P A R T H I A. 
gefes, having no enemy to contend with at home, fell 
unexpectedly upon Armenia; furprifed the legions there; 
and, having cut them all in pieces to a man, entered Syria; 
defeated with great daughter Attilius Cornelianus, go¬ 
vernor of that province ; and advanced without oppofition 
to the neighbourhood of Antioch ; putting every-where 
the Romans, and thofe who favoured them, to the fword. 
Hereupon the emperor Verus, by the advice of his col¬ 
league Antoninus furnamed the Philofopher, leaving 
Rome, haftened into Syria: and, having driven the Par- 
fhians out of that province, ordered Statius Prifcus to 
invade Armenia, and CalTius with Martius Verus to enter 
the Parthian territories, and carry the war into the enemy’s 
country. Prifcus made himfelf raafter of Artaxata ; and 
in one campaign drove the Parthians, though not without 
great lofs on his fide, quite out of Armenia. Caflius, on 
the other hand, having in feveral encounters defeated 
Vologefes, though he had an army of 400,000 men under 
his command, reduced, in four years time, all thofe pro¬ 
vinces which had formerly fubmitted to Trajan, took 
Seleucia, burnt and plundered the famous cities of Baby¬ 
lon and Ctefiphon, with the ftately palaces of the Parthian 
monarchs,and ftruck terrorinto the moll remote provinces 
of that great empire. On his return, he loft above half the 
number of his forces by ficknefs and famine; fo that, after 
all, the Romans, as Spartianus obferves, had no great 
reafon to boaft of their victories and conquefts. 
However, Verus, who had never ftirred during the 
-whole time of the war from Antioch and Daphne, took 
upon him the lofty titles of Partitions and Armenians, as 
if he had acquired them juftly in the midft of his plea- 
fures and debaucheries. After the revolt and death of 
Caflius, Antoninus the Philofopher repaired into Syria, 
to fettle the affairs of that province. On his arrival there, 
he was met by ambaffadors from Vologefes ; who, having 
recovered moft of the provinces fubdued by Caflius, and 
being unwilling either to part with them or engage in a 
new war, foiicited the emperor to confirm him in the pof- 
fefiicn of them, promifing to hold them of him, and to 
acknowledge the fovereignty of Rome. To thefe terms 
Antoninus readily agreed, and a peace was accordingly 
concluded between the two empires; which Vologefes 
did not long enjoy, being foon after carried off by a dif- 
temper, (and not murdered by his own fubjeCts, as we 
read in Conftantinus Manaffes, who calls him Belegefcs.) 
Upon his death, Vologefes III. the foil of his brother 
Sanatruces, and grandfon of Cofroes, was raifed to the 
throne. He fided with Nigeragainft the emperor Severus: 
who thereupon, having fettled matters at home, marched 
with all his forces againft him ; and, advancing to the 
city of Ctefiphon, whither he had retired, laid clofe fiege 
to that metropolis. Vologefes made a moft gallant defence: 
but the city, after a long fiege, and much bloodflied on 
both fides, was at length taken by aflault. The king’s 
treafures, with his wives and children, fell into the em¬ 
peror’s hands,- but Vologefes himfelf had the good luck 
to make his efcape ; which was a great difappointment to 
Severus, who immediately difpatched an exprefs to ac¬ 
quaint the fenate with the fuccefs that had attended him 
in his expedition againft the only nation that was then 
formidable to Rome. But he had no fooner crofted the 
Euphrates, than Vologefes recovered all the provinces, 
except Mefopotamia, which he had reduced. Thefe ex¬ 
peditions were chargeable to the Romans, and coft them 
much blood, without reaping any advantages from them ; 
for, as they had not fuflicient forces to keep in awe the 
provinces they had fubdued, the inhabitants, greatly at¬ 
tached to the family of Arfaces, never failed to return to 
their ancient obedience as foon as the Roman armies were 
withdrawn. Vologefes was foon after engaged in a war 
ftill more troublefome and deftru&ive, with his brother 
Artabanus, who, encouraged by fome of the difcontented 
nobles, attempted to rob him of the crown, and place it 
on his own head. Vologefes gained feveral vidftories over 
Vol. XVIII. No. 1272. 
