PER 
grandife himfelf at the expenfe of the neighbouring bar¬ 
barous fovereigns, till death clofed his career A. D. 272, 
after a reign of about 31 years. 
Hormifdas, his fon, who fucceeded him, appears to 
have been a prince of a pacific difpofition. It was during 
his reign that the Palmyrenians incurred the difpleafure 
of Aurelian, by aflerting their right of creating emperors, 
and inverting one Antiochus with the royal purple. 
But, as Hormifdas prudently refufed to interfere, he ef- 
caped the Roman vengeance, and died in peace, after pof- 
feffing the government one year and ten days. 
Of Varanes, who next afcended the throne, we have no 
fatisfaflory account, except that he enjoyed the regal dig¬ 
nity for the fpace of three years without receiving any 
difturbance from the Romans, or attempting to extend 
the limits of his empire. 
VaranesII. meditated an invafion oftheRoman provinces 
on his firftacceflion (A. D. 277.) but the approach of the 
emperor Probus induced him to abandon his defign, and 
fue for peace. Some time after he began to think of re¬ 
covering fome of the provinces which had been wrefted 
from his anceftors; but this intention was alfo fruftrated 
by domeftic troubles, and the exertions of Carus, fuccef- 
for to Probus, who entered Mefopotamia, and, furmount¬ 
ing all oppofition, advanced beyond Ctefiphon, as if he 
defigned the entire reduction of that province. However, 
the Perfians were delivered from their fears by the death 
of Carus, and the retreat of the Roman army. Varanes 
now improved the abfence of the enemy, by applying 
himfelf to the fortification of his frontiers; but, on his 
again attempting an invafion of the neighbouring pro¬ 
vinces, Dioclefian marched a numerous body of troops 
into Armenia, and effectually terrified him from the exe¬ 
cution of his projeft. Soon after this tranfaCtion the Per r 
lian monarch died, A. D. 294, after an unfortunate reign 
of feventeen years. 
Varanes III. is honoured, by hiftorians, with the epithet 
of SeganJ'aa, or King of the Segans; but the occurrences 
of his reign are parted over in filence, and, at the expira¬ 
tion of four months, he was fucceeded by Narfes, a prince 
of great abilities and refolution. 
The diftraCted ftate of the Roman empire prefented a 
fair opportunity for the recovery of all thofe provinces 
which originally belonged to the Perfians. Narfes accor¬ 
dingly led a numerous army into Mefopotamia, 3nd re¬ 
duced feveral places of importance ; but his progrefs was 
i'oon checked by Galerius, who advanced againft him 
with a confiderable body of forces, defeated him in two 
engagements, and followed him to the centre of his own 
kingdom. The Perfian, however, aCted with fuch cir- 
cumfpeCtion, and kept fo drift an eye upon his purfuers, 
that he at length retrieved his credit by a fuccefsful at¬ 
tack, and effectually revenged his recent Ioffes. Galerius, 
having with much difficulty prevailed on Dioclefian to 
truft him with the command of another army, haftened 
to expiate his difgrace, by the deftruCtion of Narfes ; and 
the Perfian king affembled a numerous body of chofen 
cavalry to maintain his conquefts. When the armies 
came within fight of each other, Galerius made a difpo¬ 
fition for beating up his enemy’s quarters 5 and this plan 
was executed fo fuccefsfully, that the Perfians were en¬ 
tirely routed : the royal treafures, baggage, papers, &c. 
fell into the hands of Galerius; the queen, concubines, 
and other relatives of the king, were taken prifoners; 
and Narfes himfelf was compelled to flee, with a fin all 
remnant of his troops, to the adjacent mountains. Over¬ 
whelmed with grief at this fad reverfe of fortune, and 
confcious of his inability to raife a freflt army, the van- 
quifhed prince was compelled to purchafe a difhonourable 
peace; whillt his concubines, fifters, and other perfons of 
quality, were doomed to grace a Roman triumph. 
Thefe heavy calamities occafioned the death of Narfes, in 
the feventh year of his reign. 
Hormifdas II. next lucceeded to the government, 
which he enjoyed about feven years and five months; 
S I A. G65 
but none of his aftions were fufficiently interefting to 
claim the attention of pofterity. 
