time inftead of torches for illumination. Nero had of fered his own gardens for this spectacle. He also gave them Circenfian games, and dressed himself like a driver of a chariot, fometimes appearing among the common people, fometimes in the circle itself; whence a commiferation arofe, though the punishments were levelled at guilty perfons, and fuch as deferved to be made the moft flagrant examples, as if these people were deftroyed, not for the publick advantage, but to fatisfy the barbarous humour of one man.

N. B. Since I have set down all the vile calumnies of Tacitus upon the Chriftians as well as the Jews, it will be proper, before I come to my obfervations, to fet down two heathen records in their favour, and those hardly inferior in antiquity, and of much greater authority, than Tacitus, I mean Pliny's epiftles to Trajan when he was proconful of Bithynia, with Trajan's answer or refcript to Pliny, cited by Tertullian, Eufebius, and Jerom. Thefe are records of fo great esteem with Havercamp, the laft editor of Jofephus, that he thinks they not only deferve to be read, but almoft to be learned by heart alfo.

SIR, It is my conftant method to apply myself to you for the refolution of all my doubts, for, ¿ Who can d better govern my dilatory way of proceeding, or instruct my ignorance? I have never been prefent at the examination of the Chriftians [by others], on which account I am unacquainted with what ufes to be inquired into, and what, and how far they use to be pun ifhed Nor are my doubts fmall, ¿ Whether there be not a distinction to be made between the ages [of the accufed]? and, ¿Whether tender youth ought to have the fame punifhment with ftrong men ?- Whether there be not room for pardon upon repentance ?* or, Whether it may not be an advantage to one that had been a Chriftian, that he has forfaken Chriftianity?" હું Whether

d

Till now it feems repentance was not commonly allowed those that had been once Chriftians; but though they recanted, and returned to idolatry, yet were they commonly put to death. This was perfe cution in perfection!

¿ Whether the bare name, † without any crimes befides, or the crimes adhering to that name, be to be punished? In the mean time, I have taken this course about those who have been brought before me as Chriftians. I asked them, ¿ Whether they were Chriftians, or not? If they confefled that they were Chriftians, I asked them again, and a third time, intermixing threatenings with the questions: If they perfevered in their confeffion, I ordered them to be executed; for I did not doubt but, let their confeffion be of any fort whatfoever, this pofitiveness and inflexible obftinacy deserved to be punished. There have been fome of this mad fect whom I took notice of in particular as Roman citizens, that they might be sent to that city. After fome time, as is ufual in fuch examinations, the crime fpread itfelf, and many more cafes came before me. A libel was fent me, though without an author, containing many names [of perfons accufed]. Thefe denied that they were Chriftians now, or ever had been. They called upon the gods, and fupplicated to your image, which I caufed to be brought to me for that purpofe, with frankincenfe and wine: They also § curfed Chrift: None of which things, as it is faid, can any of those that are really Chriftians be compelled to do; fo: I thought fit to let them go. Others of them that were named in the libel, faid they were Chriftians, but prefently denied it again, that indeed they had been Chrift

ians,

+ This was the juft and heavy complaint of the ancient Christians, that they commonly fuffered for that bare name, without the pretence of any crimes they could prove against them. This was alfo perfecu sion in perfection!

Amazing doctrine! that a firm and fixed refolution of keeping a good confcience fhould be thought without difpute to deferve death, and this by fuch comparatively excellent heathens as Pliny and Trajan.

This was the cafe of St. Paul, who being a citizen of Rome was allowed to appeal unto Cefar, and was fent to Rome accordingly. Acts xxii. 25-29. XXV. 25. xxvi. 32. xxvii.

Amazing ftupidity that the Emperor's image, even while he was alive, fhould be allowed capable of divine worship, even by fuch comparatively excellent heathens as Pliny and Trajan!

§ Take here a parallel account out of the martyrdom of Polycarp, 9. The proconful faid, Reproach Chrift." Polycarp replied, Eighty and fix years have I now ferved Chrift, and he has never done me the leaft wrong, How then can I blafpheme my King and my Saviour ?"

