Persia from the Earliest Period to the Arab

HISTORY OF PERSIA.
155
In fact, the ordinary system of Persia gave full
toleration to any creeds at variance with that of
Constantinople, and, perhaps, in this aspect only,
had any bond of union with the Armenians. Yet
it must be admitted that Persian notions of tolera-
tion were meagre in kind and seldom long enduring.
It was rare for even Nestorian Christianity to escape
without persecution, except for some temporary political
reason. Even the king of Persia, Kobad,
lost his throne for embracing the views of Mazdak,
and Mani (the author of Manicheism) was executed
in Persia for inventing a mixed system of Zoroas-
trianism and Christianity. Again, in the same spirit,
in which they used their utmost power to prevent the
increase of converts to true and orthodox Christianity,
the early Persian monarchs laboured hard to collect
together the scattered fragments of the Zend-avesta
and of other works believed to embody Zoroastrian
doctrines, and to set up on high abundant fire altars,
the living memorials of their ancient faith. To the same
end, they re-introduced Pehlevi as the Court language,
re-cons'.ituted the bodyguards called the " immortals,"
and, having
somewhere found the old Darafsh-i-
kawani, again set it up as the banner of their
renewed empire. Even the royal names of many of
their most distinguished monarchs were taken directly
from heroes recorded in ihe Zend-avesta, such as
Ardashir, Khosru, Koba'd, Varahran, and Ormazd.
We have stated that Ardashir probably took up
arms about A.D. 220, and naturally, his first effort
was to establish his authori'y in Persis 1
,
and thence
1 I hr.ve noticed before, that owing to ihe position of Mesene (foi