Perfecution. The principal bishops, to be as it were an example to others, were dragged to tortures; among thefe glorious martyrs, St. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, and Simon the fon of Cleopas, bishop of Jerufalem, greatly diftinguished themfelves. The famous letter of Pliny to the emperor Trajan, informs us how they behaved in this perfecution. This letter ferved greatly to moderate the rigour of the punishments. The fourth perfecution is faid to have been begun in the reign of Adrian; but we have nothing very certain on this fubject. Adrian, though attached much to paganifm, and a great despiser of all foreign religions, yet did not, as we know, publish any edicts, or decree any punishments, against the Chriftians : on the contrary, from a report made to him of the hardships they fuffered in fome provinces, and from the apologies prefented to him in their defence, the emperor gave orders to treat them with greater mildnefs. The reign of Adrian was, however, fatal to the church, from the misfortunes brought upon them by the impoftor Barocheba, who having convinced the Jews of Palestine that he was the Meffiah, perfuaded them to revolt, and put himfelf at their head but God caufed this calamity to turn out to the advantage of the Chriftians. The Jews having failed in their enterprize, were reduced to the laft extremity, and obliged to leave the city of Elia, which Adrian had built after the plan of the ancient Jerufalem. To this city the Chrif tians were permitted to return; but, being fenfible of how much confe quence it was to them not to be confounded with the Jews, they rejected all appearance and remains of Judaifm, that they might no more be exposed to this inconvenience. Quadratus, bishop of Athens, and Arittides, a philofopher of the fame' city, prefented to the emperor fome apologies for the faith; but these time has deftroyed. It is faid alfo that Serenius Granianus, prefect of Afia, reprefented, by letters to Adrian, the injuftice of putting the Christians to death, merely from common report, without formal accufations and lawful proceedings : upon this, the emperor fent a letter to Minutius Fundanus, the fucceffor of Serenius, in which he ordered, that no perfon fhould be condemned, without having been first heard, and proved to be guilty. y Antoninus Pius, and fucceffor of Adrian, had never any defign to prejudice the church. The ancients affure us, that under his reign fhe enjoyed the most perfect peace. Notwithstanding, the enemies of the faith formed variety of plots, and raised many grievous calumnies againft the Christians, as we fee from Juftin's. apology to Antoninus, and the emperor's letter to the cities of Grace, to foften their treatment. afcribe to him, allo another ler directed to all Afia; but the mot able chronologists have proved this to belong to Marcus Aurelius. This emperor, though he had obtained the name of philofopher, and was famous for many excellent qualities, raised a perfecution against the Chriftians: he was of a character the most mild and amiable, and had at first published many edicts favourable to the Chriftians. However, the clamours of the provinces, and the unjuft hatred that fome of the governors had to the Chriftians, expofed them to much ill-treatment, which the emperor, in the beginning of his reign, put a stop to, and greatly difapproved. But he fuffered himfelf to be led away by prejudice, and took a total diflike to the Chriftians, more particularly after they had been accufed by haves in Gaul of the moft dete able crimes. Marcus Aurelius, moved by thefe calumnies, which had not the leaft appearance of truth, published an edict, by which it was ordered, that all who confeffed themfelves to be Chriftians fhould fuffer the moft fevere punishments; and and this edict remained in force during the rest of his life. Many of the faithful then obtained the crown of martyrdom; the chief of whom were Juftin Martyr, Polycarp bishop of Smyrna, Photin bishop of Lyons, and with him many other Chriftians of that city and of Vienne; of whofe fuffering and conftancy we have long accounts in the letters which the churches wrote upon this occafion, and which Eufebius has preferved in his hiftory, lib. v. ch. 1. During thefe perfecutions, appeared the apologetical writings of Theophilus of Antioch, of Meliton of Sardis, of Apollinarius of Hierapolis, of Tatian, and of Athenagoras: fome of them. ftill remain. We must not here pass over in filence a tradition which both ancients and moderns have equally reported, according to which, a miracle being obtained by the prayers of the Chriftians, entirely gained ftians to them. Without entering here into all the arguments for and against this account, it will be sufficient to fay, that, foon after this real or pretended deliverance, name-, ly in the year 177, the emperor again ordered a very fevere perfecution against the Christians. Under Commodus the Church recovered its tranquillity, and many perfons of birth and fortune embraced Chriftianity. The civil wars, which were raised in the empire, during the reigns of Pertinax, of Didius, Julianus, of