ARM 
ing to fall upon them at a more convenient opportunity; 
but they, having entered into alliance with the Romans, 
by that means fecured themfelves in the poireflion of the 
kingdom. After this, Artaxias was defeated and taken 
pril'oner by Antiochus Epiphanes; but was afterwards re- 
itored to his kingdom. 
From this time we meet with a chafm in the Armenian 
hiftory for feventy years; during which all we know is, 
that Tigranes, the king’s fon, was delivered up as an hof- 
tage to the Parthians; from whence it is plain, that the 
Armenians had been carrying on an unfuccefsful war with 
that nation. On the news of his father’s death, however, 
the Parthians fet the young king at liberty, having firft 
obliged him to give up a confiderable part of his kingdom 
by way of ranfom. Tigranes, thus reltored to his father’s 
kingdom, entered into an alliance with Mithridates Eupa- 
tor, againft the Romans. One of the articles of this treaty 
was, that Mithridates ftiould have the conquered coun¬ 
tries, and Tigranes the captives and plunder. In confe- 
quence of this, Tigranes was to invade Cappadocia, which 
he had lately been obliged, by a decree of the fenate of 
Rome, to give up to Ariobarzanes. But, before thefe 
princes took the field, a marriage was fojemnized between 
Tigranes and Cleopatra, the daughter of Mithridates. 
Immediately after the nuptials, Tigranes fet out on his 
intended expedition ; and Ariobarzanes, on the firft news 
of his march, abandoned his kingdom and fled to Rome. 
Thus Tigranes, without fighting a battle, enriched him- 
felf w ith the booty, and proclaimed Ariarathes, Mithri- 
dates’s fon, king of Cappadocia. 
In the mean time the Syrians, harafTed with a long and 
inteftine war of the Seleucidas, invited Tigranes to come 
and take polfellion of their country ; which lie accordingly 
did, and kept it for eighteen years. Encouraged by this 
fuccefs, he next invaded Armenia Minor; defeated and 
killed king Artanes, and in one campaign made himfelf 
matter of the whole kingdom. From Armenia Minof\he 
marched againft the Afiatic Greeks, the Adiabenians, the 
AfTyrians, and the Gordians, carrying all before him, and 
obliging the'people wherever lie came to acknowledge him 
as their fovereign. From this fecond expedition he return¬ 
ed loaded with booty, which he foon after increafed by 
the fpoils of Cappadocia ; which kingdom he invaded a 
fecond time, at the inltance of Mithridates, who had been 
obliged by the Romans to withdraw his forces from thence. 
From Cappadocia, Tigranes brought into Armenia no lefs 
than 300,000 captives, having furrounded the country with 
his numerous forces in fuch a manner that none could 
efcape. Thefe, with the prifoners he had taken in his 
two firft expeditions, lie employed in building the city of 
Tigranocerta, which they afterwards peopled. 
In the interim Mithridates, who had concluded a peace 
with the Romans for no other end than to gain time, fent 
a folemn embafTy to Tigranes, inviting him to enter into a 
fecond alliance againft tiie common enemy. This he at 
firft declined ; but in the end was prevailed upon by his 
wife Cleopatra to fend him confiderable fupplies, though 
he never came heartily into the war, not caring to provoke 
the Romans, who on their part kept fair with him, taking 
no notice for the prefent of the fupplies he had fent Mith¬ 
ridates. That unfortunate prince, being foon after defeated 
by Luculius, was forced to fly into Armenia, where his 
fon-in-law promifed to proteft his perfon, and allotted him 
one of his caftles, a princely retinue, and a table fuitable 
to his former condition. 
