161


29.


Then Dmawund Vsemakan of the Kawosakan tohm came with 900,000 troops, sent by king Shapuh of Iran to come to the country of Armenia and make war with them. But the troops of the country of Armenia were organized and prepared. With Vasak as their general, they arose to war against [the Iranians]. The Iranian troops were defeated before them and turned to flight. Vasak caught up, struck, destroyed and killed them such that no one was spared. He killed Vsemakan among the troops, while the dregs [of the fugitives] were chased beyond their boundaries. [g154]

30.


Then came Vahrich [son of] Vahrich with 4,000,000 Iranian troops sent by king Shapuh to loot and destroy the country of the troops of the Armenian kingdoms [Apa gayr hasaner Vahrich i Vahrichay, ew zork'n Parsic' ch'orek'hariwr biwrun arhak'eal i Shaphoy ark'ayen i veray Hayastan ashxarhin, awar arhnul ew korusanel zerkirn zorac'n t'agaworut'eanc'n Hayoc']. They arrived at a place called Maxazean. But then general Vasak, with 40,000 [troops] rose against him. He struck and killed his troops, killed Vahrich, destroying the Iranian troops leaving none of them alive. And he protected the borders of his country [ew zgushanayr zsahmanok' erkrin iwroy].

162


31.


Next came Gumand Shapuh, sent by Shapuh king of Iran (before whom he had boasted) with 900,000 [troops]. He reached the land of Armenia, having as a guide the notorious Meruzhan of the Arcrunik' tohm, who was from the country of Armenia. Finding the border-guards who protected Armenia's boundaries negligent, [the Iranians] filled up and spread throughout the entire country of Armenia, looting, demolishing, and ruining the country of the entire land of Armenia. Then the general of Armenia, Vasak, organized and prepared, reached and fell upon the royal brigade [hasaner ankaner i veray ark'ayagndin]. First he killed Gumand Shapuh. After this the Armenians spread around, exterminating all the Iranian troops [ew nax zGumand Shapuhn spananer: Ew apa end c'irn aspatak sp'rheal hayac'ik'n, zamenayn zorsn Parsic' kotoreal, anmi arareal aparhec'in]. Only the malefactor Meruzhan escaped, by a hairsbreadth, fleeing on a horse to the country of Iran.

32.


After all of this Shapuh, the king of Iran, mustered troops assembling countless, numberless troops, resembling the sand by the seashore--well-armed men with spears in hand, many troops, 4,000,000 of them. And the Iranian king Shapuh sent Dehkan nahapet who was a tohm-member by azg of the tohm of the generals of Armenia, [163] that is, of the Mamikoneans [or tohmik isk er azgaw tohmin zoravarac'n Hayoc', ays ink'n Mamikonenic'] to the country of Armenia against king Arshak of Armenia.

He arrived at the borders of the country of Armenia. But [this time] the Armenians were in no way found napping; rather, they were organized and ready to wage war [apa ew zhayac'isn och' inch' culac'eal i k'un gtaner, ayl kazm patrastk' kayin nmin gorcoy chakatun paterazmi]. General Vasak arose before them with 70,000 [troops]. He struck and killed all the Iranian trcops, including his own relative Dehkan nahapet [spananer ziwr zazgayin zDehkan nahapetn], and chased out before them all the fugitives on horseback. However, Meruzhan Arcruni, who guided them, fled and survived. [g156]

33.


But once again Shapuh the king d men. He laid an ambuscade in the area of the banak and at night fell upon the entrenchment, [The Armenians] fell upon them and did not spare anyone, Only Meruzhan, who happened to be outside the brigade, fled [bayc' miayn Meruzhann i tachik ji nsteal p'axch'er. The editor p. 164 n. 1 notes that one ms. lacks "mounted on a tachik horse".]. [g164]


173


49.


A certain great military commander of the Iranians [named] Mrhikan came with 400,000 [troops] to war against king Arshak of Armenia. But the Armenian troops, together with their general Vasak were defiant [zork'n Hayoc' xroxtac'eal] and attacked like ferocious lions. They killed the Iranian troops, including Mrhikan. But on this occasion too, Meruzhan fled. [g165]

50.


