BOOK TWENTY TWO.

THE'

HISTORY OF PONTUS.

SECTION I.

MITHRIDATES ASCENDS THE THRONE OF PONTUS. LIBRARY OF

ATHENS CARRIED TO ROME.

MITHRIDATES, king of Pontus, whose history we are now beginning, and who rendered himself so famous by the war he supported during almost thirty years, against the Romans, was sirnamed Eupator. He descended from a house which had given a long succession of kings to the kingdom of Pontus. The first, according to some historians, was Artabasus, one of the seven princes that slew the Magi, and set the crown of Persia upon the head of Darius Hystaspes, who rewarded him with the kingdom of Pontus. But, besides that we do not find the name of Artabasus amongst these Persians, many reasons induce us to believe that the prince of whom we speak was the son of Darius, the same who is called Artabarzanes, who was competitor with Xerxes for the throne of Persia, and was made king of Pontus either by his

father or his brother, to console him for the preference given to Xerxes. His posterity enjoyed that kingdom during seventeen generations. Mithridates Eupator, of whom we shall treat in this place, was the sixteenth from him.

a He was but twelve years of age when he began to reign. His father, before his death, had appointed him his successor, and had given him his mother for guardian, who was to govern jointly with him. He began his reign by putting his mother and brother to death; and the sequel answered but too well to such a beginning of it. Nothing is said of the first years of his reign, except that one of the Roman generals, whom he had corrupted with money, having surren dered, and put him into possession of Phrygia, it was soon after taken from him by the Romans, which gave birth to his enmity for them.

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Ariarathes, king of Cappadocia, being dead, Mithridates caused the two sons he had left behind him to be put to death, though their mother Laodice was his own sister, and placed one of his own sons, at that time very young, upon the throne, giving him the name of Ariarathes, and appointing Gordius his guardian and regent. Nicomedes, king of Bithynia, who apprehended this increase of power would put Mithridates into a condition to possess himself also of his dominions in time, thought proper to set up a certain young man, who seemed very fit for such a part, as a

a A. M. 3880. Ant. J. C. 124. Appian. in Mithrid. p. 177, 178.

Memnon in Excerptis, Photii. c. 32..

d A. M. 3913. Ant. J. C. 91.

third son of Ariarathes. He engaged Laodice, whom he had espoused after the death of her first husband, to acknowledge him as such; and sent her to Rome, to assist and support by her presence the claim of this pretended son, whom she carried thither along with her. The cause being brought before the senate, both parties were condemned, and a decree passed by which the Cappadocians were declared free. But they said they could not be without a king. The senate permitted them to choose whom they thought fit. They elected Ariobarzanes, a nobleman of their nation. Sylla, upon his quitting the office of pretor, was charged with the commission of establishing him upon the throne. That was the pretext for this expedition; but the real motive of it was, to check the enterprises of Mithridates, whose power, daily augmenting, gave umbrage to the Romans. Sylla executed his commission the following year; and, after having defeated a great number of Cappadocians, and a much greater of Armenians, who came to their aid, he expelled Gordius, with the pretended Ariarathes, and set Ariobarzanes in his place.

e

Whilst Sylla was encamped upon the banks of the Euphrates, a Parthian, named Orobazus, arrived at his camp from king Arsaces, to demand the alliance and amity of the Romans. Sylla received him at his audience, caused three seats to be placed in his tent; one for Ariobarzanes, who was present; another for Orobazus; and that in the midst for himself. The Parthian king afterwards, offended at his deputy for

• A. M. 3914. Ant. J. C. 90.

f This was Mithridates II.

having acquiesced in this instance of the Roman pride, caused him to be put to death. This is the first time the Parthians had any commerce with the Romans.

Mithridates did not dare at that time to oppose the establishment of Ariobarzanes; but dissembling the mortification that conduct of the Romans gave him, he resolved to take an opportunity of being revenged upon them. In the mean while he applied himself in cultivating good alliances for the augmentation of his strength, and began with Tigranes, king of Armenia, a very powerful prince. Armenia had at first appertained to the Persians; it came under the Macedonians afterwards, and upon the death of Alexander, made part of the kingdom of Syria. Under Antiochus the Great, two of his generals, Artaxius and Zadriadres, with that prince's permission, established themselves in this province, of which it is probable they were before governors. After the defeat of Antiochus, they adhered to the Romans, who ac knowledged them as kings. They had divided Armenia into two parts. Tigranes, of whom we now speak, descended from Artaxius. He possessed himself of all Armenia, subjected several neighbouring countries by his arms, and thereby formed a very powerful kingdom. Mithridates gave him his daughter Cleopatra in marriage, and engaged him to enter so far into his projects against the Romans, that they agreed, Mithridates should have the cities and countries they should conquer for his share, and Tigranes

Strab. 1. 11. p. 531, 532.

the people, with all the effects capable of being carried

away.

h Their first enterprise and act of hostility was committed by Tigranes, who deprived Ariobarzanes of Cappadocia, of which the Romans had put him into possession, and reestablished Ariarathes, the son of Mithridates, in it. Nicomedes, king of Bithynia, happened to die about this time; his eldest son, called also Nicomedes, ought naturally to have succeeded him, and was accordingly proclaimed king. But Mithridates set up his younger brother Socrates against him, who deprived him of the throne by force of arms. The two dethroned kings went to Rome, to implore aid of the senate, who decreed their reestablishment, and sent Manius Aquilius, and M. Altinius to put that decree in execution.

They were both reinstated. The Romans advised them to make irruptions into the lands of Mithridates, promising them their support; but neither the one nor the other dared to attack so powerful a prince so near home. At length, however, Nicomedes, at the joint instances of the ambassadors, to whom he had promised great sums for his reestablishment, and of his creditors, Roman citizens settled in Asia, who had lent him very considerably for the same effects, could no longer resist their solicitations. He made incursions upon the lands of Mithridates, ravaged all the flat country as far as the city Amastris, and returned home laden with booty, which he applied in discharging part of his debts.

A. M. 3915. Ant. J. C. 89.