le; and when
Theodosius, to his honor, indignantly rejected the demand, they had
orders to protest against the emperor's decision, and to threaten him
with their master's vengeance.

It happened that at the time there were some other outstanding disputes,
which caused the relations of the two empires to be less amicable than
was to be desired. The Persians had recently begun to work their gold
mines, and had hired experienced persons from the Romans, whose services
they found so valuable that when the period of the hiring was expired
they would not suffer the miners to quit Persia and return to their
homes. They are also said to have ill-used the Roman merchants who
traded in the Persian territories, and to have actually robbed them of
their merchandise.

These causes of complaint were not, however, it would seem, brought
forward by the Romans, who contented themselves with simply refusing
the demand for the extradition of the Christian fugitives, and
refrained from making any counter-claims. But their moderation was not
appreciated; and the Persian monarch, on learning that Rome would
not restore the refugees, declared the peace to be at an end, and
immediately made preparations for war. The Romans had, however,
anticipated his decision, and took the field in force before the
Persians were ready. The command was entrusted to a general bearing the
strange name of Ardaburius, who marched his troops through Armenia into
the fertile province of Arzanene, and there defeated Narses, the leader
whom Varahran had sent against him. Proceeding to plunder Arzanene,
Ardaburius suddenly heard that his adversary was about to enter the
Roman province of Mesopotamia, which was denuded of troops, and seemed
to invite attack. Hastily concluding his raid, he passed from Arzanene
into the threatened district, and was in time to prevent the invasion
intended by Narses, who, when he found his designs forestalled, threw
himself into the fortress of Nisibis, and there stood on the defensive.
Ardaburius did not feel himself strong enough to invest the town; and
for some time the two adversaries remained inactive, each watching the
other. It was during this interval that (if we may credit Socrates) the
Persian general sent a challenge to the Roman, inviting him to fix time
and place for a trial of strength between the two armies. Ardaburius
prudently declined the overture, remarking that the Romans were not
accustomed to fight battles when th