For thirty-four years the country of Armenia did battle with the king of Iran, and after this, both sides grew weary, defeated, forsaken, and exhausted, And [the naxarars] began to leave the banak of the Armenian king [Ew sksan sorsorel gnal i banaken Hayoc' t'agaworin], they abandoned their king Arshak. The grandee nobility began this departure. The first to rebell against king Arshak of Armenia and to go before king Shapuh of Iran were:

the bdeashx of Aghjnik',
the Noshirakan bdeashx,
Mahkertan,
Nihorakan,
Dassentrei,

and all the naxararut'iwn of Aghjnik', and the force and the tun of [174] of the tohm of the Aghjnik' area. They made a wall in a place called Joray, they put doors, and separated their land from the Armenians [ew parisp acein i Hayoc' kuse or Jorayn koch'en, druns dnein. ew zatuc'in ziwreanc' ashxarhn i Hayoc'].

Then [the following individuals] and those near and about them all rebelled from Arshak, king of Armenia, and went before king Shapuh of Iran:

the bdeashx of Gugark',
the ter of the district of Koghb,
the ter of Gardmanajor.

[Also] rebelling from king Arshak of Armenia were:

the secure district of Arjax,'
the secure district of Tmorik',
and the secure land of Korduk',

and then the lord of the district of Korduk' went before the king of Iran [apa ew ter gawarhin Korduac' ch'ogaw...In the list immediately preceding, the text speaks of amur ashxarhn Kordeac'].

[175] After this the personal principality of the tun of the Armenian king, in the land of Atrpayakan rebelled from the king of Armenia, [g166] the Marac' land withdrew, the Kazbic' land withdrew [Yet aysorik apstambeac' i t'agaworen Hayoc' ew jerhin ishxanut'eann tann Hayoc' t'agaworin, or er zAtrpayakan ashxarhawn, yets ekac' i t'agaworen Hayoc' amur ashxarhn Marac'. yets ekac' yark'ayen Hayoc' ew ashxarhn Kazbic']. Saghamut, ter of Anjit and with him the prince of Greater Cop'k' abandoned the king of Armenia and went to the Byzantine emperor. Those remaining in the interior of the land [Mijnashxarhn mnac'ealk'n] wavered [in allegiance] from the king, did not want to heed him or do anything he wanted. And the kingdom was greatly debased [Ew gjjec'aw t'agaworut'iwnn mecapes] .

Vahan, brother of sparapet Vasak, of the Mamikonean tohm, fell for the enticing words of his nephew (sister's son) Meruzhan Arcruni. He too rebelled from king Arshak of Armenia and went before Shapuh, king of Iran. He complied with [Shapuh's] wishes and apostasized the Christianity which he had held during his life, agreeing to revere the faith of magianism, that is, to worship the fire, water, and sun, and to apostasize the Christianity into which he had been born. He complied with the king's wishes and furthermore increased the accusational aggrevation against king Arshak of Armenia and against his own tanuter Vasak. Recalling the death of Vardan, he [176] remenbered: "He died because of you". Thereafter Vahan became dear to king Shapuh who gave him his sister Ormizduxt for a wife. He bestowed upon him barj and patiw which had been theirs ancestrally [or noc'un leal er naxneac'], and the king made him his intimate son-in-law [p'esa, here meaning "brother-in-law"]. He exalted him among his troops and promised to give him very great properties [ew xostac'aw nma keans mecamecs arhnel]. After this, the number of Armenians began to decline.

51.


Then people of all the land of the authority of the Armenian kingdom assembled and came to the great archbishop of Armenia, Nerses. [They were]:

the grandee naxarars,
lieutenants,
governors,
lords of districts,
officials,
and the dasapets of the shinakans [mecameck' naxarark', kusakalk' koghmakalk' gawarhateark' gorcakalk' ew dasapetk' shinakanac'].

