o disgusted the more powerful classes of his subjects
that he had lost his crown and been forced to become a fugitive in a
foreign country. He was not prepared to affront this danger a second
time. Still, his attachment to the new doctrine was not shaken; he held
the views propounded to be true, and was not ashamed to confess himself
an unwavering adherent of the communistic prophet. He contrived,
however, to reconcile his belief with his interests by separating the
individual from the king. As a man, he held the views of Mazdak; but, as
a king, he let it be known that he did not intend to maintain or support
the sectaries in any extreme or violent measures. The result was that
the new doctrine languished; Mazdak escaped persecution and continued to
propagate his views; but, practically, the progress of the new opinions
was checked; they had ceased to command royal advocacy, and had
consequently ceased to endanger the State; they still fermented among
the masses, and might cause trouble in the future; but for the present
they were the harmless speculations of a certain number of enthusiasts
who did not venture any more to carry their theories into practice.

Kobad had not enjoyed the throne for more than a year before his
relations with the great empire on his western frontier became troubled,
and, after some futile negotiations, hostilities once more broke out. It
appears that among the terms of the peace concluded in A.D. 442 between
Isdigerd II. and the younger Theodosius, the Romans had undertaken
to pay annually a certain sum of money as a contribution towards the
expenses of a fortified post which the two powers undertook to maintain
in the pass of Derbend, between the last spurs of the Caucasus and the
Caspian. This fortress, known as Juroi-pach or Biraparach, commanded the
usual passage by which the hordes of the north were accustomed to issue
from their vast arid steppes upon the rich and populous regions of the
south for the purpose of plundering raids, if not of actual conquests.
Their incursions threatened almost equally Roman and Persian territory,
and it was felt that the two nations were alike interested in preventing
them. The original agreement was that both parties should contribute
equally, alike to the building and to the maintaining of the fortress;
but the Romans were so occupied in other wars that the entire burden
actually fell upon the Persians. These latter, as was natural, made from
time to tim