Under the dominion of Persia, Bactria remained till the reign of Darius III. surnamed Codomannus. When that monarch beheld his mighty army dissi pated, on the plains of Arbela, by,the consummate skill of Alexander the Great, and the irresistible valour of his hardy veterans, he fled from the last and the matt disastrous of his fields to Media, where, collecting th:.% wrecks of his conquered force:,, he re solved to make another effort to prop his falling for tunes. But when he heard that Alexander was ad vancing to give him battle, he shrunk from the une qual contest,, and determined to retire into Bactria, to augment his army with the brave inhabitants of that province. Bessus, a Persian nobleman, to whom the government of that province was committed, was then in the army of Darius, at the head of the Bac trians, consisting of 4000 stingers, and 3000 horse. When he perceived that the spirit and the power of Darius yielded to the rising fortunes of the Macedo nian hero, instead of supporting his lord and bene factor, he formed a conspiracy against him, and hoped to rise on his ruins to the empire of the East.
No sooner did the Persian prince set out from Ecba tana, than, dead to gratitude and justice, and re gardlesA of future fame, Bessus seized the person of the unfortunate monarch, and carried him to Bac tria. Finding, however, that lie was pursued by Alexander, with implacable resentment, he put Da rius to death, assumed the sovereignty of the East, and collected an army to defend his throne. But, though to excuse his treason, and to advance his am bition„ he had formerly condemned the flight of Da rius, and imputed the misfortunes of that monarch to his pusillanimity, yet he now trembled, at the ap proach of Alexander, imitated the most indefensible part of Darius's conduct, detroycd the country through which his enemies had to pass in pursuit of him, transported his army over the Oxus, and, after burning his vessels, lest they should fall into the hands of Alexander, fled to Nautaca, a city of Sogdiana, where he imagined he would be secure. But nei, ther the. ravages of Bactria, nor the breadth of the Oxus, nor the bulwarks of Nautaca, could protect the usurper. Bessus was delivered into the bands of Alexander by his own officers when they could no longer defend him ; and Alexander, detesting the trai tor, though he reaped the harvest of his treachery, yielded him,to the revenge of Oxatres, the brother of Darius, and the regicide expiated his crimes by a death embittered with every torture which ingenuity could invent, or cruelty execute.
,The conquered kingdoms, which formed the ex tensive empire of Alexander, were united only by the terror of his arms. At his death the chain was broken, and the chiefs, who governed the provinces by his authority, aspired at independence, and each claimed the sovereignty of his own state. Diodorus Siculus advances Philip to the throne of Bactria at that time; while Justin gives the sceptre to the hand of Amyntas. But the Bactrian prince, whatever was his name, was not long able to vindicate the fame and the freedom of his country. Seleucus, who had ascended the throne of Syria, having gained pos. session of Babylon, and subdued Media, carried his victorious arms into Bactria, and- again reduced it to shivery.. In this state of degradation the nation groaned till Antiuchus Theos gave the government of the province into the hands of Theodotus, a man not more distinguished by the greatness of his ambi tion, and the magnitude of his designs, than by the wisdom and valour which he displayed in accom plishing them. that his master was en
gaged in, a bloody war with Ptolemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt, and that all the resources of his king dom were employed, he determined to shake off his allegiance, and vindicate the freedom of the country which he governed. We may reasnnably conclude that, preparatory to the discovery of his great design, he employed his administration to establish the discipline and power of his army, to promote the cultivation and prosperity of his country, and.to repair the for tifications of its cities. But we shall hesitate to be lieve, upon the authority of Justin, that the king dom which Theodotus claimed could boast of a 'thousand cities;, yet certainly whatever were the en ergies of that country, they were employed with singular ability by the illustrious usurper. His ex ample was followed by many of the neighbouting states, which revolted from the power of Antiochus, and, deriving confidence and assistance, each from the success of tl others, gained the liberty at which they aspired. The martial virtues, which enabled Theodotus to take possession of the kingdom, pre-, served it in his hand during the remainder of his life, and, at his death, placed the crown upon the head of his sue:'., This prince the name as well as the do mininions of his father: began his administra tion by forming an alliance who had wrested Parthia and Hyrcania from the Syrian yoke. But though, by this means, lie secured himself from the attacks of Antiochus, and considerably extended the limits of his kingdom, yet he yielded to the su perior abilities of Euthydemus, who aspired to the sovereignty of Bactria, and who, at the head of his bold and determined adherents, submitted his preten sions to the decision of the sword. Theodotus had the misfortune to behold the best blood of his army shed in his cause ; and in order to save his life, but not his honour, he fled from the field of battle, and from his dominions, and his victorious rival ascended the throne. But though the wisdom which Euthyde mus displayed might have bent his valour to endure, if not to enjoy, the tranquillity of peace ; yet we may be assured, that his brave and aspiring spirit, equally formed for counsel and for action, was not displeased when the defence of his country again summoned him to the field of fame. Antiochus, having made peace with Parthia, was still indignant at the revolt of the Bactrians, and, with all the for ces of his mighty empire, endeavoured once more to reduce them to subjection. But in a long and bloody war, which was chequered with various success, Euthydemus proved, that he was worthy of the crown, which he owed not to his birth, but to his ambition ; and that all the efforts of Antiochus would be unable to wrest the sceptre from his hand. But as kings should resort to war only to procure peace, the moment when he understood that Antio chus despaired of success, he sent ambassadors to that monarch. Being admitted into his presence, the pic ture which they drew of the calamities of war, of the resources of their monarch, and, above all, of the de-. signs of the Scythians, who were then rejoicing at their mutual destruction, and preparing a mighty army to overwhelm whichever of them should atiast gain the ascendency, had such an effect upon the mind of that he immediately consented to a peace, which was confirmed by the marriage of the son of•Euthydemus and his own daughter.