[Sidenote:—­17—­] Next he made a campaign against the Armenians and Parthians on the pretext that the Armenian king [Footnote:  Exedares.] had obtained his diadem not at his hands but from the Parthian king. [Footnote:  Osrhoes.] His real reason, however, was a desire to win fame. [On his campaign against the Parthians, when he had reached Athens, an embassy from Osrhoes met him asking for peace and proffering gifts.  This king had learned of his advance and was terrified because Trajan was wont to make good his threats by deeds.  Therefore he humbled his pride and sent a supplication that war be not made against him:  he asked Armenia for Parthomasiris, who was likewise a son of Pacorus, and requested that the diadem be sent to him.  He had put a stop, he said, to the reign of Exedares, who was beneficial neither to the Romans nor to the Parthians.

The emperor neither received the gifts, nor sent any answer or command, save that friendship is determined by deeds and not by words; and that accordingly when he should reach Syria he would do what was proper.

And being of this mind he proceeded through Asia, Syria, and adjoining provinces to Seleucia.  Upon his coming to Antioch, Abgarus the Osrhoenian did not appear in person, but sent gifts and a friendly communication.  For, as he dreaded both him and the Parthians, he was trying to play a double game and for that reason would not come to confer with him.]

[Sidenote:—­19—­] Parthomasiris behaved in rather violent fashion.  In his first letter to Trajan he had signed himself as king, but when no answer came to his epistle, he wrote again, omitting this title, and asked that Marcus Junius, the governor of Cappadocia, be sent to him, implying that he wanted to prefer some request through him.  Trajan, accordingly, sent him the son of Junius, and himself went ahead to Arsamosata, of which he took possession without a struggle.  Then he came to Satala and rewarded with gifts Anchialus, the king of the Heniochi and Machelones.  At Elegeia in Armenia he awaited Parthomasiris.  He was seated upon a platform in the trenches.  The prince greeted him, took off his diadem from his head, and laid it at his feet.  Then he stood there in silence, expecting to receive it back.  At this the soldiers shouted aloud, and hailed Trajan imperator as if on account of some victory. (They termed it an uncrowned, [Footnote:  Reading [Greek:  haselinon] (Bekker) = “without the parsley crown” (such as was bestowed upon victors in some of the Greek games).] bloodless victory to see the king, a descendant of Arsaces, a son of Pacorus, and a nephew of Osrhoes, standing beside Trajan without a diadem, like a captive).  The shout terrified the prince, who thought that it heralded insult and destruction for him.  He turned about as if to flee, but, seeing that he was hemmed in on all sides, begged as a favor not to be obliged to speak before the crowd.  Accordingly, he was escorted