7

Pacurius, being overjoyed at what had been done, having sent some of his own trusted men to Arsaces and having given him pledges, summoned the 1.5.14 man. And when Arsaces came to him, he both deemed him worthy of all other friendliness and 1.5.15 held him as a brother on equal and like terms. And at that time, having bound Arsaces by the most fearsome oaths and having himself sworn no less that truly for the future Persians and Armenians would be well-disposed and allies to each other, he straightaway let him go to his ancestral home. 1.5.16 And not much time later, some slandered Arsaces, as if he wished to attempt some new enterprise. Pacurius, being persuaded by these things, summoned him again, suggesting that it was his concern to communicate something with him about the whole situation. 1.5.17 And he, delaying not at all, came to him, bringing with him both others of the most warlike among the Armenians and Bassicius, who was both his general and his advisor; for he had reached the highest point in both courage and 1.5.18 intelligence. Straightaway, then, Pacurius reproached and reviled them both, Arsaces and Bassicius, for having disregarded what they had sworn and so quickly looking to revolt. But they both denied and most persistently swore that they had planned nothing of the sort for themselves. 1.5.19 So at first Pacurius kept them in disgrace, and then he inquired of the Magi 1.5.20 what he should do to them. But the Magi in no way thought it right to condemn those who were denying and had not been explicitly convicted, but they told him a certain suggestion, so that Arsaces himself might be forced to accuse himself openly. 1.5.21 For they ordered the floor of the royal tent to be covered with earth, one half from the land of the Persians, and the other half from Armenia. And the king did accordingly. 1.5.22 Then indeed the Magi, having taken hold of the whole tent with certain spells, ordered the king to walk about there with Arsaces, accusing him of having violated the agreements and oaths. 1.5.23 And that they themselves should also be present at the conversation. For thus they would be witnesses of all the words. At any rate, Pacurius, having summoned Arsaces, made walks back and forth in the tent with him, while the Magi were present with them there, and he inquired of the man for what reason indeed, having disregarded what had been sworn, he should then attempt to wear down both Persians and 1.5.24 Armenians again with incurable evils; But Arsaces, as long as the conversation took place in the area where the soil from the Persian land lay, both denied it and, confirming it with the most fearsome oaths, 1.5.25 insisted that he was a faithful slave of Pacurius; but when, while speaking, he arrived at the middle of the tent, where they had stepped on the earth of Armenia, there, compelled I know not by what, he suddenly shifts these words to a bolder tone, and threatening both Pacurius and the Persians he no longer held back, but he promised to take vengeance on them for this outrage, as soon as he might become master of himself. 