the Perfian Empire in their own hands, or B. C. 387. whether they ever intended to exclude the princes of Perfia from all share in the government, are points not eafy to be fettled with any certainty; but, if we fuppose that the fifteen kings of the Ashcanians, who reigned before the birth of Christ, sat on the throne twenty years each one with another, we shall place the rise of that family three hundred years before our epoch; which calculation will not feem much amifs, if we believe, what the Perfians affure us, that the fucceffors of Alexander referved for themselves only Irak or Parthia and Perfia, properly fo called, but refigned the more Eaftern provinces to the princes of the royal family; while the defcendants of Seleucus reigned in Syria. The founder of this race was * Afhac, or Arshac, whom the Greeks call Arfaces: his fucceffors, who were styled Kings of Parthia by our Hiftorians, reigned till about two hundred years after Christ, and are famous for nothing but their Wars against the Romans, in which they were always valiant, and often fuccessful. The laft Prince of the Afhcanians, or Parthians, was Ardaván†, known to us by the name of Artabanus, against whom Ardeshir

B. C. 337. revolted, and transferred the empire to the

Saffanians.

CHAP. III.

The Saffanian Family.

A. D. 202. ARDESHIR BABEGAN*, whom our writers call Artaxares, was the fon of Saffan, a man originally in a low ftation of life, but defcended from a fon of Ardefir the Longbanded, who was difinherited in favour of Homáï. He was furnamed Babegán from Babeg, his grandfather, who was a Perfian prince of eminent rank, and was so pleased with the amiable qualities of Saffan, his fhepherd, that he gave him his daughter in marriage. Ardefhir was bold and warlike, yet a wife and learned prince, and is faid to have compofed two excellent books, the first, a Cárnáma†, or a Commentary of his life and actions; the fecond, a moral work, of which Nushirván the Great, fome ages after, published a fecond edition. These were employ

کارنامه In Perfan | اردشیر بابکان

ments truly worthy of great Princes; but the A. D. 202. Kings of Europe have not written many Cárnáma's, nor given many leons of morality.

SHAPOR*, son of Ardefhir, whom we A. D. 242. call Sapores, built many cities in Perfia, and rebuilt that of Nishapórt, which the Macedonians had deftroyed. The name of this city is compounded of Shapór added to Ni or Neï, a reed, because its ruins were overgrown with reeds, when Shapór first saw it. This Prince was very fuccefsful in his wars against the Roman Emperors: he reduced all Syria and Cilicia, and took Valerian prisoner, but was checked in his career by the more fortunate arms of Odenatus. In his reign Máni ‡, a Painter, having learned by the converfation of fome Chriftians, that the Redeemer had promifed to fend a Comforter after him, formed the wild defign of paffing for the Paraclete; and, as no opinions are so absurd, which many will not embrace, he foon drew together a multitude of profelytes. Shapór was enraged at this impofture, and wifhed to punish the author of it; but Máni found means to escape, and fled into Eaftern Tar

A. D. 242. tary, as far as the borders of China, having firft told his followers, that he was going to heaven, and promised to meet them in a certain grot, at the end of the year. In his retreat he amused himself with painting a number of strange figures and views, which, at the year's end, he shewed to his disciples, as a work given to him by angels: he was a very ingenious artist, and had a lively fancy, so that his pictures, which were finely coloured, eafily perfuaded the credulous multitude, in the infancy of the art in Afia, that they were really divine; they were bound together, in a book called Erteng *, which is often alluded to by the Perfian poets, one of whom, addreffing himself to a great Painter, fays, The point of thy pencil draws a line over the leaves of Erteng, that is, effaces them †. Máni, by a whimsical mixture, blended in his doctrine the Metempsychofis of Brahma and Visbnú ‡, and the two Principles of Zeratusht, together with several tenets of the Alcoran, and even of the Gofpel; yet this motley re

ارژنگ or ارتنگ In Perfian * ژنوک کلک تو در خط صحیفه In Perfian +

Kemál Isfabáni. ¿jj|

بشنو and برهمه 1

A.

ligion, ridiculous as it may feem, was followed a. D. 242. even by Bishops and Patriarchs. Our writers call the profeffors of this fect Manicheans, but they should, by analogy, be called Manians. The impoftor was put to death in the reign of Baharam, grandson of Shapór: had he been, like Mahomed, a fuccefsful Warrior, inftead of an obfcure Artift, his religion would, perhaps, have been fpread over all Afia; for it was the miraculous privilege of the true faith alone, to make its way, in defiance of perfecution, by the force of its indisputable Truth, and the fanctity of its pre

cepts.

HORMOZD*, or Hormizdas, as our hif-A. D. 272, torians call him, had the advantage of a graceful perfon, and an agreeable air; but he was neither active nor warlike. He was much addicted to ftudy, and ftrongly inclined to favour Mani, whom his fon, as it was faid above, afterwards destroyed.

BAHARAM †, fon of Hormuz, after the a. D. 274. death of Mani, led a peaceful and ftudious life. He was furnamed The Beneficent, and ufed to fay, that Good-nature and Benevolence could not be defined Separately, because they were the aggregate of all Virtues. His adopt