haveexclaimed, " Kharesmi-bud ! I have gotten an easy victory* !" 

 The path now lay open to the metropolis of Turan, which Khosru 

 took ; and, following the fugitive monarch from province to pro- 

 vince, at length overtook him, at the head of a small band of faithful 

 troops, on the mountains of Azerbijian, where, being compelled to 

 surrender, he was put to death by the order of the conqueror, who 

 seems not to have thought his throne secure while Afrasiab lived. 

 The death of this formidable rival left Khosru the undisputed sove- 

 reign of those two mighty empires. That he might more conveni- 

 ently govern both, and be at hand with speed and energy to sup- 

 press any attempts at insurrection among the Turanian princes, he 

 fixed his future residence at Balk, the capital of Chorasan, the 

 ancient Bactriana ; possibly he might have passed at this capital a 

 portion of the summer months, which he is said, by Xenophon -f-, to 

 have spent at Ecbatan, to avoid the intense heat of that climate. 

 With the fortitude of a conqueror, in Khosru was united the wisdom 

 of an able legislator, and he assiduously endeavoured, by mild laws 

 and generous treatment, to reconcile the Turanians to their new 

 sovereign, urging the folly of cherishing hostile sentiments against 

 their Iranian neighbours, who sprang originally from the same 



* Short Hist, of Persia, p, 20, f Cyropxdia, lib. viii, p. 233, 



