www

the latter, and passed over them without ways be ready to obey, as we have been damage, when Fabian passed sentence hitherto; but when the orders of our prince upon him that he should be beheaded; and those of the Almighty differ, we must which sentence was performed in the always obey the latter. Our arms are demonth of August, A. D. 286, and his body voted to the emperor's use, and shall be was afterward buried by some Christians. directed against his enemies; but we can not submit to stain our hands with effusion of Christian blood; and how, indeed, could you, O emperor! be secure of our allegiance and fidelity, should we violate our obligation to our God, in whose service we were solemnly engaged before we entered

In the year of Christ 286, a most remarkable affair occurred: a legion of soldiers, consisting of 6,666 men, contained none but Christians. This legion was called the Theban legion, because the men had been raised in Thebaus: they were quartered in the east till the emperor Max-in the army? You command us to search imian ordered them to march to Gaul, to assist him against the rebels of Burgundy. They passed the Alps into Gaul, under the command of Mauritius, Candidus, and { Exupernis, their worthy commanders, and at length joined the emperor.

Maximian, about this time, ordered a general sacrifice, at which the whole army were to assist; and likewise he commanded that they should take oaths of allegiance, and swear at the same time to assist him in the extirpation of Christianity in Gaul..

out and to destroy the Christians: it is not
necessary to look any farther for persons
of that denomination; we ourselves are
such, and we glory in the name.
We saw
our companions fall without the least op-
position or murmuring, and thought them
happy in dying for the sake of Christ.
Nothing shall make us lift up our hands
against our sovereign; we had rather die
wrongfully, and by that means preserve
our innocence, than live under a load of
guilt; whatever you command, we are
ready to suffer; we confess ourselves to
be Christians, and therefore can not perse-

Alarmed at these orders, each individual of the Theban legion absolutely refused either to sacrifice, or take the oaths pre-cute Christians, nor sacrifice to idols." scribed. This so greatly enraged Max

ian, that he ordered the legion to be ecimated, that is, every tenth man to be selected from the rest, and put to the sword. This bloody order having been put into execution, those who remained alive were still inflexible, when a second decimation { took place, and every tenth man of those living were again put to death.

A declaration like this, it might be presumed, would have softened the emperor, but it had the contrary effect: for, enraged at their perseverance and unanimity, he commanded that the whole legion should be put to death, which was accordingly executed by the other troops, who cut them to pieces with their swords.

This affair happened on the 22d September, A. D. 286; and such was the in

to destroy every man of a few detachments that had been draughted from the Theban legion, and despatched to Italy.

This second severity made no more impression than the first had done; the sol-veterate malice of Maximian, that he sent diers preserved their fortitude and their principles, but by the advice of their of ficers, drew up a remonstrance to the emperor, in which they told him, that they were his subjects and his soldiers, but could not at the same time forget the Almighty; that they received their pay from him, and their existence from God. "While your commands are not contradictory to those of our common Master, we shall al

ALBAN, from whom St. Alban's, in Hert fordshire, received its name, was the first British martyr. This island had received the gospel of Christ from Lucius, the first Christian king, but did not suffer by the rage of persecution for many years after.

Alban was originally a pagan, but being

naturally of a very humane and tender disposition, he sheltered a Christian ecclesiastic named Amphibalus, when some officers were in pursuit of him on account of his religion.

No useful part of duty left behind:
Here the consenting principles unite,
A beam divine directs our steps aright,
And shows the moral in the Christian light.'

The governor ordered him to be scourged, which he bore with great fortitude, and

The pious example and edifying dis-seemed to acquire new resolution from his courses of the refugee, made a great im-sufferings: he then was sentenced to be pression on the mind of Alban; he longed beheaded.

to become a member of a religion which The venerable Bede assures us that, charmed him, and to imitate what he ad-upon this occasion, the executioner sudmired. The fugitive minister, happy in {denly became a convert to Christianity, the opportunity, took great pains to instruct and entreated permission either to die for him; and before his discovery, perfected {Alban, or with him. Obtaining the latter

Alban's conversion.

request, they were beheaded by a soldier, who voluntarily undertook the task of executioner. or

Alban now took the firm resolution to preserve the sentiments of a Christian, die the death of a martyr. The enemies of Amphibalus having intelligence of the place where he was secreted, came to the house of Alban in order to apprehend him. Alban, desirous of protecting his guest and instructor, changed clothes with him in order to facilitate his escape; and when the soldiers came, offered himself up as the person they were seeking for.

Being carried before the governor, the deceit was immediately discovered; and Amphibalus being absent, that officer determined to wreak all his vengeance upon

Alban.

This happened on the 22d of June, A. D. 287, at Verulam, now St. Alban's, in Hertfordshire, where a magnificent church was erected to his memory about the time of Constantine the Great. This edifice being destroyed in the Saxon wars, was rebuilt by Offa, king of Mercia, and a monastery erected adjoining to it, some remains of which are still visible, and the church is a noble Gothic structure.

