rvices upon Izates; and consequently there was no necessity for the
war to be renewed. The bones of Izates were conveyed to the holy soil
of Palestine and buried in the vicinity of Jerusalem. Monobazus was
accepted by Volagases as his brother's successor without any apparent
reluctance, and proved a faithful tributary, on whom his suzerain could
place complete dependence.

The quarrel with Izates, and the war with the Dahee and Sacse, may have
occupied the years A.D. 52 and 53. At any rate it was not till A.D. 54,
his fourth year, that Volagases resumed his designs against Armenia.
Rhadamistus, though he had more than once had to fly the country, was
found in possession as king, and for some time he opposed the progress
of the Parthian arms; but, before the year was out, despairing of
success, he again fled, and left Volagases to arrange the affairs of
Armenia at his pleasure. Tiridates was at once established as king, and
Armenia brought into the position of a regular Parthian dependency.
The claims of Rome were ignored. Volagases was probably aware that the
Imperial throne was occupied by a mere youth, not eighteen years old,
one destitute of all warlike tastes, a lover of music and of the arts,
who might be expected to submit to the loss of a remote province without
much difficulty. He therefore acted as if Rome had no rights in this
part of Asia, established his brother at Artaxata, and did not so
much as send an embassy to Nero to excuse or explain his acts. These
proceedings caused much uneasiness in Italy. If Nero himself cannot
be regarded as likely to have felt very keenly the blow struck at the
prestige of the Empire, yet there were those among his advisers who
could well understand and appreciate the situation. The ministers of the
young prince resolved that efforts on the largest scale should be made.
Orders were at once issued for recruiting the Oriental legions, and
moving them nearer to Armenia; preparations were set on foot for
bridging the Euphrates; Antiochus of Commagene, and Herod Agrippa II.,
were required to collect troops and hold themselves in readiness to
invade Parthia; the Roman provinces bordering upon Armenia were placed
under new governors; above all, Corbulo, regarded as the best general
of the time, was summoned from Germany, and assigned the provinces of
Cappadocia and Galatia, together with the general superintendence of the
war for retaining possession of Armenia. At the same time instr