Sapor II. pofthumous fon of Hormifdas II. was born 
in 310. He had the Angular fortune of being declared 
king before his birth ; for, at his father’s death, when 
the ambition of the princes of royal blood was excited by 
the want of an heir apparent, the Magi ventured to af- 
fert not only the pregnancy of the widow but that (lie 
had conceived a fon; and the fatraps in confequence 
paid homage to their unborn fovereign. During the mi¬ 
nority of Sapor, his capital was plundered by Thair, an 
Arabian prince, who carried away the king’s aunt; but 
this infult w'as revenged by him as foon as he came to the 
age of maturity, and Thair and his people fell beneath 
his arms. The moderate ufe he made of this vidlory 
caufed him to be acknowledged by the Arabs the protec¬ 
tor of their nation. The inftigation of the Magi induced 
Sapor to become a perfecutor of his Chriftian lubjefts, 
whom thofe jealous rivals rendered fufpefted to him 
(probably not without reafon) as being more attached to 
the emperor Conftantine than to himfelf. 
It was Sapor’s early wifli to recover from the Romans 
the provinces they poffeffed beyond the Tigris; and, for 
the ptirpofe of gaining information of the military 
ftrength of the empire, he fent a folemn embafly to Con- 
ftantinople under pretext of renewing the peace between 
the two nations. This was amicably received by Con¬ 
ftantine, who returned a letter, in which he pleaded with 
the Perfian king in favour of the Chriftians ; and it is af¬ 
firmed that his admonitions were effeftual in obtaining 
better treatment for them. Sapor, however, gave fuch 
indications of his intention to make good his claims 
upon the provinces that once were a part of the Perfian 
dominions, that Conftantine is faid to have been prepa¬ 
ring for an expedition into the Eaft when death put a 
period to his defigns. Immediately upon this event, Sa¬ 
por broke into the Roman border, laid fiege to Nifibis, 
and made himfelf inafter of feveral important fortreffes in 
Mefopotamia. The death of Tiridates in Armenia de¬ 
prived the Romans of a firm ally, and eventually ren¬ 
dered that country dependent upon Perfia. In along 
feries of actions on the Roman and Perfian borders, be¬ 
tween Conftantius and Sapor, the arms of the latter had 
generally the advantage, as the numerous Perfian cavalry 
could perform all their evolutions without impediment in 
the plains of Mefopotamia. At the battle of Singara, 
however, in 348, the Romans put the Perfians to flight, 
and took pofleflion of their camp, a fon of Sapor’s being 
made prifonerin the purfuit, and inhumanly maflacred; 
but in the end the Perfians rallied and repulfed the Ro¬ 
mans with great (laughter. Nine viftories in the field 
were claimed by Sapor; but he was unable by his utmoft 
efforts, in three different attempts, to make himfelf maf- 
ter of the ftrong city of Nifibis (formerly conquered by 
Sapor I.) which was defended with infuperable conftancy 
by its Chriftian inhabitants. With the ufual contempt 
of human life, the Perfian monarch urged the third fiege 
amidft dreadful Ioffes, till he was called away by an inva¬ 
fion of his eaftern provinces by the Maffagelae. Againft; 
thefe barbarians he fought with fuccefs, and in the mean¬ 
time he attempted to negociate a peace with the Roman 
emperor; but his claims were fo high, that no treaty 
could be agreed upon. The fubfequent civil wars in the 
Roman empire gave Sapor an advantageous opportunity 
of again parting the boundaries 5 and in 359 he crofted the 
Tigris with a mighty lioft, and laid fiege to Amida. 
This place, after a vigorous defence, was carried by ftorm, 
and all its remaining inhabitants were maflacred, or fent 
into fiavery. The capture of Singara and Bezabdejfol- 
lowed, and Conftantius himfelf advanced to flop the pro¬ 
grefs of the Perfians; but nothing memorable occurred 
during the reft of the campaign. 
Sapor was principally employed in fecuring his con¬ 
quefts, till the acceffion of Julian to the empire. The 
martial reputation that prince had acquired induced the 
Perfian 
