This army the Persians were quite unwilling to encounter, and they made
haste to flee in every direction. And when Cabades reached the territory
where Gousanastades exercised his authority, he stated to some of his
friends that he would appoint as chanaranges the first man of the
Persians who should on that day come into his presence and offer his
services. But even as he said this, he repented his speech, for there
came to his mind a law of the Persians which ordains that offices among
the Persians shall not be conferred upon others than those to whom each
particular honour belongs by right of birth. For he feared lest someone
should come to him first who was not a kinsman of the present
chanaranges, and that he would be compelled to set aside the law in
order to keep his word. Even as he was considering this matter, chance
brought it about that, without dishonouring the law, he could still keep
his word. For the first man who came to him happened to be
Adergoudounbades, a young man who was a relative of Gousanastades and an
especially capable warrior. He addressed Cabades as "Lord," and was the
first to do obeisance to him as king, and besought him to use him as a
slave for any service whatever. [488 A.D.] So Cabades made his way into
the royal palace without any trouble, and, taking Blases destitute of
defenders, he put out his eyes, using the method of blinding commonly
employed by the Persians against malefactors, that is, either by heating
olive oil and pouring it, while boiling fiercely, into the wide-open
eyes, or by heating in the fire an iron needle, and with this pricking
the eyeballs. Thereafter Blases was kept in confinement, having ruled
over the Persians two years. Gousanastades was put to death and
Adergoudounbades was established in his place in the office of
chanaranges, while Seoses was immediately proclaimed "adrastadaran
salanes,"--a title designating the one set in authority over all
magistrates and over the whole army. Seoses was the first and only man
who held this office in Persia; for it was conferred on no one before or