202

THE DECLINE AND FALL

CHAP.

XIX.

“ same conditions of peace which he had indig-" nantly rejected at the time when his power“ was contracted within the narrow limits of“ the East: the chance of arms was uncertain;“ and Sapor should recollect, that if the Ro-“ mans had sometimes been vanquished in bat-“ tie, they had almost always been successful“ in the event of the war.’’ A few days afterthe departure of Narses , three ambassadorswere sent to the court of Sapor, who was al-ready returned from the Scythian expedition tohis ordinary residence of Ctesiphon . A count,a notary, and a sophist, had been selected forthis important commission; and Constantins,who was secretly anxious for the conclusion ofthe peace, entertained some hopes that the dig-nity of the first of these ministers, the dexterityof the second, and the rhetoric of the third/would persuade the Persian monarch to abateof the rigour of his demands. But the progressof their negociation was opposed and defeatedby the hostile arts of Antoninus / a Roman sub-ject of Syria , who had fled from oppression, andwas admitted into the councils of Sapor, andeven to the royal table, where, according to thecustom of the Persians , the most important bu-

c Ammianns, xvii, 5, and Valesius ad loc. The sophist, or philoso-pher (in that age these words were almost synonymous), was Eustathins the Cappadocian, the disciple of Jamblichus , and the friend ofSt. Basil. Knnapius (in Vit. /Edcsii, p. 44-47) fondly attributes to thisphilosophic ambassador the glory of enchanting the barbarian king bythe persuasive charms of reason and eloquence. See Tillemont, Hist,des Empereurs , torn, iv, p. 829-1132.

d Ammian . xviii, 5, 0, 8. The decent and respectful behaviour ofAntoninus towards the Roman general sets him in a very interestinglight; and Antmianus himself speaks of the traitor with some compas-sion aud esteem.