KHOSROO PURVIZ. 
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emplify the belief of the Magi, “ That fire is the light, and light 
is God.” 
The sovereign to whom my explanation of the inscription 
attributes it, was one of the most celebrated of the Sassanian 
race; namely, Khosroo Purviz, or Kosroe Parviz, as the name 
is variously spelt. His loves, and marriage with the beautiful 
Shereen or Shirene, (said to have been a daughter of the Em¬ 
peror Maurice,) have produced much ground-work for Persian 
romance. He was the son of the unfortunate Hormuz III.; and 
was indebted to his father-in-law, the emperor of the Romans, 
for his re-instatement in the throne of his ancestors ; hence, it is 
not improbable that in compliment to his imperial benefactor, 
he mingled the form of the Roman eagle with that of his Persian 
diadem. His subsequent conquests and cruelties, and persecu¬ 
tions of the Christians, elevated his pride to so extreme an ex¬ 
cess, that, almost believing himself a god, the extravagancies 
and enormities of the latter part of his reign are hardly to be 
credited. In the year of our Lord 628, he fell a victim to the 
ambition of his son Schirouch, perishing miserably. 
No. 7. On this piece of money, we find the head of a prince, 
wearing a crown not unlike that of the first Shapoor, with the 
addition of wings ; an attribute of Persian royalty, probably 
first assumed by the Sassanian race. The face of the sovereign 
on this coin, is of a singularly fine and expressive outline, but 
the legend is too nearly erased to be intelligible. The reverse 
bears an altar, without any letters at all, but it is supported as 
usual by two figures. From the mutilation of the inscription, 
we can only guess at the prince to whom it might refer ; and by 
certain peculiarities in the design, I should be led to suppose it 
the coinage of Raharam Choubeen, the insulted general of Hor- 
VOL. II. 
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