ians, but had ceased to be fo, fome three years, fome many more; and one there was that faid, he had not been so these twenty years. All thefe worshipped your image, and the images of our gods: Thefe alfo curfed Chrift. However, they affured me, that the main of their fault, or of their mistake, was this, that they were wont, on a stated day, to meet together, before it was light, and to fing an hymn to Chrift, as to a god, alter nately; and to, oblige themselves by a facrament for oath], not to do any thing that a was: ill, but that they would commit no theft, or pilfering, or adultery; that they would not break their promifes, or deny what was depofited with them, when it was required back again : After which it was their custom to depart, and to meet again at a common but innocent meal, which yet they had left off upon that edict which I published at your command, and wherein I had forbidden any such conventicles. Thefe examinations made me think it nec effary to inquire by torments, what the truth was, which I did ofotwo fervant maids, which were called deaconeffes but ftill I difcovered no more, than that they were addicted to a had, and to an extravagant fuperftition. Hereupon I have put off any farther examinations, and have recourfe to you, for the affair feems to be well worth confultation, efpecially on ac count of the * number of those that are in danger; for there are many of every age, of every rank, and of both fexes, which are now and hereafter likely to be called to account, and to be in danger, for this fuperftition is fpread like a contagion, not only into cities and towns, but into country villages alfo, which yet there is reafon to hope may be ftopped and corrected. To be fure the temples, which were almost forfaken, begin already to be frequented; and the holy folemnities, which were long intermitted, begin to be revived. The facrifices begin to fell well every where, of which very few purchafers had of late appeared; whereby it is easy to fuppofe how great a multitude of

This muft most probably be the feaft of charity.

men

Some of late are very loth to believe that the Chriftians were numerous in the fecond century, but this is fuch an evidence that they were very numerous at leaft in Bithynia, even in the beginning of that century, as is wholly undeniable.

men may be amended, if place for repentance be admitted.

TRAJAN'S EPISTLE to PLINY.

MY Pliny, You have taken the method which you ought in examining the causes of thofe that had been accufed as Chriftians, for indeed no certain and general form of judging can be ordained in this cafe. Thefe people are not to be fought for; but if they be accufed, and convicted, they are to be punished, but with this caution, that he who denies himself to be a Christian, and makes it plain that he is not fo by fupplicating to our gods, although he had been fo formerly, may be allowed pardon, upon his repentance. As for libels fent without an author, they ought to have no place in any accufation what foever, for that would be a thing of very ill example, and not agreeable to my reign.

OBSERVATIONS upon the Paffages taken out of

TACITUS.

I. WE fee here what great regard the best of the Roman hiftorians of that age, Tacitus, had to the hif tory of Jofephus, while, though he never names him, as he very rarely names any of thofe Roman authors whence he derives other parts of his hiftory, yet does it appear that he refers to his seven books of the Jewith Wars feveral times in a very few pages, and almoft always depends on his accounts of the affairs of the Romans and Parthians, as well as of the Jews, during no fewer than 240 years, to which thofe books extend.

II. Yet does it appear that when he now and then followed other hiftorians or reports concerning the Romans, the Parthians, or the Jews, during that long interval, he was commonly mistaken in them, and had better have kept clofe to Jofephus than hearken to any of his other authors or informers.

III. It also appears highly probable that Tacitus had feen the Antiquities of Jofephus, and knew that the moft part of the accounts he produced of the origin of the Jewish nation entirely contradicted thofe Antiquities. He alfo could hardly avoid seeing that those ac

counts

counts contradicted one another alfo, and were childifh, abfurd, and fupported by no good evidence whatfoever: As also he could hardly avoid feeing that Jofephus's accounts in thofe Antiquities were authentick, substantial, and thoroughly attefted to by the ancient records of that nation, and of the neighbouring nations alfo, which indeed no one can now avoid feeing that carefully perufes and confiders them.

IV. Tacitus therefore, in concealing the greatest part of the true ancient hiftory of the Jewish nation, which lay before him in Jofephus, and producing fuch fabulous, ill grounded, and partial hiftories, which he had from the heathens, acted a moft unfair part: And this procedure of his is here the more grofs, in regard he profeffed fuch great impartiality, Hift. B. I. ch. i. and is allowed to have obferved that impartiality in the Roman affairs also..

V. Tacitus's hatred and contempt of God's peculiar people the Jews, and his attachment to the groffeft idolatry, fuperftition, and aftral fatality of the Romans, were therefore fo ftrong in him, as to overbear all reftraints of fober reafon and equity in the cafe of thofe Jews, though he be allowed fo exactly to have followed them on other occafions relating to the Romans.

VI. Since therefore Tacitus was fo bitter against the Jews, and fince he knew that Chrift was a Jew himself, and that his apoftles and firft followers were Jews; and alfo knew that the Chriftian religion was derived into the Roman provinces from Judea, it is no wonder that his hatred and contempt of the Jews extended itfelf to the Chriftians also, whom the Romans ufually confounded with the Jews, as therefore his hard words of the Jews appear to have been generally groundless, and hurt his own reputation, inftead of theirs, fo ought we to esteem his alike hard words of the Chriftians to be blots upon his own character, and not upon theirs.

VII. Since therefore Tacitus, foon after the publi cation of Jofephus's Antiquities, and in contradiction to them, was determined to produce fuch idle ftories about the Jews, and fince one of thofe idle ftories is much the fame with that published in Jofephus against Apion, from Manetho and Lyfimachus, and no where elfe met with fo fully in all antiquity, it is most proba

ble