672 Lassen on the History traced [No. 103. 



fighting with Eukratides for the dominion of Bactria^ and 

 eventually conquered and deprived of India by this king. 

 We do not know^ whether he originally succeeded his father 

 in Bactria, and was expelled from thence, and limited to his 

 Indian possessions, being eventually deprived of them also, or 

 whether some one embraced the opportunity of his absence 

 from Bactria, while he was perhaps engaged in an expedition 

 against India, after the deatli of his father, to take possession of 

 the Bactrian throne.* Nor do we know, whetlier Eukratides 

 or a predecessor of his, expelled the family of Euthydemos from 

 Bactria. 



The opinion which most naturally suggests itself is, that 

 Eukratides expelled them ; up to this time, however, Menandros 

 has been ordinarily considered as king of Bactria before 

 Eukratides, though some say, ApoUodotos, probably the son of 

 Menandros, or, lastly, Heliokles, whom we know only from 

 the coins. The opinions maintained as explanatory of these dif- 

 ferent successions to the throne of Bactria, must exceedingly 

 differ one from another, on account of our defective information ; 

 and were we to examine these opinions, it would be evident, 

 that all of them are more or less artificial and forced, and even 

 dogmatical. But instead of subjecting them to a critical review, 

 it will suffice our purpose to refer (Bayer, p. 85 — 89. R. R. I. 34. 

 II. 33,) to them, and to attempt arranging the facts in the way 

 in which, from our own comparison of the respective passages, 

 and the new results derived from the coins, we think we must 

 needs consider them. 



First ; the conjecture of adopting three kings in Bactria be- 

 tween Euthydemos and Eukratides, appears somewhat improba- 

 ble. Menandros is among them, whose reign cannot have been 

 a short one, since we know that he had made great conquests 

 in India, and gained by his justice the general attachment of his 



* M. R. R. infers fi-om the coins, that Demetrios, although for a short 

 time, did also reign in Bactria. This conjecture is not improbable, though 

 the conclusion of R. R. does not appear to me to be founded on a firm 

 basis. 



