ple upon them. I am come to declare that I shall not adore any but one God. Isis is nothing, Apollo is nothing, Venus is nothing, even Maximian your emperor is nothing. The former are nothing, because being made either of an olive branch or a block of marble, and the latter is nothing because he adores this marble and this branch. Let your emperor be the master of the world, in my regard he shall be the least of men as long as I behold him bend the knee before wood or stone. Let him place his diadem at their feet, but let him not pretend to subject the free and the noble-hearted, to such baseness." Such freedom and boldness of speech, it is not difficult to understand, excited beyond measure the anger of the governor. In his rage he ordered the youthful virgin to be seized and treated with the utmost opprobrium. His commands were readily executed. The ministers of his impiety immediately seized the tender girl and showered upon her innumerable blows. This was indeed nought but what she desired, for not only was she willing to part with her blood but with her life for her heavenly spouse. Amid all her tortures not a tear rolled from her eyes nor a sigh escaped her lips. Her only expression, while her body was being lacerated under the rod of the executioners, being, "They are engraving, O Lord, on my body Thy victories. Your name, my divine Savior shines forth in characters of blood." Finding that bodily suffering could not conquer her generous spirit, the governor ordered her to be burned to death, which sentence was immediately carried into effect.

Of the numbers that thus perished under the rule of Dacian it would be impossible to form an accurate estimate. They are thought to be as many as those that suffered at Rome or Carthage.

The sufferings of the Christians in Gaul at this epoch were not so great as those of their brethren in Spain.

This was in consequence of that country being more directly under the control of the humane Constantius. Except in the instance of Crispin governor of Vienne, the edict of Diocletian did not find an active application under any of the other officers of the province. Crispin was led to follow this iniquitous course with the view of obtaining the favor of the author of the decree. And of the extent to which he carried his intolerance, the reader may learn from the following extract from the Acts of St. Feriol: "He was to be seen daily seated on his tribunal and surrounded by a number of counsellors who, breathing only impiety and rage, loaded with honors and favors those of the Christians who basely betrayed their God and their religion, and overwhelmed on the other hand with affronts, ignominy and tortures those who remained faithful to both one and the other."

It was under this governor and at this time that St. Julien of Briaude, St. Peregrin of Auxerre and Jovinian of the same church were martyred for the faith, The brutality that attended the death of Julien was even more marked than in the case of the others. Without the poor form of a trial, Crispin, having learned that he had withdrawn from the locality, despatched his troops to seek and slay him wherever discovered. Julien learning this, took no means of escape but like his divine Master approached to meet his enemies and, having obtained a few moments for prayer, offered his head to the executioner. 19

CHAPTER XVIII.

DIOCLETIAN, MAXIMIAN AND GALERIUS DETERMINED TO ERADICATE CHRISTIANITY OUT OF THE EMPIRE-VAST NUMBERS PERISH EVERY-WHEREESPECIALLY IN THE EASTERN PROVINCES-PERSECUTION IN THE WESTDIOCLETIAN ABDICATES-MAXIMIAN ALSO ABDICATES-GALERIUS' ATROCITIES-HE CONDEMNS THE CHRISTIANS TO UNIVERSAL SLAUGHTER UNLESS THEY APOSTATIZE BY PARTAKING OF FOOD OFFERED TO THE IDOLS.

While that part of the empire subject to Constantius was comparatively free from the application of the recent edict, the other divisions were drenched in the blood of the faithful. Diocletian, Maximian and Galerius had set themselves, with a determination purely diabolical, to eradicate the Christian faith from every part of their dominions. It was man or rather the demon measuring his strength with the Deity. Every expedient that malice could sug gest or artifice supply was called into action for the accomplishment of this purpose. Sympathy seemed to have abandoned the breasts of the rulers. Africa, Egypt and the Thebais became especially remarkable in the contest. The object of the emperors being the utter destrution of the Christian religion, neither age, sex nor rank could claim any exception. It was either apostasy or death. Concealment alone was the only protection against the rage of the tyrant. In Africa the storm swept over the land with exceeding fierceness, overturning many churches and making many apostates. Every-where the demon had his triumph; numbers fell and shamefully abandoned the faith at the sight of the torments prepared for them by their enemies. Hundreds who had spent their lives in religion and grown

gray in the service of God, were now weak enough to offer incense to the demon. Mothers performed the same act for their children and guardians for their wards. To add to their degradation, these unfortunate apostates were compelled to demolish the temples of the living God, to burn the Sacred Scriptures, and thus to exhibit before the populace an incontestable proof of their crime. The numbers, however, that scornfully rejected these shameful and degrading alternatives were, it is pleasing to think, exceedingly great.*

In the Thebais, upwards of five hundred perished at this time under the governor Arrien. The tortures undergone by these are shocking to relate. Aseclas, one of the number, on being presented to the governor, was condemned to the rack and so cruelly mangled that the flesh hung in shreds from his body. Lighted torches were next applied to his bleeding, mangled sides, and when this was found insufficient to conquer his faith, he was cast into the Nile with a great weight attached to his neck. Immediately after this execution, all the inhabitants of a certain Christian village named Antinone were arrested by order of the same authority. Amongst these were seven and thirty members of the clergy, all of whom died for the faith. But how inscrutable are not the decrees of divine providence! Arrien, who thus persecuted the faithful, like another Saul was conquered by divine grace and converted into an Apostle of truth. It is not known what was the immediate cause of his conversion nor indeed is it at all important to learn. Enough for us to know is that there resulted therefrom the happiest consequences, for the Christians now seeing their former intolerant enemy amongst their most fervent adorers, were supplied with new courage and inflamed with new zeal in the cause of divine truth.

* See Belouino, Hist. Des Martyres, p. 249.

Other parts of the country suffered equally as the Thebais. At Carthage, the pro-consul Amilius proceeded against the Christians in a manner entirely novel. In obedience to the commands of his imperial masters, he required the possessors of the Sacred Scriptures to resign them into his hands under pain of imprisonment and death. By a like act of impiety the churches every-where were ordered to be destroyed and the assemblies to be discontinued. This was the expiring effort on the part of the demons to thwart the designs of the Son of God and to eradicate the faith from the hearts of the believers. But in vain did the evil one suggest this artifice, for rather than resign the divine word into the hands of the unbelievers, numbers cheerfully hastened to torture and death. At Abitine, a town at some distance from Carthage, nine and forty of the faithful were arrested their only crime was having assembled to celebrate the divine mysteries on the Lord's Day. They were immediately despatched to the capital and subjected to torture. Their intrepid replies during their sufferings evinced very clearly the purity of their faith and the graces by which they were sustained. It is true an exception was found in the number; but this brought out only the stronger the firmness and resolution of the others. Fundanus, a former bishop of the place, alarmed at the tortures in store for him, shamefully yielded to the solicitations of the authorities and placed the Sacred Scriptures in their hands. No palliation can be offered for so unworthy an act; it would have been condemnable in the highest degree even in a laic; but in the case of an ecclesiastic it was unpardonable. Nor was heaven long in exhibiting its displeasure against so treacherous a deed, for as the traitor was about to cast the divine word into the flames, the heavens, which till then were profoundly serene, became presently overcast, and from the rapidly gathering clouds there was discharged such a quantity of rain as extinguished the fire,