on in the past, and which
retained the liveliest remembrance of its ancient glories. This is
evidenced not only by the grand claims which Artaxorxes put forward
in his early negotiations with the Romans, but by the whole course of
Persian literature, which has fundamentally an historic character, and
exhibits the people as attached, almost more than any other Oriental
nation, to the memory of its great men and of their noble achievements.
The countrymen of Cyrus, of Darius, of Xerxes, of Ochus, of the
conquerors of Media, Bactria, Babylon, Syria, Asia Minor, Egypt, of the
invaders of Scythia and Greece, aware that they had once borne sway
over the whole region between Tunis and the Indian Desert, between the
Caucasus and the Cataracts, when they saw a petty mountain clan, like
the Hyrcanians, establish and maintain their independence despite the
efforts of Parthia to coerce them, could not very well remain quiet. If
so weak and small a race could defy the power of the Arsacid monarchs,
much more might the far more numerous and at least equally courageous
Persians expect to succeed, if they made a resolute attempt to recover
their freedom.

It is probable that Artaxerxes, in his capacity of vassal, served
personally in the army with which the Parthian monarch Artabanus carried
on the struggle against Rome, and thus acquired the power of estimating
correctly the military strength still possessed by the Arsacidae, and of
measuring it against that which he knew to belong to his nation. It
is not unlikely that he formed his plans during the earlier period of
Artabanus's reign, when that monarch allowed himself to be imposed upon
by Caracallus, and suffered calamities and indignities in consequence
of his folly. When the Parthian monarch atoned for his indiscretion
and wiped out the memory of his disgraces by the brilliant victory of
Nisibis and the glorious peace which he made with Macrinus, Artaxerxes
may have found that he had gone too far to recede; or, undazzled by the
splendor of these successes, he may still have judged that he might
with prudence persevere in his enterprise. Artabanus had suffered great
losses in his two campaigns against Rome, and especially in the three
days' battle of Nisibis. He was at variance with several princes of his
family, one of whom certainly maintained himself during his whole reign
with the State and title of "King of Parthia." Though he had fought
well at Nisibis, he had not given any