le to
ravage it at his will; but a Roman force soon gathered to its defence,
and after some manoeuvres a pitched battle was fought on the Araxes, in
which the Persian general suffered a defeat. The military results of
the check were insignificant; but it led to an internal revolution.
Hormisdas had grown jealous of his too successful lieutenant, and was
glad of an opportunity to insult him. No sooner did he hear of Bahram's
defeat than he sent off a messenger to the camp upon the Araxes, who
deprived the general of his command, and presented to him, on the part
of his master, a distaff, some cotton, and a complete set of women's
garments. Stung to madness by the undeserved insult, Bahram retorted
with a letter, wherein he addressed Hormisdas, not as the son, but as
the daughter of Chosroes. Shortly afterwards, upon the arrival of a
second messenger from the court, with orders to bring the recalcitrant
commander home in chains, Bahram openly revolted, caused the envoy to
be trampled upon by an elephant, and either by simply putting before the
soldiers his services and his wrongs, or by misrepresenting to them the
intentions of Hormisdas towards themselves, induced his whole army with
one accord to embrace his cause.

The news of the great general's revolt was received with acclamations
by the provinces. The army of Mesopotamia, collected at Nisibis, made
common cause with that of Albania; and the united force, advancing on
the capital by way of Assyria, took up a position upon the Upper Zab
river. Hormisdas sent a general, Pherochanes, to meet and engage the
rebels; but the emissaries of Bahram seduced his troops from their
allegiance; Pherochanes was murdered; and the insurgent army, augmented
by the force sent to oppose it, drew daily nearer to Ctesiphon.
Meanwhile Hormisdas, distracted between hate and fear, suspecting every
one, trusting no one, confined himself within the walls of the capital,
where he continued to exercise the severities which had lost him the
affections of his subjects. According to some, he suspected his son,
Chosroes, of collusion with the enemy, and drove him into banishment,
imprisoning at the same time his own brothers in-law, Bindoes and
Bostam, who would be likely, he thought, to give their support to their
nephew. These violent measures precipitated the evils which he feared;
a general revolt broke out in the palace; Bostam and Bindoes, released
from prison, put themselves at the head of t