1.5.26 And saying these things and behaving boisterously he made the whole walk, until turning back he again came to the earth from the Persian land. For there again, as if singing a kind of recantation, he was both a suppliant and uttered some piteous words to Pacurius. 1.5.27 But when he came again to the Armenian soil, he resorted to threats. And having thus changed many times to either side, he hid none of his secrets. 1.5.28 Then indeed the Magi condemned him for having wronged both the treaties and the oaths. And Pacurius, having flayed the skin of Bassicius and having made it into a wineskin and having filled it all with chaff, hanged it on a certain very high tree. 1.5.29 Arsaces, however, (for he could by no means kill a man who was of royal blood) he imprisoned in the fortress of Oblivion. 1.5.30 And later in time, a certain one of the Armenians who was among the closest associates of Arsaces and among those following him when he went to the Persian lands, campaigned with the Persians as they were going against some barbarian nation; who indeed, being a brave man in this struggle, with Pacurius watching what was being done, 1.5.31 also became most responsible for the victory for the Persians. For which reason, indeed,

7

Πακούριος τοῖς πεπραγμένοις ὑπερησθεὶς, πέμψας παρὰ τὸν Ἀρσάκην τῶν οἱ ἐπιτηδείων τινὰς τά τε πιστά οἱ παρασχόμενος τὸν 1.5.14 ἄνθρωπον μετεπέμψατο. καὶ ἐπεὶ παρ' αὐτὸν Ἀρσάκης ἀφίκετο, τῆς τε ἄλλης αὐτὸν φιλοφροσύνης ἠξίωσε καὶ 1.5.15 ἅτε ἀδελφὸν ἐπὶ τῇ ἴσῃ καὶ ὁμοίᾳ ἔσχε. καὶ τότε μὲν ὅρκοις δεινοτάτοις τόν τε Ἀρσάκην καταλαβὼν καὶ αὐτὸς οὐδέν τι ἧσσον ὀμωμοκὼς ἦ μὴν εὔνους τε καὶ ξυμμάχους Πέρσας τε τὸ λοιπὸν καὶ Ἀρμενίους ἀλλήλοις εἶναι, αὐτίκα δὴ αὐτὸν ἐς τὰ πάτρια ἤθη ἀφῆκεν ἰέναι. 1.5.16 Χρόνῳ δὲ οὐ πολλῷ ὕστερον διέβαλον τὸν Ἀρσάκην τινὲς ὡς δὴ πράγμασι νεωτέροις ἐγχειρεῖν βούλοιτο. οἷσπερ ἀναπεισθεὶς ὁ Πακούριος αὖθις αὐτὸν μετεπέμπετο ὑπειπὼν ὅτι δὴ αὐτῷ τι κοινολογεῖσθαι 1.5.17 ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἐπιμελὲς εἴη. καὶ ὃς οὐδέν τι μελλήσας ἐς αὐτὸν ἦλθεν, ἄλλους τε τῶν ἐν Ἀρμενίοις μαχιμωτάτων ἐπαγόμενος καὶ Βασσίκιον, ὅσπερ αὐτῷ στρατηγός τε καὶ ξύμβουλος ἦν· ἀνδρίας τε γὰρ καὶ 1.5.18 ξυνέσεως ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἀφῖκτο. εὐθὺς οὖν ὁ Πακούριος ἄμφω, τόν τε Ἀρσάκην καὶ Βασσίκιον, πολλὰ ὀνειδίζων ἐκάκιζεν, εἰ τὰ ὀμωμοσμένα ἠλογηκότε οὕτω δὴ τάχιστα ἐς ἀπόστασιν ἴδοιεν. οἱ δὲ ἀπηρνοῦντό τε καὶ ἀπώμνυον ἐνδελεχέστατα μηδὲν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς 1.5.19 βεβουλεῦσθαι τοιοῦτο. τὰ μὲν οὖν πρῶτα ὁ Πακούριος αὐτοὺς ἐν ἀτιμίᾳ ἐφύλασσεν, ἔπειτα δὲ τῶν μά1.5.20 γων