the first who felt the severity of the rescript. spectators so exalted an idea of the dignity Cyprian tells us that he was beheaded August 6, 258. We are likewise informed that six of his deacons suffered with him. and truth of the Christian religion, that many became converts upon the occasion. After lying for some time upon this burning bed, the martyr called out to the emperor, who was present, in a kind of jocose distich, made extempore, which may LAURENTIUS, generally called St. Laurence, the principal of the deacons, who taught and preached under Sextus, follow-be thus translated :— ed him to the place of execution; when Sextus predicted, that he should, three days after, meet him in heaven. "This side enough is toasted, Then turn me, tyrant, and eat; The executioner turned him accordingly, and after having laid a considerable time longer, he had still strength and spirits suf Laurentius looking upon this as a certain indication of his own approaching martyrdom, at his return gathered together all the Christian poor, and distributed the treasures of the church, which had been {ficient left to triumph over the tyrant, by committed to his care among them, thinking the money could not be better disposed of, or less liable to fall into the hands of the pagans. This liberality alarmed the persecutors, who seized on him to make a discovery whence it arose, and commanded him to give an immediate account to the emperor of the church treasures. telling him, with great serenity, that he was dressed enough, and only wanted serving up. He then cheerfully lifted up his eyes to heaven, and with calmness yielded his spirit to the Almighty, on August 10, A. D. 258. ROMANUS, a soldier who attended the martyrdom of Laurentius, was one of the converts to his sufferings and fortitude; for He promised he would do this, but beg- he could not help feeling the greatest veneged a short respite to put things in proper {ration for a God who inspired his votaries order; when three days being granted with such courage, and rendered his marhim, he was suffered to depart; where-tyrs superior to all the cruelties of their upon, with great diligence, he collected to- persecutors. gether a great number of aged, helpless, and impotent poor; he repaired to the magistrate, and presenting them to him said, "These are the true treasures of the church." Incensed at the disappointment, and fan-firmly a Christian, received his baptism cying the matter meant in ridicule, the governor ordered him to be immediately scourged. He was then beaten with iron rods, set upon a wooden horse, and had his limbs dislocated. These tortures he endured with fortitude and perseverance; when he was ordered to be fastened to a large gridiron, with a slow fire under it, that his death might be the more lingering. His astonishing constancy during these trials, and serenity of countenance while under such excruciating torments, gave the The brave Romanus, when the martyr Laurentius was remanded to prison, took that opportunity of fully inquiring into the nature of the Christian faith; and being entirely satisfied by Laurentius, became from the captive, and seemed to have his mind impressed with a lively idea of the kingdom of Christ; a kingdom replete with eternal joys and everlasting happiness. In Africa the persecution raged with peculiar violence; many thousands received the crown of martyrdom, among whom the following were the most distinguished characters :— CYPRIAN, bishop of Carthage, was an eminent prelate, and a pious ornament of the church. The brightness of his genius was tempered by the solidity of his judg ment; and with all the accomplishments and polished manner, are requisite in every of the gentleman he blended the virtues of preacher who would make an impression the Christian. His doctrines were ortho- on the hearts of his audience. This was dox and pure; his language easy and ele- the practice of St. Paul, and this was the gant; and his manners graceful and win-accomplishment of Cyprian. ning in fine, he was both the pious and The latter, it is said, was so perfectly a polite preacher. Indeed, an easy delivery, master of the rules of rhetoric, and the About the year 246, Cœlius, a Christian minister of Carthage, became the happy instrument of Cyprian's conversion; on which account, and for the great love that he always afterward bore for the author of his conversion, he was termed Cæcilius Cyprian. Previous to his baptism he studied the Scriptures with care, and being struck with the beauties of the truths they contain In his youth he was educated in the principles of gentilism, and having a considerable fortune, he lived in the very ex-ed, he determined to practise the virtues travagance of splendor, and all the dignity of pomp. Gorgeous in attire, luxurious in feasting, vain of a numerous retinue, and fond of every kind of fashionable parade, he seemed to fancy that man was born to gratify all his appetites, and created for pleasure alone. 'Pleasure but cheats us with an empty name, therein recommended. Subsequent to his baptism he sold his estate, distributed the money among the poor, dressed himself in plain attire, and commenced a life of austerity. He was soon after made a presbyter; and being greatly admired for his virtues, and his works, on the death of Donatus, in A. D. 248, he was almost unanimously Selected bishop of Carthage. A. D. 250, Cyprian was publicly pro- gan to persecute accordingly, which ocscribed by the emperor Decius, under thecasioned an epistle from them to Cyprian, appellation of Cæcilius Cyprian, bishop of in answer to which he vindicates the cause the Christians; and the universal cry of of Christianity. the pagans was, "Cyprian to the lions! Cyprian to the beasts!" A. D. 257, Cyprian was brought before the pro-consul Aspasius Paternus, when being commanded to conform to the reli The bishop, however, withdrew himself from the rage of the populace, and his ef-gion of the empire, he boldly made a confects were immediately confiscated. During his retirement he wrote thirty pious and elegant letters to his flock; but several schisms that then crept into the church gave him great uneasiness. The rigor of the persecution abating, he returned to Carthage, and did everything in his power to expunge erroneous