Though this total overthrow of Mithridates might have 
opened the eyes of Tigranes, and induced him to oppofe 
the growing power of the Romans, he neverthelefs differed 
them to finifh their conqueft of Pontus, while he marched 
at the head of a very numerous army againft the Parthians, 
with a defign to recover the dominions they had formerly 
extorted from him before they fet him at liberty. Thefe 
lie eafily retook; and, not fatisfiedwith what formerly be¬ 
longed to him, he added to them all Mefopotamia, the 
countries that lay about Ninus and Arbela, and the’fruit - 
E N I A. tg$ 
ful province of Migdonia; for the Parthians, though a 
mighty people, fled every where before him. From Me- 
fopotamia he marched into Syria, to quell a rebellion 
which had been railed by Cleopatra, l'urnamed Selene ; 
who, after the death of her liulband Antiochus Pius, 
reigned jointly with her fons in that part of Syria which 
Tigranes had not feized upon. The malcontents were 
quickly reduced, and the queen herfelf was taken prifo- 
ner, and confined to the caftle of Seleucia, where (lie was 
put to death by the king’s orders. From Syria, Tigranes 
palfed into Phoenice, which he fubdued in great part, 
Spreading far and wide the terror of his arms, infonuicli 
that all the princes of Afia, except thofe who were in al¬ 
liance with the Romans, either in perfon or by deputies, 
fubmitted and paid homage to the conqueror. 
The king having now fubdued all Syria to the borders 
of Egypt, and being elated with a long courfe of profper- 
ous events, began, as is too often the cafe, to look upon 
himfelf as far above the level of other crowned heads. He 
alfumed the title of king of kings, and had many kings 
waiting upon him as fervants. He never appeared on 
horfeback without the attendance of four kings drelfed in 
livery, who ran by his horfe; and, when he gave anfwers 
to the nations that applied to him, the ambafladors flood 
on either (ide the throne with their hands clafped together, 
that attitude being then accounted among the orientals 
the greateft acknowledgment of vaflalage and fervitude. 
In the midft of all this hauteur, he was vilited by an am- 
baflador from Luculius the Roman general, who without 
ceremony told him, that he was fent to demand Mithri ■ 
dates king of Pontus, who had taken refuge in his domi¬ 
nions ; and, in cafe of his refufal, to denounce war againft; 
him. Tigranes returned a mild anfwer to this meflage ; 
but refufed to deliver up his father-in-law ; and, being 
highly provoked at Luculius, for not giving him the title 
of king of kings in his letter, he did not lb much as be- 
ft6w upon him the title of general in his anfwer. In the 
mean time, being informed that Zarbienus king of the 
Gordians had entered into a private alliance with the Ro¬ 
mans, lie put him, his wife, and children, to death ; and, 
then returning into Armenia, received a vilit from his fa¬ 
ther-in-law Mithridates, whom to that time he had not 
feen, though he had refided a year and eight months in 
his dominions. They had feveral private conferences ; 
and at laft Mithridates was fent back to Pontus with 
10,000 horfe, to raife there what fticcours lie could. 
Luculius, on the other hand, hearing of the king’s re- 
folution to protect Mithridates, began his march for Ar¬ 
menia, at the head of only two legions of foot and 3000 
horfe, having left 6000 men in Pontus to keep that coun¬ 
try quiet. After palling the Euphrates, he detached two 
parties ; one to beliege a city, where he heard Tigranes’* 
treafure and concubines were kept ; and the other under 
Sextilius, to block up Tigranocerta, in order to compel 
the king to a battle. But Tigranes, after having put to 
death the fcout that brought him intelligence of the ap¬ 
proach of the Romans, made towards mount Taurus-, 
which he had appointed for the place of the general ren¬ 
dezvous. The Roman general then difpatched Muraena 
in purfuit of the king ; who, having overtaken him in a 
narrow pafs, defeated him, and, befides all the baggage, 
carried off a great many prifoners, the king himfelf having 
fled in the beginning of the fkirmifli. After this, he fent 
out feveral parties to fcour the country, in order to pre¬ 
vent the innumerable forces of Tigranes from joining into 
one body. This, however, he was not able to effect: Ti¬ 
granes was joined by fuch numbers of Gordians, Medes, 
Adiabenians, Albanians, Iberians, &-c. that, before he left 
mount Taurus, his army confided, according to Plutarch, 
of 150,000 foot, 35,000 pioneers, 20,000 archers and (ling¬ 
ers, and 55,000 horfe. 
Luculius was fo far from being difmayed at this formi¬ 
dable army, that the only fear he had was left the king 
fhould follow the advice of Mithridates, which was not to 
engage the Romans, but, by ravaging the country, dill refs 
them 