ἀνεπυνθάνετο ὅ τί οἱ ποιητέα ἐς αὐτοὺς εἴη. οἱ δὲ μάγοι τῶν μὲν ἀρνουμένων καὶ οὐ διαρρήδην ἐληλεγμένων καταγινώσκειν οὐδαμῆ ἐδικαίουν, ὑποθήκην δὲ αὐτῷ τινα ἔφραζον, ὅπως ἂν Ἀρσάκης αὐτὸς ἄντι1.5.21 κρυς αὑτοῦ κατηγορεῖν ἀναγκάζοιτο. τὸ γὰρ τῆς βασιλικῆς σκηνῆς ἔδαφος κόπρῳ καλύπτειν ἐκέλευον, ἥμισυ μὲν ἐκ τῆς Περσῶν χώρας, θάτερον δὲ ἥμισυ ἐκ τῆς Ἀρμενίας. καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς κατὰ ταῦτα ἐποίει. 1.5.22 τότε δὴ οἱ μάγοι τὴν σκηνὴν ὅλην μαγείαις τισὶ καταλαβόντες ἐκέλευον τὸν βασιλέα ξὺν τῷ Ἀρσάκῃ τοὺς περιπάτους ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖσθαι, ἐπικαλοῦντα τοῖς τε 1.5.23 ξυγκειμένοις καὶ ὀμωμοσμένοις λυμήνασθαι. δεῖν δὲ καὶ αὐτοὺς τῷ διαλόγῳ παραγενέσθαι. οὕτω γὰρ ἂν τῶν λόγων μάρτυρες ἁπάντων εἶεν. αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁ Πακούριος τὸν Ἀρσάκην μεταπεμψάμενος διαύλους ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ ξὺν αὐτῷ ἐποιεῖτο, παρόντων σφίσιν ἐνταῦθα τῶν μάγων, καὶ ἀνεπυνθάνετο τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὅτου δὴ ἕνεκα τὰ ὀμωμοσμένα ἠλογηκὼς εἶτα Πέρσας τε καὶ 1.5.24 Ἀρμενίους αὖθις τρίβειν ἀνηκέστοις κακοῖς ἐγχειροίη· ὁ δὲ Ἀρσάκης, ἕως μὲν ἐν τῷ χώρῳ οἱ λόγοι ἐγίνοντο οὗ δὴ ὁ χοῦς ἐκ γῆς τῆς Περσίδος ἐπέκειτο, ἀπηρνεῖτό τε καὶ ὅρκοις τοῖς δεινοτάτοις πιστούμενος ἀν1.5.25 δράποδον ἰσχυρίζετο εἶναι Πακουρίου πιστόν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ μεταξὺ λέγων ἐς τῆς σκηνῆς τὸ μέσον ἀφῖκτο, ἵνα δὴ κόπρου τῆς Ἀρμενίας ἐπέβησαν, ἐνταῦθα οὐκ οἶδα ὅτῳ ἀναγκασθεὶς λόγους μὲν τούτους ἐπὶ τὸ θρασύτερον ἐξαπιναίως μεταβιβάζει, ἀπειλῶν δὲ τῷ τε Πακουρίῳ καὶ Πέρσαις οὐκέτι ἀνίει, ἀλλὰ τίσασθαι αὐτοὺς ἐπηγγέλλετο ὕβρεως τῆσδε, ἐπειδὰν αὐτὸς αὑτοῦ 1.5.26 τάχιστα κύριος γένοιτο. καὶ ταῦτα λέγων τε καὶ νεανιευόμενος ἐποιεῖτο τὸν περίπατον ὅλον, ἕως ἀναστρέψας ἐς κόπρον αὖθις τὴν ἐκ γῆς τῆς Περσίδος ἀφίκετο. ἐνταῦθα γὰρ πάλιν ὥσπερ τινὰ παλινῳδίαν ᾄδων ἱκέτης τε ἦν καὶ οἰκτρούς τινας τῷ Πακουρίῳ 1.5.27 προὔφερε λόγους. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐς χοῦν αὖθις τὸν Ἀρμενίων ἦλθεν, ἐς τὰς ἀπειλὰς ἀπεχώρησε. καὶ πολλάκις οὕτω μεταβληθεὶς ἐφ' ἑκάτερα ἔκρυψε τῶν οἱ ἀπορ1.5.28 ρήτων οὐδέν. τότε δὴ οἱ μὲν μάγοι κατέγνωσαν αὐτοῦ ἔς τε τὰς σπονδὰς καὶ τοὺς ὅρκους ἠδικηκέναι. Πακούριος δὲ Βασσικίου μὲν τὸ δέρμα ἐκδείρας ἀσκόν τε αὐτὸ πεποιημένος καὶ ἀχύρων ἐμπλησάμενος ὅλον 1.5.29 ἀπεκρέμασεν ἐπὶ δένδρου τινὸς ὑψηλοῦ λίαν. τὸν μέντοι Ἀρσάκην (ἀποκτεῖναι γὰρ ἄνδρα τοῦ βασιλείου αἵματος ὄντα οὐδαμῆ εἶχεν) ἐν τῷ τῆς Λήθης φρουρίῳ καθεῖρξε. 1.5.30 Χρόνῳ δὲ ὕστερον τῶν τις Ἀρμενίων τῷ τε Ἀρσάκῃ ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα ἐπιτηδείων καί οἱ ἐπισπομένων ἐς τὰ Περσῶν ἤθη ἰόντι, Πέρσαις ἐπί τι ἔθνος ἰοῦσι βαρβαρικὸν ξυνεστράτευσεν· ὃς δὴ ἀνήρ τε ἀγαθὸς ἐν τῷ πόνῳ τούτῳ, ὁρῶντος Πακουρίου τὰ ποιούμενα, 1.5.31 γέγονε καὶ τῆς νίκης αἰτιώτατος Πέρσαις. διὸ δὴ