PERSIA. 
Roman arrny, compelled the Perfians to (hut themfelves 
up in Petra, which was immediately inverted on one fide 
by Gubazes, and on the other by the Romans. Chof¬ 
roes, receiving intelligence of this tranfa&ion, command¬ 
ed Mermeroes, one of his mod experienced officers to 
liaften with a fuitable force to the relief of Petra. Mer- 
ineroes accordingly fet out for Colchis, at the head of a 
numerous army; and, having carried the ftraits of Chifu- 
r«e, which the Romans had left too flenderly guarded, ad¬ 
vanced direCtly to the city, where he found the garrifon 
reduced to the moft pitiable condition, nine hundred men 
only remaining out of five thoufand, ancj the dead bodies 
being piled up againft the walls of the citadel, that the 
enemy might not be acquainted with fo fatal a lofs. The 
walls being now broken in many parts, and the whole 
place in a manner dilapidated, the Romans regarded the 
approach of Mermeroes as nothing more than a flight re¬ 
prieve; however, he contrived to reinforce the garrifon, 
and put the citadel in a better ftate of defence. Having 
effected thispurpofe, the Perfian general marched toward 
Iberia, in expectation of procuring an ample fupply of 
provifions for his army. Here he encamped, with a rapid 
river behind him, fuppofing the fituation extremely fe- 
cure; but Gubazes, having devifed a method of eroding 
the ftream, came upon him unexpectedly, and, together 
with the Romans, made a dreadful (laughter. Mermeroes, 
however, repaired the miftake by his future caution, and, 
during the remainder of his life, prefervedthe fuperiority 
of the Perfian arms; but his fuccert’or, Nachoraganus, 
aCted with fo little prudence, that, after a long and ex- 
penfive war, Chofroes was compelled to conclude a peace 
with the emperor. Gubazes having been treacheroufly 
afiaflinated during the hoftilities, his fubjeCts were de¬ 
prived of their liberties, and Nachoraganus was con¬ 
demned to be flayed alive for his ill conduCt. 
During thefe tranfaCtions in the weftern parts of his 
empire, Chofroes and his fon Hormouz, or Hormifdas, 
were alfo bufily engaged in military operations on the 
eaftern borders. The Euthalites were expelled from 
their ufurpations on the Perfian frontier; and the great 
khan of the Turks, who had burft like a torrent into the 
midft of Perfia, was defeated by Hormouz, and obliged to 
retire with precipitation. Chofroes concluded his hofti- 
lity with the khan by a treaty, and the marriage of his 
daughter. He moreover fubdued the Hyrcanian rebels, 
conquered the provinces of Cabul and Zableftan on the 
Indus, and received ambafladors from the greateft poten¬ 
tates of the Eaft, at his fplendid palace of Madain, or 
Ctefiphon, one of the wonders of that part of the w'orld. 
In the midft of his profperity he had the mortification of 
feeing one of his fons in rebellion, by name Nufttizad, 
the fon of a Chriftian captive. This prince’s attachment 
to his mother’s religion had caufed his father, who 
dreaded religious difputes in his empire, to keep him in 
a mild confinement. From this the prince had efcaped, 
and, drawing together an army, raifed the ftandard of re¬ 
bellion ; but in an engagement with the general fent 
againft him by his father, he loft his life. 
Chofroes, after his fuccefsful expedition to India, 
marched to the oppofite quarter of his wide dominions, 
and entered Arabia Felix, in which country he difpof- 
lefl'ed many ufurpers of their illegal power, reftored the 
ancient lords, and ufed the people with Rich kindnefs 
that he obtained from them the title of al Malek, or the 
Juft. 
Towards the clofe of Juftinian’s reign, Chofroes was 
attacked with a dangerous difeafe, from which he fought 
relief from the phyficians of Conftantinople, whole aid he 
borrowed of the emperor. This friendly intercourfe, 
however, did not prevent the renewal of hoftilities be¬ 
tween the two empires foon after the accefiion of Juftin, 
in which that emperor appears to have been the aggreifor. 
