built for this very purpose in front of the rostra, and Tiridates having been made to sit beneath his feet he placed the diadem upon his head.  At this there was no end of shouts of all sorts. [Sidenote:—­6—­] According to decree there also took place a celebration in the theatre.  Not merely the stage but the whole interior of the theatre round about had been gilded, and all properties brought in had been adorned with gold, so that people came to refer to the very day as “golden.”  The curtains stretched across the sky-opening to keep off the sun were of purple and in the centre of them was an embroidered figure of Nero driving a chariot, with golden stars gleaming all about him.  So much for the setting:  and of course they had a costly banquet.

Afterward Nero sang publicly with zither accompaniment and drove a chariot, clad in the costume of the Greens and wearing a charioteer’s helmet.  This made Tiridates disgusted with him; but for Corbulo the visitor had only praise and deemed the one thing against him to be that he would put up with such a master.  Indeed, he made no concealment of his views to Nero’s face, but one day said to him:  “Master, you have in Corbulo a good slave.”  The person addressed, however, did not comprehend his speech.—­In all other matters he flattered the emperor and ingratiated himself most skillfully, with the result that he received all kinds of gifts, said to have possessed in the aggregate a value of five thousand myriads, and obtained permission to rebuild Artaxata.  Moreover, he took with him from Rome many artisans, some of whom he got from Nero, and some whom he persuaded by offers of high wages.  Corbulo, however, would not let them all cross into Armenia, but only the ones whom Nero had given him.  That caused Tiridates to admire him all the more and to despise his chief.

[Sidenote:—­7—­] The return was made not by the same route as he followed in coming,—­through Illyricum and north of the Ionian Gulf,—­but instead he sailed from Brundusium to Dyrrachium.  He viewed also the cities of Asia, which helped to increase his amazement at the strength and beauty of the Roman empire.

Tiridates one day viewed an exhibition of pancratium.  One of the contestants fell to the ground and was being pummeled by his opponent.  When the prince saw it, he exclaimed:  “That’s an unfair contest.  It isn’t fair that a man who has fallen should be beaten.”

On rebuilding Artaxata Tiridates named it Neronia.  But Vologaesus though often summoned refused to come to Nero, and finally, when the latter’s invitations became burdensome to him, sent back a despatch to this effect:  “It is far easier for you than for me to traverse so great a body of water.  Therefore, if you will come to Asia, we can then arrange [where we shall be able] to meet each other.” [Such was the message which the Parthian wrote at last.]