opinions. A terrible plague breaking out at Carthage, it was, as usual, laid to the charge of the Christians; and the magistrates be fession of his faith, and owned himself a Christian. This confession, however, did not occasion his death, but an order for his banishment, which exiled him to a little city on the Lybian sea. On the death of the pro-consul who banished him, he returned to Carthage, bnt was soon after seized and carried before the new governor, who condemned him to be beheaded, which sentence was executed on the 14th of September, A. D. 258. THE NINTH PRIMITIVE PERSECUTION UNDER THE ROMAN EMPERORS. T HE emperor Aurelian, A. D. {merian, succeeded him; and during all FELIX, bishop of Rome. This prelate was advanced to the Roman see in 274. He was the first martyr to Aurelian's petulancy, being beheaded on the 22d of September, in the same year. AGAPETUS, a young gentleman who sold his estate and gave the money to the poor, was seized as a Christian, tortured, and then beheaded at Præneste, a city within a day's journey of Rome. Dioclesian mounting the imperial throne, A. D. 284, at first showed great favor to the Christians. In the year 286 he associated {Maximian with him in the empire; and some Christians were put to death before any general persecution broke out. Among these were FELICIAN and PRIMUS, two brothers. These Christians were seized by an order from the imperial court: they owned themselves Christians, and were accordingly scourged, tortured, and at length beheaded. TIBURTIUS, a native of Rome, was descended from a considerable family; not that any merit was due to him on that ac These are the only martyrs left upon record during this reign, as it was soon put a stop to by the emperor's being mur-count, for dered by his own domestics at Byzantium. Aurelian was succeeded by Tacitus, who was followed by Probus, as the latter was by Carus this emperor being killed by a thunder-storm, his sons, Carnius and Nu "Those who on glorious ancestry enlarge, Produce their debt instead of their discharge." Being accused as a Christian, he was commanded either to sacrifice to idols, or to walk upon burning coals. He chose the latter, and passed over them without ways be ready to obey, as we have been hitherto; but when the orders of our prince and those of the Almighty differ, we must always obey the latter. Our arms are devoted to the emperor's use, and shall be directed against his enemies; but we can damage, when Fabian passed sentence upon him that he should be beheaded; which sentence was performed in the month of August, A. D. 286, and his body was afterward buried by some Christians. In the year of Christ 286, a most re-not submit to stain our hands with effusion markable affair occurred: a legion of sol- of Christian blood; and how, indeed, could diers, consisting of 6,666 men, contained you, O emperor! be secure of our alleginone but Christians. This legion was ance and fidelity, should we violate our called the Theban legion, because the men obligation to our God, in whose service we had been raised in Thebaus: they were were solemnly engaged before we entered quartered in the east till the emperor Max- in the army? You command us to search imian ordered them to march to Gaul, to out and to destroy the Christians: it is not assist him against the rebels of Burgundy. necessary to look any farther for persons They passed the Alps into Gaul, under of that denomination; we ourselves are the command of Mauritius, Candidus, and such, and we glory in the name. Exupernis, their worthy commanders, and our companions fall without the least opat length joined the emperor. 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 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. We saw 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 MaxA declaration like this, it might be preimian, that he ordered the legion to be sumed, would have softened the emperor, decimated, that is, every tenth man to be but it had the contrary effect: for, enraged selected from the rest, and put to the sword. { at their perseverance and unanimity, he This bloody order having been put into commanded that the whole legion should execution, those who remained alive were be put to death, which was accordingly still inflexible, when a second decimation executed by the other troops, who cut them took place, and every tenth man of those to pieces with their swords. living were again put to death. This second severity made no more impression than the first had done; the soldiers 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 This affair happened on the 22d September, A. D. 286; and such was the inveterate malice of Maximian, that he sent to destroy every man of a few detachments that had been draughted from the Theban legion, and despatched to Italy. 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: 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 the opportunity, took great pains to instruct him; and before his discovery, perfected Alban's conversion. denly became a convert to Christianity, and entreated permission either to die for Alban, or with him. Obtaining the latter. request, they were beheaded by a soldier, who voluntarily undertook the task of executioner. This happened on the 22d of Alban now took the firm resolution to preserve the sentiments of a Christian, or die the death of a martyr. The enemies { June, A. D. 287, at Verulam, now St. Alof 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. ban'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 The prisoner was accordingly command-Amiens; after which Lucian went to ed to advance to the altar, and to sacrifice Beawaris, where he was martyred. to the pagan deities; or threatened, in case of refusal, with the vengeance intended to be exercised against the person who had escaped by his contrivance. Quintin remained in Picardy, and was very zealous in his ministry. His continual prayers to the Almighty were, to increase 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: himself to be a Christian; and breathed out such sentiments as these : : "Awful heaven! Great ruler of the various hearts of man! Of healing peace and Christian moderation." Being seized upon as a Christian, he was stretched with pulleys till his joints |