[177] They assembled in one place and began speaking with Nerses, saying: [g167] "You yourself know, lord, that this is thirty years that our king Arshak has given us not one year's rest from warfare. We have wiped the sweat from our brows with sword, sabre, dart, and lance tips [srov ew suserok' ew i slak's ew i tegs nizakac']. We are unable to withstand it anymore, nor are we able to fight anymore. It is better that we leave [Arshak] and go to the king of Iran as our comrades who are serving him, have done. We shall do this, because we are unable to fight further. If king Arshak would fight with Shapuh, let him fight with Vasak and with Andovk his father-in-law. But hereafter none of us from the land of Armenia will go to his assistance. Let him fight or not as he feels the need, we are leaving him and do not care".

Now the blessed Nerses spoke with them as was necessary, saying: "Think well and remember the Lord's commandment about unity, that servants should obey their lords. You are all testifying that you will leave the Arsacid azg. Because of them, some of you became lords of districts, some the grandees of lands, some the lords of very senior awan villages and treasures and of diverse dastakerts [omank' i jenj gawarhateark' lealk' i noc'anen, ew omank' mecameck' ashxarhac', omank' awag awag awanac' geghic' ew ganjuc' teark' leal ek', ew pespes dastakertac'n]. Although the abominable azg of the Arsacids is guilty [178] before God the Creator, nonetheless they supported all of you and removed you from the garbage-heap giving some work , some patiw, some authority, some office [sakayn zjez kec'uc'eal zamenesean ew yaghboy t'ot'ap'eal e, zomn gorcov, zomn patuov, zomn ishxanut'eamb, zomn gorcakaut'eamb]. For although king Arshak is guilty before God and must give a percent to his creator, and suffer vengance, nonetheless because of God's abundant and limitless love of humanity, He has spared him, and because of him, you.

"You, lo, want to go and serve the pagans, to lose your life in God, to reject your bnik lords whom God gave you, to serve foreign lords, [g168] and you long for their godless religion. But it would be better for you to love [God], accept and consent to Him and not to reject your God-loving king. For though Arshak is extremely wicked, nonetheless he is pious; though he is guilty, nonetheless he is your king. You yourselves have said in my presence how many years it has been that you have been fighting for yourselves, your souls, your land, your women and children, and, what is chief of all, for your churches, for the covenant of the faith which you have through the name of Jesus Christ, and [you said] that the Lord has always granted you the victory for His name. But now, in place of Christ your creator, you want to serve the godless impieties of magianism and to follow their clerics, abandoning our Creator and His commandments that one must remain faithful to one's physical Iords [179] whom He created. Perhaps the Lord God too will get angry at you and uproot you, betray you to the hand of the pagans so that you slavishly serve them for eternity, and [perhaps He] will never remove the yoke of servitude from you. And if you protest to the Lord, He will not hear you, because you yourselves entered into the service of pagan lords and godless, ignorant men, and so will be delivered over to pagans and hard-hearted lords. Many many evils will arise before you and you will be unable to escape".

But those who were assembled there raised a clamor, shouted to each other, creating commotion and crowding and saying: "Come on, let's go each to his own place, for we cannot heed such words". And they all dispersed to their own tuns. [g169]

52.


Then with great entreaties, gifts and hrovartaks, Shapuh, the king of Iran, summoned Arshak to him with affection so that thereafter they could make peace, great friendship and affection between themselves. Now although king Arshak wanted to make war, all of the troops of the land of Armenia did not consent. So, willy-nilly, he took heart to send a hrovartak in humility to Shapuh, king of Iran, as suited a servant to his lord. And he sent him gifts of reconciliation.


180


53.


Subsequently Shapuh, king of Iran, once more sent to king Arshak of Armenia, saying: "If we are in agreement with each other, come so we may see each other, and henceforth let us be as father and son. But if you do not come to see me, you are asking for war between us". Now Arshak requested from him a reliable vow with an oath, so that after that he might go to him without suspicion. In accordance with the reliable vow[ing procedure] of the Iranian kingdom, [Shapuh] had brought to him salt, to seal with a signet-ring bearing a wild boar, and he sent this [Ew na et berel est orinac'n hawatarim erdmanc' t'agaworut'eann Parsic' agh, knk'el varaz nkaragir mataneaw, ew ygheac'] [to Arshak, saying]: "If , after receivng this oath you still do not come, then be prepared for war". [g170]



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