subjects, asked his aid, and having
recommendations from Pompey, and a fair sum of ready money to disburse,
found little difficulty in persuading the Syrian proconsul to relinquish
his Parthian plans and march the force at his disposal into Egypt.
Mithridates, upon this, withdrew from Syria, and re-entering the
Parthian territory, commenced a civil war against his brother, finding
numerous partisans, especially in the region about Babylon. It may be
suspected that Seleucia, the second city in the Empire, embraced his
cause. Babylon, into which he had thrown himself, sustained a long siege
on his behalf, and only yielded when compelled by famine. Mithridates
might again have become a fugitive; but he was weary of the
disappointments and hardships which are the ordinary lot of a pretender,
and preferred to cast himself on the mercy and affection of his brother.
Accordingly he surrendered himself unconditionally to Orodes; but this
prince, professing to place the claims of patriotism above those of
relationship, caused the traitor who had sought aid from Rome to be
instantly executed. Thus perished Mithridates III. after a reign which
cannot have exceeded five years, in the winter of B.C. 56, or the early
spring of B.C. 55. Orodes, on his death, was accepted as king by the
whole nation.

CHAPTER XI.

_Accession of Orodes I. Expedition of Crassus. His fate. Retaliatory
inroad of the Parthians into Syria under Pacorus, the son of Orodes.
Defeat of Pacorus by Cassius. His recall. End of the first War with
Rome._

The complete triumph of Orodes over Mithridates, and his full
establishment in his kingdom, cannot be placed earlier than B.C. 56, and
most probably fell in B.C. 55. In this latter year Crassus obtained the
consulship at Rome, and, being appointed at the same time to the command
of the East, made no secret of his intention to march the Roman legions
across the Euphrates, and engage in hostilities with the great Parthian
kingdom. According to some writers, his views extended even further. He
spoke of the wars which Lucullus had waged against Tigranes and Pompey
against Mithridates of Pontus as mere child's play, and announced his
intention of carrying the Roman arms to Bactria, India, and the Eastern
Ocean. The Parthian king was thus warned betimes of the impending
danger, and enabled to make all such preparations against it as he
deemed necessary. More than a year elapsed between the assignment to
Cras