CRASSUS. 373

reason to commend the wisdom of ^Esop's fable of the wallet,* seeing their general Surena carrying a bag full of loose Milesian stories before him, but keeping behind him a whole Parthian Sybaris in his many wagons full of concubines ; like the vipers and asps people talk of, all the foremost and more visible parts fierce and terrible with spears and arrows and horsemen, but the rear ter- minating in loose women and castanets, music of the lute, and midnight revellings. Eustius, indeed, is not to be ex- cused, but the Parthians had forgot, when they mocked at the Milesian stories, that many of the royal line of their Arsacidse had been born of Milesian and Ionian mis- tresses. Whilst these things were doing, Hyrodes had struck up a peace with the king of Armenia, and made a match between his son Pacorus and the king of Armenia's sister. Their feastings and entertainments in consequence were very sumptuous, and various Grecian compositions, suita- ble to the occasion, were recited before them. For Hy- rodes was not ignorant of the Greek language and litera- ture, and Artavasdes was so expert in it, that he wrote tragedies and orations and histories, some of which are still extant. When the head of Crassus was brought to the door, the tables were just taken away, and one Jason, a tragic actor, of the town of Tralles, was singing the scene in the Bacchae of Euripides concerning Agave. He was receiving much applause, when Sillaces coming to the room, and having made obeisance to the king, tbrew down the head of Crassus into the midst of the company. The Parthians receiving it with joy and accla- mations, Sillaces, by the king's command, was made to sit

• The two wallet^, filled, the one our own, which hangs out of our

with other men's faults, which we sight, upon our backs, carry before us ; the other with