an, who consigned him to the Castle of Oblivion,
and placed his brother, Varabran-Sapor, upon the Armenian throne. These
events seem to have fallen into the year A.D. 391, the third year of
Varahran, who may well have felt proud of them, and have thought that
they formed a triumph over Rome which deserved to be commemorated.

The character of Varahran IV. is represented variously by the native
authorities. According to some of them, his temper was mild, and his
conduct irreproachable. Others say that he was a hard man, and so
neglected the duties of his station that he would not even read the
petitions or complaints which were addressed to him. It would seem that
there must have been some ground for these latter representations, since
it is generally agreed that the cause of his death was a revolt of
his troops, who surrounded him and shot at him with arrows. One shaft,
better directed than the rest, struck him in a vital part, and he fell
and instantly expired. Thus perished, in A.D. 399, the third son of the
Great Sapor, after a reign of eleven years.

CHAPTER XIII.

_Accession of Isdigerd I. Peaceful Character of his Reign. His Alleged
Guardianship of Theodosius II. His leaning towards Christianity, and
consequent Unpopularity with his Subjects. His Change of view and
Persecution of the Christians. His relations with Armenia. II. Coins.
His Personal Character. His Death._

Varahran IV. was succeeded (A.D. 399) by his son, Izdikerti or Isdigerd
I. whom the soldiers, though they had murdered his father, permitted to
ascend the throne without difficulty. He is said, at his accession, to
have borne a good character for prudence and moderation, a character
which he sought to confirm by the utterance on various occasions of
high-sounding moral sentiments. The general tenor of his reign was
peaceful; and we may conclude therefore that he was of an unwarlike
temper, since the circumstances of the time were such as would naturally
have induced a prince of any military capacity to resume hostilities
against the Romans. After the arrangement made with Rome by Sapor III.
in A.D. 384, a terrible series of calamities had befallen the empire.
Invasions of Ostrogoths and Franks signalized the years A.D. 386 and
388; in A.D. 387 the revolt of Maximus seriously endangered the western
moiety of the Roman state; in the same year occurred an outburst of
sedition at Antioch, which was followed shortly by the more dangerous
s