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1. And now, in the fourth year of the reign of Vespasian, it came
to pass that Antiochus, the king of Commagene, with all his
family, fell into very great calamities. The occasion was this:
Cesennius Petus, who was president of Syria at this time, whether
it were done out of regard to truth, or whether out of hatred to
Antiochus, (for which was the real motive was never thoroughly
discovered,) sent an epistle to Caesar, and therein told him that
Antiochus, with his son Epiphanes, had resolved to rebel against
the Romans, and had made a league with the king of Parthia to
that purpose; that it was therefore fit to prevent them, lest
they prevent us, and begin such a war as may cause a general
disturbance in the Roman empire. Now Caesar was disposed to take
some care about the matter, since this discovery was made; for
the neighborhood of the kingdoms made this affair worthy of
greater regard; for Samoseta, the capital of Commagene, lies upon
Euphrates, and upon any such design could afford an easy passage
over it to the Parthians, and could also afford them a secure
reception. Petus was accordingly believed, and had authority
given him of doing what he should think proper in the case; so he
set about it without delay, and fell upon Commagene before
Antiochus and his people had the least expectation of his coming:
he had with him the tenth legion, as also some cohorts and troops
of horsemen. These kings also came to his assistance:
Aristobulus, king of the country called Chalcidene, and Sohemus,
who was called king of Emesa. Nor was there any opposition made
to his forces when they entered the kingdom; for no one of that
country would so much as lift up his hand against them. When
Antiochus
heard this unexpected news, he could not think in the least of
making war with the Romans, but determined to leave his whole
kingdom in the state wherein it now was, and to retire privately,
with his wife and children, as thinking thereby to demonstrate
himself to the Romans to be innocent as to the accusation laid
against him. So he went away from that city as far as a hundred
and twenty furlongs, into a plain, and there pitched his tents.
2. Petus then sent some of his men to seize upon Samosate, and by
their means took possession of that city, while he went himself
to attack Antiochus with the rest of his army. However, the king
was not prevailed upon by the distress he was in to do any thing
in the way of war against the Romans, but bemoaned his own hard
fate, and endured with patience what he was not able to prevent.
But his sons, who were young, and unexperienced in war, but of
strong bodies, were not easily induced to bear this calamity
without fighting. Epiphanes, therefore, and Callinicus, betook
themselves to military force; and as the battle was a sore one,
and lasted all the day long, they showed their own valor in a
remarkable manner, and nothing but the approach of night put a
period thereto, and that without any diminution of their forces;
yet would not Antiochus, upon this conclusion of the fight,
continue there by any means, but took his wife and his daughters,
and fled away with them to Cilicia, and by so doing quite
discouraged the minds of his own soldiers. Accordingly, they
revolted, and went over to the Romans, out of the despair they
were in of his keeping the kingdom; and his case was looked upon
by all as quite desperate. It was therefore necessary that
Epiphanes and his soldiers should get clear of their enemies
before they became entirely destitute of any confederates; nor
were there any more than ten horsemen with him, who passed with
him over Euphrates, whence they went undisturbed to Vologeses,
the king of Parthie, where they were not disregarded as
fugitives, but had the same respect paid them as if they had
retained their ancient prosperity.
3. Now when Antiochus was come to Tarsus in Cilicia, Petus
ordered a centurion to go to him, and send him in bonds to Rome.
However, Vespasian could not endure to have a king brought to him
in that manner, but thought it fit rather to have a regard to the
ancient friendship that had been between them, than to preserve
an inexorable anger upon pretense of this war. Accordingly, he
gave orders that they should take off his bonds, while he was
still upon the road, and that he should not come to Rome, but
should now go and live at Lacedemon; he also gave him large
revenues, that he might not only live in plenty, but like a king
also. When Epiphanes, who before was in great fear for his
father, was informed of this, their minds were freed from that
great and almost incurable concern they had been under. He also
hoped that Caesar would be reconciled to them, upon the
intercession of Vologeses; for although he lived in plenty, he
knew not how to bear living out of the Roman empire. So Caesar
gave him leave, after an obliging manner, and he came to Rome;
and as his father came quickly to him from Lacedemon, he had all
sorts of respect paid him there, and there he remained.
4. Now there was a nation of the Alans, which we have formerly
mentioned some where as being Scythians and inhabiting at the
lake Meotis. This nation about this time laid a design of falling
upon Media, and the parts beyond it, in order to plunder them;
with which intention they treated with the king of Hyrcania; for
he was master of that passage which king Alexander [the Great]
shut up with iron gates. This king gave them leave to come
through them; so they came in great multitudes, and fell upon the
Medes unexpectedly, and plundered their country, which they found
full of people, and replenished with abundance of cattle, while
nobody durst make any resistance against them; for Paeorus, the
king of the country, had fled away for fear into places where
they could not easily come at him, and had yielded up every thing
he had to them, and had only saved his wife and his concubines
from them, and that with difficulty also, after they had been
made captives, by giving them a hundred talents for their ransom.
These Alans therefore plundered the country without opposition,
and with great ease, and proceeded as far as Armenia, laying all
waste before them. Now Tiridates was king of that country, who
met them, and fought them, but had like to have been taken alive
in the battle; for a certain man threw a net over him from a
great distance, and had soon drawn him to him, unless he had
immediately cut the cord with his sword, and ran away, and
prevented it. So the Alans, being still more provoked by this
sight, laid waste the country, and drove a great multitude of the
men, and a great quantity of the other prey they had gotten out
of both kingdoms, along with them, and then retreated back to
their own country.
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