32.4
The people of Seleucia, however, appreciated the wisdom of AesopIn the fable of the two wallets, which everyone carries, one in front containing his neighbour’s faults, which are therefore always before his eyes; and one behind containing his own faults, which he therefore never sees. when they saw Surena with a wallet of obscenities from the Milesiaca in front of him, but trailing behind him a Parthian Sybaris in so many waggon-loads of concubines.Cf. chapter xxi. 6. After a fashion his train was a counter-part to the fabled echidnae and scytalae among serpents, by showing its conspicuous and forward portions fearful and savage, with spears, archery, and horse,
32.5
but trailing off in the rear of the line into dances, cymbals, lutes, and nocturnal revels with women. Roscius was certainly culpable, but it was shameless in the Parthians to find fault with the Milesiaca, when many of the royal line of their Arsacidae were sprung from Milesian and Ionian courtezans.
33.1
While this was going on, it happened that Hyrodes was at last reconciled with Artavasdes the Armenian, and agreed to receive the latter’s sister as wife for his son Pacorus, and there were reciprocal banquets and drinking bouts, at which many Greek compositions were introduced.
