brother. It seems on the whole most probable that the
Greeks and Armenians are right and we may suppose that Perozes, having
no son whom he could trust to take his place when he quitted his capital
in order to take the management of the Ephthalite war, put the regency
and the guardianship of his children into the hands of his brother,
Valakhesh, who thus, not unnaturally, became king when it was found that
Perozes had fallen.

The first efforts of the new monarch were of necessity directed towards
an arrangement with the Ephthalites, whose signal victory over Perozes
had laid the north-eastern frontier of Persia open to their attack.
Balas, we are told, employed on this service the arms and arts of
an officer named Sukhra or Sufraii, who was at the time governor of
Seistan. Sukhra collected an imposing force, and conducted it to the
Ephthalite border, where he alarmed Khush-newaz by a display of his own
skill with the bow. He then entered into negotiations and obtained the
release of Firuz-docht, of the Grand Mobed, and of the other important
prisoners, together with the restoration of a large portion of the
captured booty, but was probably compelled to accept on the part of his
sovereign some humiliating conditions. Procopius informs us that, in
consequence of the defeat of Perozes, Persia became subject to the
Ephthalites and paid them tribute for two years; and this is so probable
a result, and one so likely to have been concealed by the native
writers, that his authority must be regarded as outweighing the silence
of Mirkhond and Tabari. Balas, we must suppose, consented to become an
Ephthalite tributary, rather than renew the war which had proved fatal
to his brother. If he accepted this position, we can well understand
that Khush-newaz would grant him the small concessions of which the
Persian writers boast; while otherwise the restoration of the booty and
the prisoners without a battle is quite inconceivable.

Secure, so long as he fulfilled his engagements, from any molestation in
this quarter, Balas was able to turn his attention to the north-western
portion of his dominions, and address himself to the difficult task of
pacifying Armenia, and bringing to an end the troubles which had now
for several years afflicted that unhappy province. His first step was
to nominate as Marzpan, or governor, of Armenia, a Persian who bore
the name of Nikhor, a man eminent for justice and moderation. Nikhor,
instead of attacki