OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

373

Persians was stopped and overtaken in a crowd chap.

of mules and camels laden with honey, the in-.

eident, however slight or singular, will denotethe luxurious impediments of an orientalarmy/

The geography of Persia is darkly delineat- Conquwted by the Greeks and Latins ; but the most il- *. D . 63r-lustrious of her cities appear to be more anci- 651 ’ent than the invasion of the Arabs . By the re-duction of Hamadan and Ispahan, of Caswin,

Tauris, and Rei, they gradually approachedthe shores of the Caspian Sea ; and the oratorsof Mecca might applaud the success and spiritof the faithful who had already lost sight of thenorthern bear, and had almost transcended thebounds of the habitable world. 8 Again turn-ing towards the West and the Roman empire,they repassed the Tigris over the bridge of Mo-sul, and, in the captive provinces of Armenia and Mesopotamia , embraced their victoriousbrethren of the Syrian army. From the palaceof Madayn their eastern progress was not lessrapid or extensive. They advanced along theTigris and the Gulf; penetrated through thepasses of the mountains into the valley of Es-

f See the article of Nehavcnd, in d’Herbelot, p. 667, G68 j and Voy-ages e» Turquie et cn Perse, par Otter , tom, i, p. 191.

6 It is in such a style of ignorance and wonder that the Athenian ora-tor describes the Arctic conquests of Alexander, who never advancedbeyond the shores of the Caspian , A*i£<i»fyoc apxm x«i

‘irafftji; fxtQr.ftiHet. Eschiues contra Ctesiphouteni, tom. iii, p.

554, edit. Grace. Orator. Reiske, This memorable cause was pleadedat Athens, Olymp. cxii, 3, (before Christ 330), in the autumn, (Tayler,pra'fat. p. 370, &c.), about a year after the battle of Arbela; andAlexander, in the pursuit of Darius, was marching towards Hyrcama and Bactriana .