the Senate of Seleukeia, however, Æsopus[92] appeared to be a wise
man, when they saw Surena with the wallet of Milesian obscenities in
front of him, and dragging behind him a Parthian Sybaris in so many
waggons full of concubines, in a manner forming a counterpart to those
vipers and skytalæ[93] so much talked of, by presenting the visible
and the front parts formidable and terrific, with spears, and bows,
and horses, but in the rear of the phalanx, terminating in harlots,
and rattling cymbals, and lute-playing, and nocturnal revels with
women. Rustius, indeed, merits blame, but the Parthians were shameless
in finding fault with the Milesian stories; for many of the kings who
have reigned over them, as Arsakidæ, have been the sons of Milesian
and Ionian concubines.

XXXIII. While this was going on, Hyrodes happened to have been
reconciled to Artavasdes the Armenian, and had agreed to receive the
sister of Artavasdes as wife to his son Pacorus: and there were
banquets and drinking-parties between them, and representations of
many Greek plays; for Hyrodes was not a stranger either to the Greek
language or the literature of the Greeks: and Artavasdes used to write
tragedies, and speeches, and histories, some of which are preserved.
When the head of Crassus was brought to the door, the tables were
taken away, and a tragedy actor Jason,[94] by name, a native of
Tralles, chanted that part of the Bacchæ[95] of Euripides which
relates to Agave. While he was receiving applause. Sillakes, standing
by the door of the apartment, and making a reverence, threw the head
of Crassus before the company. The Parthians clapped their hands with
shouts of joy and the attendants, at the command of the king, seated
Sillakes, while Jason handed over to one of the members of the chorus
the dress of Pentheus, and, laying hold of the head of Crassus, and,
putting on the air of a bacchant, he sung these verses with great