the Persians, who evacuated Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor,
on their way to the frontier. The evacuation was at once commenced; and
the wood of the cross, which had been carefully preserved by the Persian
queen, Shirin, was restored. In the next year, Heraclius made a grand
pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and replaced the holy relic in the shrine from
which it had been taken.

It is said that princes are always popular on their coronation day.
Kobad was certainly no exception to the general rule. His subjects
rejoiced at the termination of a war which had always been a serious
drain on the population, and which latterly had brought ruin and
desolation upon the hearths and homes of thousands. The general emptying
of the prisons was an act that cannot be called statesman-like; but it
had a specious appearance of liberality, and was probably viewed with
favor by the mass of the people. A still more popular measure must have
been the complete remission of taxes with which Kobad inaugurated his
reign--a remission which, according to one authority, was to have
continued for three years, had the generous prince lived so long. In
addition to these somewhat questionable proceedings, Kobad adopted
also a more legitimate mode of securing the regard of his subjects by a
careful administration of justice, and a mild treatment of those who had
been the victims of his father's severities. He restored to their
former rank the persons whom Chosroes had degraded or imprisoned, and
compensated them for their injuries by a liberal donation of money.

Thus far all seemed to promise well for the new reign, which, though it
had commenced under unfavorable auspices, bid fair to be tranquil and
prosperous. In one quarter only was there any indication of coming
troubles. Shahr-Barz, the great general, whose life Chosroes
had attempted shortly before his own death, appears to have been
dissatisfied with the terms on which Kobad had concluded peace with
Rome; and there is even reason to believe that he contrived to impede
and delay the full execution of the treaty. He held under Kobad the
government of the western provinces and was at the head of an army
which numbered sixty thousand men. Kobad treated him with marked favor;
but still he occupied a position almost beyond that of a subject, and
one which could not fail to render him an object of fear and suspicion.
For the present, however, though he may have nurtured ambitious
thoughts, he made no movemen