to relations with Rome, which
gladly welcomed any adhesions to her cause in this remote region.

Sapor's second war with Rome was, like his first, provoked by himself.
After concluding his peace with Philip he had seen the Roman world
governed successively by six weak emperors, of whom four had died
violent deaths, while at the same time there had been a continued series
of attacks upon the northern frontiers of the empire by Alamanni, Goths,
and Franks, who had ravaged at will a number of the finest provinces,
and threatened the absolute destruction of the great monarchy of the
West. It was natural that the chief kingdom of Western Asia should note
these events, and should seek to promote its own interests by taking
advantage of the circumstances of the time. Sapor, in A.D. 258,
determined on a fresh invasion of the Roman provinces, and once more
entering Mesopotamia carried all before him, became master of Nisibis,
Carrhae, and Edessa, and, crossing the Euphrates, surprised Antioch,
which was wrapped in the enjoyment of theatrical and other
representations, and only knew its fate on the exclamation of a couple
of actors that "the Persians were in possession of the town!" The aged
Emperor, Valerian, hastened to the protection of his more eastern
territories, and at first gained some successes, retaking Antioch, and
making that city his head-quarters during his stay in the East.

But after this the tide turned. Valerian intrusted the whole conduct of
the war to Macrianus, his praetorian prefect, whose talents he admired,
and of whose fidelity he did not entertain a suspicion. Macrianus,
however, aspired to the empire, and intentionally brought Valerian into
difficulties in the hope of disgracing or removing him. His tactics were
successful. The Roman army in Mesopotamia was betrayed into a situation
whence escape was impossible and where its capitulation was only a
question of time. A bold attempt made to force a way through the enemy's
lines failed utterly, after which famine and pestilence began to do
their work. In vain did the aged Emperor send envoys to propose a peace
and offer to purchase escape by the payment of an immense sum in gold.
Sapor, confident of victory, refused the overture, and, waiting
patiently till his adversary was at the last gasp, invited him to a
conference, and then treacherously seized his person. The army
surrendered or dispersed. Macrianus, the praetorian prefect, shortly
assumed the titl