Chofroes, then in a very advanced age, took the field, 
and reduced and facked the principal cities of Mefopota- 
669 
mia and Syria; after a fpirited refiftance, he made himfelf 
mafter of the ftrong fortrefs of Dara, which he garri- 
foned. Thefe Ioffes caufed the imperial court to folicit 
for an accommodation, and at length, after the receipt 
of an expoltulatory letter from the emprefs Sophia, Chof¬ 
roes contented to a truce for three years, excepting only 
the province of Armenia, w’hich had firft occafioned the 
war. 
Early next fpring the Perfian monarch prepared to en¬ 
ter Armenia, defigning to penetrate into Cappadocia, to re¬ 
duce Caefarea, and Rich other cities as he deemed worthy of 
notice. Tiberius, who had nowfucceeded to the empire, 
fent an embafly to difluade him from this expedition, and 
to make propofals for a durable peace; but Chofroes re- 
fufed to admit the ambafladors to his prefence, haughtily 
obferving, they might follow him to Caefarea, where he 
fhould find leifure to attend to their propofals. This 
rough behaviour fo irritated the Romans, that they re- 
folved to give him battle, having aflembled a powerful 
army, in cafe they fliould be compelled to enter upon 
hoftilities. Chofroes, hearing of their determination, re¬ 
garded it as a proof of their rafhnefs, and quickened his 
march, as if defirous of the engagement; but when he 
perceived the excellent difeiplineof his opponents, and 
the admirable difpofition of their cavalry, he heaved a 
deep figh, and feemed much affefted. Custius, a Scy¬ 
thian, having commenced the attack on the left wing of 
the army, the adverfe forces immediately joined in clofe 
engagement, and difputed the victory with intrepid gal¬ 
lantry, but at length the Romans were victorious; and 
the Perfians, having loft the facred fire, and the royal 
treafures, retired, overwhelmed with (harne and confu- 
fion. 
Next evening Chofroes received intelligence that his 
enemies were divided into feparate encampments; upon 
which he fallied out againft one of them at midnight, 
routed them with great (laughter, and, having fet a vil¬ 
lage on fire behind their camp, marched with all poftible 
expedition toward the Euphrates, that he might crofs over 
into his own dominions. However, the Roman general pur- 
fued him with fuch celerity, that he was reduced to the 
Decertify of parting the river on an elephant, and had the 
mortification to fee many of his braved foldiers perifti in 
the general confuiion. After this occurrence, the Ro¬ 
mans took up their winter-quarters in the Perfian pro¬ 
vinces; and Chofroes was fo deeply affeCted by his ill 
fuccefs, that, on his arrival at Seleucia, he fickened and 
died, after he had held the reins of government forty- 
eight years, A.D. 579. 
Chofroes pofl'efi'ed many of thofe qualities which confer 
fplendour on a defpotic lovereign, and in fome meafure 
juftify the high veneration with which his memory is to 
this day regarded in the Eaft. His love of juftice was pro¬ 
verbial, though it was a juftice which did not exclude aCts 
of cruelty and ingratitude towards thofe who incurred his 
fufpicion or thwarted his will. He was a munificent en- 
couragerof the ufeful and ornamental arts, and'paid great 
attention to the inftruCtion of his fubjeCis. He founded 
academies for literature and the fciences, and caufed 
tranflations to be made into the Perfian of the moft cele¬ 
brated writers of Greece and India. He himfelf obtained 
the reputation of proficiency in moral and philofophical 
(Indies; and a report of this kind which reached Greece 
obtained him a vifit from feven fages who adhered to the 
religion and philofophy of antiquity. They were difap- 
pointed in their wild expectation of feeing the republic 
of Plato realifed in the court of an eaftern defpot, and. re¬ 
turned to their own country ; but Chofroes deferved pure 
praife for the generofity with which he infilled, in a treaty 
with Juftinian, upon their exemption from the penal laws 
ena&ed againft the remaining profeftbrs of paganifin. 
The oriental hiftorians, who delight to dwell on the glo¬ 
ries of the reign of Nuftiirvan, aferibe to him the com¬ 
pletion of the great wall of Jagouge and Magouge, com- 
3 mencing 