657 
his brother and rebellious fubjefts, but died before he 
could reftore the empire to its former tranquillity. 
Artabanus, who had a numerous army at his devotion, 
did not meet with any oppofition in feizing the’throne, 
vacant by the death of his brother, though Tiridates had 
a better title to it, as being his elder brother. He had 
fcarcely fettled the affairs of his kingdom, when the em¬ 
peror Caracalla, delirous to fignalize himfelf, as fome of 
his- predeceffors had done, by fome memorable exploit 
againft the Parthians, fent a folemn embaffy to him, defi¬ 
ring his daughter in marriage. Artabanus, overjoyed at 
this propofal, which he thought would be attended with 
a lafting peace between the two empires, received the am¬ 
baffadors with all poffible marks of honour, and readily 
complied with their requeft. Soon after, Caracalla fent a 
fecond embaffy to acquaint the king that he was coming 
to folemnize the nuptials ; whereupon Artabanus went 
to meet him, attended with the chief of the nobility, and 
his beft troops, all unarmed, and in moft pompous habits : 
but this peaceable train no fooner approached the Roman 
army, than the foldiers, on a fignal given them, falling 
upon the king’s retinue, made a moft terrible (laughter of 
the unarmed multitude, Artabanus himfelf efcaping with 
great difficulty. The treacherous Caracalla, having 
gained by this exploit great booty, and, as he thought, 
no lefs glory, wrote a long and boafting letter to the fe¬ 
nate, affuming the title of Parthicus for this piece of 
treachery; as he had before that of Germanicus, for mur¬ 
dering, in like manner, fome of the German nobility. 
Artabanus, refolving to make the Romans pay dear for 
their inhuman and barbarous treachery, raifed the moft 
numerous army that had ever been known in Parthia, 
crofted the Euphrates, and entered Syria, putting all to 
fire and fword. But, Caracalla being murdered before 
this invafion, Macrinus, who had fucceeded him, met the 
Parthians at the head of a mighty army, compofed of 
many legions, and all the auxiliaries of the ftates of Afia. 
The two armies no fooner came in fight of each other, 
but they engaged with the utmoft fury. The battle con¬ 
tinued tw-o days ; both Romans and Parthians fighting fo 
obftinately, that night only parted them, without any ap¬ 
parent ad vantage on either fide; though both retired when 
night had put an end to the conteft, crying, “ Viflory, 
victory !” The field of battle was covered with dead bo¬ 
dies, there being already above 40,000 killed, including 
Romans and Parthians: neverthelefs Artabanus was 
heard to fay, that the battle was only begun, and that 
he would continue it till either the Parthians or Romans 
were all to a man cut in pieces. But Macrinus, being 
well apprifed that the king was highly enraged againft 
Caracalla in particular, and dreading the confequences 
which would attend the deftruftion of his army, fent a 
herald to Artabanus, acquainting him with the death of 
Caracalla, and propofingan alliance between the two em¬ 
pires. The king, underftanding that his great enemy 
was dead, readily embraced the propofals of peace and 
amity, upon condition that ail the priioners who had been 
taken by the treachery of Caracalla ftiould be immediately 
reftored, and a large lum of money paid him to defray the 
expenfes of the war. Thefe articles being performed 
without delay or hefitation, Artabanus returned into Par¬ 
thia, and Macrinus to Antioch. 
But, as Artabanus had loft on this occafion the flower 
of his army, Artaxerxes,a Perfian of mean defcent, but 
of great courage and experience in war, revolting from 
the Parthians, prevailed on his countrymen to join him, 
and attempt the recovery of the fovereign power, which 
he faid they had been unjuftly deprived of, firft by the 
Macedonians, and afterwards by the Parthians their vaf- 
fals. Artabanus, upon the news of this revolt, marched 
with the whole ftrength of the kingdom to fupprel's it; 
but, being met by Artaxerxes at the head of a no-lefs 
powerful arm)'’, a bloody battle enfued, which is faid to 
have lafted three days. At length the Parthians, though 
8 E they 