QUINTIN was a Christian, and a native of Rome, but determined to attempt the propagation of the gospel in Gaul. He accordingly went to Picardy, attended by one Lucian: they preached together at Amiens; after which Lucian went to Beawaris, where he was martyred. Quintin remained in Picardy, and was His con

The prisoner was accordingly commanded to advance to the altar, and to sacrifice to the pagan deities; or threatened, in case of refusal, with the vengeance intend-very zealous in his ministry. ed to be exercised against the person who tinual prayers to the Almighty were, to inhad escaped by his contrivance. crease his faith, and strengthen his faculUnterrified by these menaces, he de-ties to propagate the gospel. The breathclared that he would not comply with suchings of his soul might be well expressed idolatrous injunctions, but freely professed in the following lines:—

"Awful heaven!

Great ruler of the various hearts of man!
Since thou hast raised me to conduct thy church
Without the base cabal too often practised,
Beyond my wish, my thought, give me the lights,
The virtues, which that sacred trust requires:
A loving, loved, unterrifying power,
Such as becomes a father; humble wisdom;
Plain, primitive sincerity; kind zeal
For truth and virtue rather than opinions;
And, above all, the charitable soul

Of healing peace and Christian moderation."

Being seized upon as a Christian, he was stretched with pulleys till his joints

were dislocated: his body was then torn Varus, the governor, being obliged to rewith wire scourges, and boiling oil and pair to Vermandois, ordered Quintin to be pitch poured on his naked flesh lighted conducted thither under a strong guard, torches were applied to his sides and arm-where he died of the barbarities he had pits; and after he had been thus tortured, suffered, on the 31st of October, A. D. 287; he was remanded back to prison. and his body was sunk in the Somme.

THE TENTH PRIMITIVE PERSECUTION UNDER THE ROMAN EMPERORS, COMMONLY CALLED THE ERA OF THE MARTYRS.

EVERAL reasons have been { was followed by a severe edict commandassigned for the occasioning the destruction of all other Christian of this persecution, par-churches and books; and an order soon ticularly the great increase succeeded to render Christians of all deof the Christians, whose nominations outlaws, and consequently to numbers rendered them make them incapable of holding any place formidable; many of them having lost their of trust, profit, or dignity, or of receiving humility, and given themselves up to vanity, any protection from the legal institutions by dressing gay, living sumptuously, build- of the realm. ing stately edifices for churches, &c., which created envy; and the hatred of Galerius, the adopted son of Dioclesian, who being stimulated by his mother, a bigoted pagan, never ceased persuading the emperor to enter upon the persecution till he had accomplished his purpose.

The fatal day fixed upon to commence the bloody work, was the 23d of February, A. D. 303, that being the day in which the Terminalia were celebrated, and on which, as the pagans boasted, they hoped to put a termination to Christianity.

On the day appointed, the persecution began in Nicomedia, on the morning of which the præfect of that city repaired, with a great number of officers and assistants, to the church of the Christians, where, having forced open the doors, they seized upon all the sacred books, and committed them to the flames.

The whole of this transaction was in the presence of Dioclesian and Galerius, who, not content with burning the books, had the church levelled with the ground. This {

The publication of this edict occasioned an immediate martyrdom; for a bold Christian not only tore it down from the place to which it was affixed, but execrated the name of the emperor for his injustice.

A provocation like this was sufficient to call down pagan vengeance upon his head; he was accordingly seized, severely tortured, and then burnt alive.

All the Christian prelates were then ap{prehended and imprisoned; and Galerius privately ordered the imperial palace to be set on fire, that the Christians might be charged as the incendiaries, and a plausible pretence given for carrying on the persecution with the greatest severities.

A general sacrifice was commanded,' which occasioned various martyrdoms. Among others a Christian named PETER was tortured, broiled, and then burnt; several deacons and presbyters were seized upon and executed by various means; and the bishop of Nicomedia, named ANTHIMus, was beheaded.

No distinction was made of age or sex;

perfect resignation to the chastisements of Heaven being one of the greatest Christian duties; for, as a learned divine says:

"Naked as from the earth we came,

And crept to life at first,
We to the earth return again,
And mingle with our dust.
"The dear delights we here enjoy,
And fondly call our own,

Are but short favors borrowed now,
To be repaid anon.

""Tis God that lifts our comforts high,
Or sinks them in the grave;
He gives, and blessed be his name,

He takes but what he gave."

the name of Christian was so obnoxious to the pagans, that all fell indiscriminately sacrifices to their opinions. Many houses were set on fire, and whole Christian families perished in the flames; and others had stones fastened about their necks, and being tied together were driven into the: sea. The persecution became general in all the Roman provinces, but more particularly in the east; and as it lasted ten years, it is impossible to ascertain the numbers martyred, or to enumerate the various modes of martyrdom: some were beheaded in Arabia; many devoured by wild beasts Tired with slaughter, at length, several in Phoenicia; great numbers were broiled governors of provinces represented to the on gridirons in Syria; others had their imperial court that it was "unfit to pollute bones broken, and in that manner were the cities with the blood of the inhabitants, left to expire in Cappadocia; and several or to defame the government of the emin Mesopotamia were hung with their heads { perors with the death of so many subjects." downward over slow fires, and suffocated. Hence many were respited from execuIn Pontuo, a variety of tortures weretion, but though they did not put them to used, in particular, pins were thrust under death, as much as possible was done to the nails of the prisoners, melted lead was render their lives miserable. poured upon them, and various modes were adopted in tormenting the Christians, the indecency of which could be only equalled by the savage barbarities practised in their execution.

