C A P P A 
which he did, but to no purpofe; for the confederates 
were overthrown by Demetrius, and Ariarathes was 
obliged to abandon the kingdom to his rival. This hap¬ 
pened about 159 years before Chrift, avid the ufurper im¬ 
mediately difpatched ambafl’adors to Rome with a golden 
crown. The fenate declined accepting the prefent, til! 
they heard his pretenfions to the kingdom which Qro- 
phernes, by ftiborned witnefles, made appear fo plain, 
that the fenate decreed that Ar.iarathes and he fhould 
reign as partners ; but next year, Orophernes was driven 
out by Attains, brother to Eumenes, and his fuccelfor to 
the kingdom of Pergamus. Ariarathes, being thus r.e- 
ftored, marched his army into AfTyria, and joined 
Alexander Epiphanes againlt Demetrius Soter, by whom 
lie had been formerly driven out of his kingdom. In 
the fird: engagement Demetrius was flain, and his army 
entirely dilperfed, Ariarathes having on that cccafion 
given uncommon proofs of his courage and condiuR. 
Some years after, a war breaking cut between the Romans 
and Aridonicus, who claimed the kingdom of Pergamus 
in right of his father, Ariarathes joined the former, and 
was.flain in the fame battle in which P. Craffus pro-conful 
of Ada was taken, and rite Roman army cut in pieces. 
He left fix Tons by his wife Laodice, on whom the Romans 
beftowed Lycaonia and Cilicia.. But Laodice, fearing led 
her children, nhen they cgme of age, ftiould take the 
government out of her hands, poifoned five of them, the 
younged only having efeaped her cruelty by being con¬ 
veyed out of the kingdom. The queen- was foon after 
put to death by her fubjects, who could not fubmit to her 
cruel and tyrannical government. Laodice was fucceeded 
by Ariarathes VII. who married another Laodice, daugh¬ 
ter of Mithridates the Great, hoping to find in that prince a 
powerful friend to fupport him againft Nicomedes, king 
of Bithynia, who laid claim to part of Cappadocia- But 
Mithridates, indead of abiding', procured one Gordius to 
poifon his fon-in-lavv ; and, on his death, feized the king¬ 
dom, under pretence of maintaining the rights of the 
Cappadocians againd Nicomedes, till the children cf 
Ariarathes were in a condition to govern the kingdom. 
The Cappadocians at fird confidered themfelves obliged 
to their new protestor: but, finding him unwilling to re<» 
fign the kingdom to the lawful heir, they rofe up in arms 
againd Mithridates, and placed-on the throne Ariarathes 
VIII. elded foil of their deceafed king. 
The new prince found himfelf immediately engaged in 
a war with Nicomedes; but,being abided by Mithridates, 
foon drove him out of Cappadocia, and dripped him of a 
great part of his hereditary dominions. On the conclulion 
of the peace, Mithridates, feeking for feme pretence to 
quarrel with Ariarathes, inbbed upon his recalling Gor¬ 
dius, who had murdered his father ; which being rejected 
with abhorrence, a war enfued. Mithridates took the 
field fird, in hopes of over-running Cappadocia before 
Ariarathes could be in a condition to make head againd 
him ; but, contrary to his expectation, he was met on the 
frontiers by the king of Cappadocia with an army no way 
inferior to his own. Hereupon lie invited Ariarathes to a 
conference; and, in fight of both armies, dabbed him 
with a dagger, which he had concealed under his garment. 
This (truck fitch terror into the Cappadocians, that they 
immediately dilperfed, and gave Mithridates an oppor¬ 
tunity of potTefling himfelf of the kingdom without the 
lead oppefition.. The Cappadocians, however, not able 
to endure the tyranny, of his prefects, fhook off the yoke ; 
and recalling the king’s brother, who had fled into the 
province of Ada, proclaimed him king. He was fcarcely 
feated. on the throne, before Mithridates invaded the 
kingdom, and, having drawn Ariarathes to a battle, de¬ 
feated his army, and obliged him toabandon the kingdom. 
The- unhappy prince foon died of grief;, and Mithridates 
bedowed the kingdom on his fon, who was then but eight 
years old, giving him alfo the name of Ariarathes. But 
Nicomedes Philopater, king of Bithynia* fearing led 
Mithridates, having now got poUefiion of Cappadocia, 
D O C r A, 7# 
fiieuld alfo invade his territorie-s, ftiborned a youth to pals 
himfelf for the third fon of Ariarathes, and to prefent to 
them a petition to be redcred to his father’s kingdom. 
