ite demand were
added certain vague threats, or boasts, to the effect that he was
the rightful master of all the territory that had belonged of old to
Macedonia or Persia, and that it was his intention to resume possession
of the provinces, whereto, as the representative of Cyrus and Alexander,
he was entitled. He is said to have even commenced operations against
Cappadocia, which was an actual portion of the Roman Empire, when he
found that Tiberius, so far from resenting the seizure of Armenia,
had sent instructions to Vitellius, that he was to cultivate peaceful
relations with Parthia. Apparently he thought that a good opportunity
had arisen for picking a quarrel with his Western neighbor, and was
determined to take advantage of it. The aged despot, hidden in his
retreat of Capreae, seemed to him a pure object of contempt; and he
entertained the confident hope of defeating his armies and annexing
portions of his territory.

[Illustration: PLATE 2.]

But Tiberius was under no circumstances a man to be wholly despised.
Simultaneously with the Parthian demands and threats intelligence
reached him that the subjects of Artabanus were greatly dissatisfied
with his rule, and that it would be easy by fomenting the discontent to
bring about a revolution. Some of the nobles even went in person to Rome
(A.D. 35), and suggested that if Phraates, one of the surviving sons of
Phraates IV., were to appear under Roman protection upon the banks of
the Euphrates, an insurrection would immediately break out. Artabanus,
they said, among his other cruelties had put to death almost all the
adult males of the Arsacid family; a successful revolution could not be
hoped for without an Arsacid leader; if Tiberius, however, would
deliver to them the prince for whom they asked, this difficulty would be
removed, and there was then every reason to expect a happy issue to
the rebellion. The Emperor was not hard to persuade; he no doubt argued
that, whatever became of the attempt and those engaged in it, one result
at least was certain--Artabanus would find plenty of work to occupy him
at home, and would desist from his foreign aggressions. He therefore
let Phraates take his departure and proceed to Syria, glad to meet the
danger which had threatened him by craft and policy rather than by force
of arms.

Artabanus soon became aware of the intrigue. He found that the
chief conspirators in Parthia were a certain Sinnaces, a nobleman
distinguis