In Egypt the Christians were martyred by means of the four elements, some were buried alive in the earth, others were drowned in the waters of the Nile, many were hung up in the air till they perished, and great numbers received their death by being thrown into large fires.

Racks, scourges, swords, daggers, crosses, poison, and famine, were made use of in various parts to despatch the Christians; and invention was exhausted to devise tortures against such as had no crime, but thinking differently from the votaries of superstition.

Accordingly, as marks of infamy, many of the Christians had their ears cut off, their noses slit, their right eyes put out, their limbs rendered useless by dreadful dislocations, and their flesh seared in conspicuous places with red-hot irons.

It is necessary now to particularize the most conspicuous persons who laid down their lives in martyrdom in this bloody persecution.

VITUS, a Sicilian of a considerable faniily, was brought up a Christian; when his virtues increased with his years, his constancy supported him under all afflictions, and his faith was superior to the most dangerous perils.

His father, Hylas, who was a pagan, finding that he had been instructed in the principles of Christianity by the nurse who brought him up, did all his endeavors to bring him back to paganism.

A city of Phrygia, consisting entirely of Christians, was surrounded by a number of pagan soldiers to prevent any from escaping; who setting it on fire, all the inhabitants perished in the flames. But though the sufferings of the Christians were many, their souls were serene: a Christians.

F

Failing in his design, he forgot all the feelings of a parent, and informed against his son to Valerian, governor of Sicily, who was very active in persecuting the

Vitus, at the time of his being apprehended upon the information of his father, was little more that twelve years of age; Valerian, therefore, on account of his tender age, thought to frighten him out of his faitn. He was accordingly threatened with great anger, and ordered to be scourged severely.

Having received this punishment, the governor sent him back to his father, thinking that what he had suffered would certainly make him change his principles: but in this he was mistaken; and Hylas, finding his son inflexible, suffered nature to sink under superstition, and determined to sacrifice his son to the idols.

he styled Christ. In answer to which he replied, that he "preferred the service of that dead man, who was in reality the Son of God, and was risen from the grave, to all the advantages he could receive from the emperor's favor; that he was a soldier of Christ, and would therefore take care that the post he held under an earthly prince, should never interfere with his duty to the King of heaven; and that as for the gods, whose worship they recommended to him, he could not think them any better than evil spirits."

He was loaded with reproaches for this reply, but being a man of rank, he was sent to the emperor to receive his final sen

Vitus, on being apprized of his design,tence. escaped to Lucania, where being seized, he was by order of Valerian put to death June 14, A. D. 303; but in what manner we are not informed.

CRESCENTIA, the nurse who brought him up as a Christian, and a person who escaped with him, called MODESTUS, were martyred at the same time.

Being by order stretched upon the rack, he turned his eyes toward heaven, and prayed to God to endue him with patience; after which he underwent the tortures with most admirable fortitude. After the executioners were tired with inflicting torments on him, he was taken from the rack and conveyed to a close dark dungeon. He was afterward sentenced to be thrown into a mill, and crushed to pieces with the

Victor was a Christian of a good family
at Marseilles, in France; he spent a great
part of the night in visiting the afflicted, { stones.
and confirming the weak, which pious work
he could not, consistent with his own safety,
perform in the daytime; and his fortune he
spent in relieving the distresses of poor
Christians, thinking that riches were use-
less unless subservient to works of charity,
and otherwise employed, were a bane to
mankind.

"Mark where yon mines their radiant stores unfold,
Peru's rich dust, or Chili's beds of gold:
Insidious bane, that makes destruction, smooth;
Thou foe to virtue, liberty, and truth:
Whose arts the fate of monarchies decide,
Who gildst deceit, the darling child of pride:
How oft allured by thy persuasive charms,
Have earth's contending powers appeared in arms!
What nations bribed have owned thy powerful reign,
For thee what millions ploughed the stormy main,
Travelled from pole to pole with ceaseless toil,
And felt their blood alternate freeze and boil!"

He was at length, however, seized by the emperor's orders, and being carried before two præfects, they advised him to embrace paganism, and not forfeit the favor of his prince, on account of a dead man, as

This cruel sentence was, in some measure, put into execution; Victor was thrown into the mill, but part of the apparatus breaking, he was drawn from it terribly bruised; and the emperor not having patience to stay till it was mended, ordered? his head to be struck off, which was executed accordingly, A. D. 303.

ANDRONICUS was next brought up for examination, when being asked the usual questions, he said: "I am a Christian, a native of Ephesus, and descended from one of the first families in that city." After a great deal of altercation, in which the governor was unsuccessful in endeavoring to dissuade him from his fate, he was ordered to undergo punishments similar to those of Tarachus and Probus, and then to be remanded to prison.

After being confined some days, the three prisoners were brought before Max