and wiped out the memory of his disgraces by the brilliant victory of
Nisibis and the glorious peace which he made with Macrinus, Artaxerxes
may have found that he had gone too far to recede; or, undazzled by the
splendor of these successes, he may still have judged that he might
with prudence persevere in his enterprise. Artabanus had suffered great
losses in his two campaigns against Rome, and especially in the three
days' battle of Nisibis. He was at variance with several princes of his
family, one of whom certainly maintained himself during his whole reign
with the State and title of "King of Parthia." Though he had fought
well at Nisibis, he had not given any indications of remarkable military
talent. Artaxerxes, having taken the measure of his antagonist during
the course of the Roman war, having estimated his resources and formed
a decided opinion on the relative strength of Persia and Parthia,
deliberately resolved, a few years after the Roman war had come to an
end, to revolt and accept the consequences. He was no doubt convinced
that his nation would throw itself enthusiastically into the struggle,
and he believed that he could conduct it to a successful issue. He felt
himself the champion of a depressed, if not an oppressed, nationality,
and had faith in his power to raise it into a lofty position. Iran,
at any rate, should no longer, he resolved, submit patiently to be the
slave of Turan; the keen, intelligent, art-loving Aryan people should no
longer bear submissively the yoke of the rude, coarse, clumsy Scyths. An
effort after freedom should be made. He had little doubt of the result.
The Persians, by the strength of their own right arms and the blessing
of Ahuramazda, the "All-bounteous," would triumph over their impious
masters, and become once more a great and independent people. At the
worst, if he had miscalculated, there would be the alternative of
a glorious death upon the battle-field in one of the noblest of all
causes, the assertion of a nation's freedom.