tice, burst into tears, and flung his crown on the ground. After this
he fell into a profound melancholy, ceased to care for the exercise of
power, and in a short time died. His death is ascribed by the Orientals
to his mental sufferings; but the statement of a Christian bishop throws
some doubt on this romantic story. Eutychius, Patriarch of Alexandria,
tells us that, before Kobad had reigned many months, the plague broke
out in his country. Vast numbers of his subjects died of it; and among
the victims was the king himself, who perished after a reign which is
variously estimated at six, seven, eight, and eighteen months.

There seems to be no doubt that a terrible pestilence did afflict Persia
at this period. The Arabian writers are here in agreement with Eutychius
of Alexandria, and declare that the malady was of the most aggravated
character, carrying off one half, or at any rate one third, of the
inhabitants of the provinces which were affected, and diminishing the
population of Persia by several hundreds of thousands. Scourges of this
kind are of no rare occurrence in the East; and the return of a mixed
multitude to Persia, under circumstances involving privation, from
the cities of Asia Minor, Syria, and Palestine, was well calculated to
engender such a calamity.

The reign of Kobad II. appears from his coins to have lasted above a
year. He ascended the throne in February, A.D. 628; he probably died
about July, A.D. 629. The coins which are attributed to him resemble in
their principal features those of Ohosroes II. and Artaxerxes III., but
are without wings, and have the legend _Kavat-Firuz_. The bordering
of pearls is single on both obverse and reverse, but the king wears a
double pearl necklace. The eye is large, and the hair more carefully
marked than had been usual since the time of Sapor II. [PLATE XXIV.,
Figs. 2 and 3].

At the death of Kobad the crown fell to his son, Artaxerxes III., a
child of seven, or (according to others) of one year only. The nobles
who proclaimed him took care to place him under the direction of a
governor or regent, and appointed to the office a certain Mihr-Hasis,
who had been the chief purveyor of Kobad. Mihr-Hasis is said to have
ruled with justice and discretion; but he was not able to prevent the
occurrence of those troubles and disorders which in the East almost
invariably accompany the sovereignty of a minor, and render the task
of a regent a hard one. Shahr-Barz, who had