With him lie fent to Rome Laodice, liderof Mithridates, 
whom lie had married after the death of her former huf- 
band Ariarathes. Laodice declared before the fenate, 
that die had three fons by Ariarathes, and that the pe¬ 
titioner was one of them ; but that die had been obliged 
to keep him concealed, led Lie fhould undergo the fame 
fate with his brothers. The fenate affured him that they 
would at ail events reindate him in his kingdom. But, in 
the mean time, Mithridates, having notice of t-hefe tran- 
faftions, difpatched Gor-dius to Rome, to undeceive the 
fenate, and to perfuade them that the youth to whom lie 
had refigned the kingdom of Cappadocia was the lawful 
fon of the la'e king, and grandf'on to Ariarathes,. who- 
had led his life in the fervice of the Romans'againd Arifi- 
tonicus. This unexpected embody put the fenate upon 
enquiring more narrowly into the matter, whereby the 
whole plot was difeovered ; upon which Mithridates was 
ordered to re fign Cappadocia, and the kingdom was de¬ 
clared free. The Cappadocians, however,, fent ambaf- 
fadbrs to Rome, acquainting tire fenate that they could 
not live without a king. This greatly furpr-i fed the Ro¬ 
mans, who had fucli an averfion to royal authority ; but 
they gave them leave to elect a king of their own nation. 
As the family of Pharnaces was now extinCl, the Cappa¬ 
docians chole Ariobarzanes; and their choice was ap¬ 
proved by the fenate. 
Ariobarzanes had fcarcely taken poffeffion of his king¬ 
dom, when he was driven out by Tigranes, king of Ar¬ 
menia ; who refigned Cappadocia to the fon of Mithri¬ 
dates, in purfuance of an alliance previoufly concluded 
between the two parties. Ariobarzanes fled to Rome ;. 
and, having engaged the fenate in his caufe, he returned 
into Afia with Sy 1 la, who was enjoined to reftore him to- 
his kingdom.' This was eafily performed by Sy 11 a, who, 
with a (mall body of troops, foon routed Gordius. Sylla, 
however, had fcarcely. turned his back, when Ariobar¬ 
zanes was again driven out by Ariarathes, the fon of 
Mithridates,. on whom Tigranes had beftowed the king¬ 
dom of Cappadocia. This obliged Sylla to return quickly 
into Afia, where he was attended with his tifual fuecefs,. 
and Ariobarzanes was again placed on ttie throne. After 
the death of Sylla, he was the third time forced by Mi¬ 
thridates toabandon the kingdom ; but Pompey, having 
entirely defeated Mithridates near mount Stella, re ft ore d 
Ariobarzanes, and rewarded him for iiis fervices during 
the war, with the provinces of Sophene, Gordiene, and 
great part of Cilicia. The king, however, being now 
advanced in years, and delimits of fpending the remainder-' 
of his.life in eafe, refigned the crown to his. fon Ariobar¬ 
zanes, in prefence of Pompey ; and never afterwards- 
troubled himfelf with affairs of ftate. Ariobarzanes IT. 
proved no lefs faithful to the Romans than his father had 
been. On the breaking out of the civil war between 
Csefar and Pompey, he took part with the latter ; but, af¬ 
ter the death of Pompey, he was received into favour by 
Csefar, who even beftowed upon him great part of Ar¬ 
menia. While CaTar was engaged in a war with the 
Egyptians, Pharnaces, king of Pontus, invaded Cappa¬ 
docia, and ftripped Ariobarzanes of all his dominions; 
but Ctefar, having defeated Pharnaces, reftored the law¬ 
ful king, and honoured him with new titles of friencHhip. 
After the murder of Caefar, Ariobarzanes, having re- 
fufed to join Brutus and Caffius, was declared an enemy 
to the republic, and foon after taken prifoner and'put to 
death. He was fucceeded by his brother Ariobarzanes 
III. who was by Marc Antony deprived both of iiis king¬ 
dom and life; and in him-ended the family of Ariobarzanes.. 
Archelaus, grandfon of the genera! of that name, who 
commanded againlt Sylla in the Mithridatic wet, was by- 
Marc Antony placed on the throne of Cappadocia, though 
nowife related either to the family of Pharnaces or Arid-- 
barzanes. His prefermeut was entirely owing to his mo- 