Pefcennius Niger, of Clodius Albinus, and during the first years of Septimus Severus, did not allow them time to think of perfecuting the Chriftians. [To be continued.] WESTMINSTER-ABBEY. [Continued from page 109.] them the good will of the emperor. N Much has been wrote on this fubject Ν nument EAR the earl of Ligonier's mowere formerly three ancient tombs, all of which are now almoft obliterated. The first of freeftone, made like a close bed, was walled up, and another tomb placed against it. This monument was covered with an antient gothic arch, the fides whereof were adorned with vine branches in relief, the roof within fpringing into many angles, under which lies the image of a lady in a very antique dress, her feet refting upon lions, and her head on pillows fupported by angels, fitting on each fide of the effigy, gilt and painted. On the fide of the tomb are fix niches, in which feem to have been painted monks, and on the pedeftal are still to be feen fome remains of paintings. This monument covered the remains of Aveline, countess of Lancaster, who died the 4th of November 1293, the very year of her marriage. This lady was daughter to William de Fortibus, earl of Albemarle and Holderneffe, and married Edmund earl of Lancafter, fon to king Henry II. Near this is another antient monu ment Engraved for The New Christian's Magazine. ANorth View of the CATHEDRAL CHURCH/LLANDAFF, in Glamorganfhire. Published by Alex Hogg N16 Paternoster Row, Dec? 1.1788. ment of grey marble, erected to the memory of Aymer de Valen e, fecond and laft earl of Pembroke of this family, who was poisoned in France, by the fecret contrivance of the earl of Arundel, the 23d of June 1324. He had been three times married, but had no iffue by either of his wives. In the time of Edward I. he was a great general, and not only attended that prince in his expedition to Flanders, but likewife accompanied him to Scotland, where that king died. He is laid to have been one of the judges who gave fentence against the great earl of Lancaster. The third is an ancient monument to the memory of Croutchback, fourth fon to Henry III. fo called, as is fuppofed by fome, from the deformity of his perfon; others imagine it arose from his attending his brother in the holy wars, where they wore a crouch or cross on their fhoulders, as a badge of Chriftianity. On the base of the tomb, towards the area, are the remains of a curious, and perhaps the moft antique painting extant, but much defaced, being ten knights armed with banners, furcoats of armour, and cross-belted, reprefenting, undoubtedly, his expedition to the Holy Land, the number exactly agreeing with what Prior says, namely, Edward and his brother, four earls and four knights, of whom fome are ftill to be difcovered. It was originally a very lofty monument, painted, gilt and inlaid with ftained glafs. The infide of the canopy been a fky with stars, but by time changed into a dull red. From this prince the house of Lancaster claimed their right to the crown. He was made earl of Leiceller and fteward of England at the age of nineteen, and at twenty-one he took the title of the earl of Lancaster, and marrying Avebecame line, already mentioned, has poffeffed of the eftates of Albemarle, Devon, and the 1fle of Wight, together with thofe of Derby and Campaign. His fecond wife was Blanch, queen of Navarre, by whom he had VOL. II. No. 15. three fons, Thomas earl of Lancaster, who was executed; John of Monmouth; and another John, who lived in France. In the reign of his bro ther Edward I. he commanded an army in France with great fuccefs at first; but being ill-fupported, and his foldiers ill-paid, they deferted him, which he laid fo much to heart, that he died of grief at Bayonne. On the welt fide of the door of St. Erafmus's chapel is a monument erected to the memory of Juliana, only daughter of Sir Randolph Crew, Knt. Lord Chief Juftice of England. She died unmarried April 22, 1621. In this area is a table monument erected to the memory of bishop Duppa, tutor to king Charles the Second. He was educated firft at Westminster fchool, and then at Chrift-churchcollege Oxford, of which he was af terwards dean; and being appointed preceptor to the then prince of Wales, was first made bishop of Chichester, from thence tranflated to Salisbury, and, after the restoration, to the fee of Winchester. This great man was of fuch exemplary piety and lively converfation, that when king Charles I. was a prifoner in Carifbrook castle, his afflictions were alleviated by the bishop's converfation. So compleatly had he gained the good-will of the prince his pupil, that when he came to be king, he retained fuch a reve rence for his piety, that hearing he was dangeroufly ill at Richmond, he went thither to pay his devotions to him, and received his laft benediction from him on his bended knees. He died the 26th of March 1662, in the 74th year of his age. A [To be continued.] LAND AFF. IN SOUTH WALES. DESCRIPTIVE ACCOUNT THAT VILLAGE. OF With a beautiful perfpective view of the Cathedral, elegantly engraved. ANDAFF ftands on a gentle elevation, and though a bi D d fhopric |