Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-10-15

His reign lasted nearly half century
after Nisibis, and to the last of his days
his courage. nobility. aud justice made
him an object of alteration to his subjects
But heroes seldom breed heroes. his
son, Chosrocs III, proved a weakling who
yielded to some polytheistic clanor for
the emulsion of the Christian priests. and
tamely accented ignominous terms i'm
posed by Sapor, such us the paying of
tribute and the restitution of Atropatene,
the goodly province which the yalor of
Tiridates and the triumphant arms of
Galerius had annexed to Armenia.
The Roman empire and the Persian
kingdom renewed their gigantic game of
chess. ilnging back and forth their usunl
pawn!
When Sapor. in 3O3, dictated humilia-
ting terms TO Joyian, stipulating for the
return OF all that Narses had yielded up at
Nislbis, and subJoining the shameless
clause that the Empire should forever
abandon the King ana Kingdom OF Arme-
MA, the unworthy monarch whom tickle
army had lifted up 10 succeed imperial
Julian, further degraded himself by acced-
ing to each demand, and gratefully giving
thanks Tor his free pass home.
But the thirty years truce agreed upon
Mt Durh lasted briefly, the Romans soon
violating treaty so ignobly made. Sapor
once again lnnlcted the penalty OIL Roman
perfdy upon Armenia, reducing II to the
state OF PERSIAN province ana carrying
the King Tigranes to Ecbatana, there TO
end ms lie OF misery In the rover of
oblivion.
what need to trace further the success
sive steps which led TO the downfall and
partition OF the doomed country? The
adventures of Para, who seems the last
truly regal Inquire in the Arsacid line, con-
stitute chapter of romantic and tragic
interest. But we cannot turn aside here
TO follow it; for events hurry MS the final
| crash approaches.
We have marked that from the day
| when Roman and Parthian standards
first hostilcly met in the Euphratcs valley,
Armenia was varyingly oppressed by foes.
ana protectors equally as formidable. A
province oil Persia at the close of the
fourth century, she hastcGed her own dis
| integration: for while Ch0srocs reigned
over the eastern and more extensive part
III the name OF the Persian monarch, the
| western portion, under Arsnccs Nv, ac-
knowledged the oyerlOrdshp and claimed
the protection of the Christian princes of
Constantinople. Shortly after, Tlieolosi,is
the Great treated with Persia, and the two
| powers agreed to permanent DISRUPTION
| oil the poor plaything that had so often
served their humor for quarrcling The
eastern par, thence called by the signil-
cant name of Persarmenia, was coded to
the Great King. 42S A. d.. while the west
ern was annexed TO the Roman Empire.
The Persian monarch kept figure-hea,l
king playing mt rule over his share for a
time; but Bahram V, on some whimsical
provocation, degraded the last Arsacid
from royal dignity, and the blood which
had flowed through kingly veins for five
hundred and eighty years, thenccforth
warmed rather sorry satraps and tribute
gatherers The Armenian kingdom was
forever at an end!
But the Territory was mt done with hat
tle-scenes and loathly carnage The tirst
caliplyof the Ommayads gained possession
of the province for Islam soon aftel
Mohammed had established his religion
of fire and sword in Western Asia. The
dwindling successors of Sapor and Ball,
| ram, grasping tightly a morsel of persnr
mena. let the rest slip loose in order Il
keep the emperors of Constantinople and
the Moslem caliphs busy uuarreling owe,
it while Persia should pursue her private
ends. Through two hundred years The
standards of the Cross and the Crescent
Haunted in hostile encounter over almos
every acre of this little strip Of EARTH
now Islam victorious, now the Christian
princes. Justinian III fought so strongl,
that he drove the caliph into a disadyantn
geous treaty. But the emperor himself
finally broke this when the Ommayad sem