738 Lassen on the History traced [No. 104. 



there is no mention whatever of Eukratides^ and we are evident- 

 ly not necessitated to adopt two kings of this name. 



It remains to ascertain the mode of the downfall of the 

 Bactrian empire. It is ordinarily ascribed to the Scythians^ 

 according to Prolog. Trog. Pom. xli. ^^ Deinde quo repug- 

 nante Scythae gentes Sarancse^ et Asiani Bactra occupavere, et 

 Sogdianos.'^ But it is not borne in mind, that while Mithridates 

 reigned in Parthia, the Scythians had not power sufficient to en- 

 able them to advance southwards ; under Arsakes VII. indeed, 

 or Phrahates II, who was killed by the Scythians, this conquest 

 of Bactria by them may have occurred, whether Arsaces himself 

 or another Greek king, who re-established himself in Bactria, be 

 understood under the term of the epitomator : ''quo repugnante.'^ 

 I say who re-established himself, as it is certain, that Mithridates 

 the Great, had before taken possession of the Bactrian empire, 

 and governed it till his death. " Bactriani, per varia bella jactati, 

 non regnum tantum, verum etiam libertatem amiserunt, siqui- 

 dem — ad postremum ab invalidioribus Parthis, veluti exangues, 

 oppressi sunt". The term '' weaker, '' refers to the remark Justin 

 had previously made, that the Parthians were in the beginning of 

 their power much weaker than the Bactrian s. Mithridates 

 therefore is the real subverter of the Bactrian empire. 



There exist some passages on the conquests of Mithridates 

 towards Bactria and India, but they require a critical examina- 

 tion. 



According to Diodorus,* who perhaps imagined that king to 

 have taken possession of the Indian dominion of Eukratides, he 

 conquered the empire of Porus. Independently of the little 

 authority of Diodorus, Porus was considered since Alexander's 

 time as a mere representative of Indian sovereignty, generally 

 speaking, and it must depend upon other passages, whether those 

 words mean any more, than that Mithridates extended his power 

 in that direction. Of much less weight is Orosius, a still later 



* Fragm. ed. Bip. X. p. 91. i 'Ap(Ta/c»?€ o jSacrcXeuc ttiv f^acriXdav 

 Iwi ttXeiov rjv^riae. I^^XP^ "/"P '"''^ IvdiKriQ ^laTtivag, tyiq utto 

 Tov Tiiopov yfiVOfxkvt\q yjopaq iKvpuvaev aKiv^vvwg, 



