maljcan malka, mazdisn, bagi, ramashtri_, "Bahram, king of kings,
Ormazd-worshipping, divine, peaceful." [PLATE XXIII, Fig. 2.]

The later coins follow closely the type of his predecessor, Hormisdas
IV., differing only in the legend, which is, on the obverse, _Varahran
afzun_, or "Varahran (may he be) greater;" and on the reverse the
regnal year, with a mint-mark. The regnal year is uniformly "one;" the
mint-marks are Zadracarta, Iran, and Nihach, an unknown locality. [PLATE
XXIII., Fig 3.]

CHAPTER XXIV.

_Second Reign of Chosroes II. (Eberwiz). His Rule at first Unpopular,
His Treatment of his Uncles, Bindoes and Bostam. His vindictive
Proceedings against Bahram. His supposed Leaning towards Christianity.
His Wives, Shirin and Kurdiyeh. His early Wars. His Relations with the
Emperor Maurice. His Attitude towards Phocas. Great War of Chosroes with
Phocas, A.D. 603-610. War continued with Heraclius. Immense Successes
of Chosroes, A.D. 611-620. Aggressive taken by Heraclius A.D. 622. His
Campaigns in Persian Territory A.D. 622-628. Murder of Chosroes. His
Character. His Coins_.

The second reign of Chosroes II., who is commonly known as Chosroes
Eberwiz or Parwiz, lasted little short of thirty-seven years--from the
summer of A.D. 591 to the February of A.D. 628. Externally considered,
it is the most remarkable reign in the entire Sassanian series,
embracing as it does the extremes of elevation and depression. Never at
any other time did the Neo-Persian kingdom extend itself so far, or
so distinguish itself by military achievements, as in the twenty years
intervening between A.D. 602 and A.D. 622. Seldom was it brought so low
as in the years immediately anterior and immediately subsequent to
this space, in the earlier and in the later portions of the reign whose
central period was so glorious.

Victorious by the help of Rome, Chosroes began his second reign amid the
scarcely disguised hostility of his subjects. So greatly did he mistrust
their sentiments towards him that he begged and obtained of Maurice the
support of a Roman bodyguard, to whom he committed the custody of his
person. To the odium always attaching in the minds of a spirited people
to the ruler whose yoke is imposed upon them by a foreign power, he
added further the stain of a crime which is happily rare at all times,
and of which (according to the general belief of his subjects) no
Persian monarch had ever previously been guilty. It was i