e
latter and not the former in the enumeration of the consuls. In the
course of his efforts to take vengeance on the Armenian king with least
trouble to himself, he asked the hand of his daughter, pretending to want
to unite her in marriage to his son Alexander; he sent on this errand one
Quintus Deillius, who had once been a favorite of his, and promised to
give the monarch many gifts. Finally, at the beginning of spring, he came
suddenly into Nicopolis (founded by Pompey) and sent for him, stating
that he wanted to deliberate on and execute with his aid some measures
against the Parthians. The king suspecting the plot did not come, so he
sent Deillius to have another talk with him and marched with undiminished
haste toward Artaxata. In this way, after a long time, partly by
persuading him through friends, and partly by scaring him through his
soldiers, and writing and acting toward him in every way as thoroughly
friendly, he induced him to come into his camp. Thereupon the Roman
arrested him and at first keeping the prince without bonds he led him
around among the garrisons with whom his treasures were deposited, to see
if he could win them without a struggle. He made a pretence of having
arrested him for no other purpose than to collect tribute of the
Armenians that would ensure both his preservation and his sovereignty.
When, however, the guardians of the gold would have nothing to do with
him and the troops under arms chose Artaxes, the eldest of his children,
king in his stead, Antony bound him in silver chains. It seemed
disgraceful, probably, for one who had been a king to be made fast in
iron bonds. [-40-] After this, capturing some settlements peaceably and
some by force, Antony occupied all of Armenia, for Artaxes after fighting
an engagement and being worsted retired to the Parthian prince. After
doing this he betrothed to his son the daughter of the Median king with
the intention of making him still more his friend; then he left the
legions in Armenia and went once more to Egypt, taking the great mass of
booty and the Armenian with his wife and children. He sent them ahead
with the other captives for a triumph held in Alexandria, and himself
drove into the city upon a chariot, and among the other favors he granted
to Cleopatra he brought before her the Armenian and his family in golden
bonds. She was seated in the midst of the populace upon a platform plated
with silver and upon a gilded chair. The barbarians