It was during the reign of Shahpoor, that Mani, the founder of the sect of the ManichTans, first began to pro pagate his opinions. He attempted to reconcile the doc trines of the Metempsychosis, as taught by the Flindoos, and the two principles of good and evil of Zoroaster, with the tenets of the Christian religion ; but he and almost all his disciples were afterwards put to death by order of king Baharam, and the skin of the impostor was stripped off, and hung up at the gate of the city of Shahpoor.
A remarkable circumstance is recorded of Hoormuz, the successor of Shahpoor, before he ascended the throne. He was the governor of Khorassan, and had been most successful in establishing the tranquillity of that unsettled province. But some of his enemies had excited suspi cions of his fidelity in the breast of Shahpoor; of which Hoormuz was no sooner made acquainted than he made one of his hands to be cut off, and sent it to his father as a mark of his devoted allegiance. Shahpoor was so struck with horror at the deed, which his rash suspicions had caused, that he immediately sent for him to court, and treated him with the most unbounded affection and confi dence. This good prince founded the city of Ram-Hoor muz, and reigned only one year.
In the reigns of the three Baharams, nothing remarkable occurred worth noting. Their successor Narsi was a prince of a mild disposition ; but he had the misfortune to engage in war with the Romans, who at that time had many great generals. His arms were at first successful. He defeated the emperor Galerius, and subdued almost all Armenia ; but his subsequent discomfitures forced hint to conclude au ignominious peace, by which he ceded the province of Juzeerah, and five districts east of the Tigris.
We pass over the reign of Hoormuz 11. as affording no event of importance, to record the achievements of Shah poor II. On the demise of Hoormuz, Persia was about to become a prey to all the troubles which accompany a disputed succession, when a lady of the harem declared that she was pregnant. The nobles of the kingdom, in order to preserve their country from the horrors of a civil war, resolved to swear allegiance to the unborn child of Hoormuz. This child proved to be a male, and the unani mous voice of the nobles bestowed upon him the name of Shahpoor. His education was conducted with the most affectionate solicitude ; and every care was taken that he should imbibe those principles and views which became his high destiny. During his minority the kingdom was exposed to the insults and ravages of the neighbouring tribes, particularly the Arabs, who carried desolation into the fertile valleys of Persia. But the young monarch took
signal vengeance upon these marauders; and their chastise ment is perpetuated in his title of Zoolaktaf, or " Lord of the shoulders.7 He overran Yemen, put many of the in habitants to the sword, and dislocated the shoulders of all his prisoners who were able to bear arms. He made no great attempt to extend his dominions on the west during the life of Constantine the Great. An improbable story is recorded of his having gone to Constantinople in the disguise of an ambassador from his own court, in order to acquire an acquaintance with the Roman empire, bat being discovered, he was imprisoned and treated with great in dignity.
The disorders which followed the death of Constantine afforded Shahpoor an opportunity of recovering from the Romans those provinces which they had wrested from his grandfather. He therefore took the field; but though successful in many engagements, the fort of Nisibis defied all his efforts; and in the battle of Singara he was severely repulsed, and was forced to retire with the loss of his son. Leaving the defence of the frontiers to some of his gene rals, he turned his arms against the.Tartar tribes, many of whom he suhdued by force, while others yielded without resistance to his authority. The emperor Constans now made overtures for peace ; but Shahpoor claiming Armenia and Juzeerah as belonging to the Persian empire, the treaty was broken off, and preparations made for renewing the war. Nothing decisive, however, happened during the life of Constans. But when Julian had assumed the purple, he resolved to break the Persian power so effectu ally, as to prevent them for ever from again disturbing the frontier provinces of the Roman empire. He therefore took the field with an immense army; but the Persian monarch, aware of his inferiority were he to risk a pitched battle, retired into the interior of his kingdom, and left his capital to be pillaged by the Romans. Julian followed, and penetrated into the heart of Persia, and, after a harass ing march, and much suffering from the intense heat of the climate and the scarcity of provisions, was surprised by Shahpoor, who had collected all his forces ; and in a desperate engagement which ensued, the Romans were completely routed, with the loss of their emperor, who was so badly wounded that he died the succeeding night. The consequence of this victory was, an advantageous peace, by which Persia recovered the five provinces yielded by Narsi, and the strong fort of Nisibis, which had long been the bulwark of the Roman power in the east.