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bius; because it fuited my purpose to magnify the humanity and even kindness of Maxentius towards the afflicted Chriftians". To fupport this charge, he produces fome part of a chapter of Eufebius, the English in his text, the Greek in his notes, and makes the ecclefiaftical historian express himself in the following terms: Although Maxentius at first "favored the Chriftians with a view of popularity, yet afterwards, being addicted to magic, and every other impiety, HE exerted himself in perfecuting the Chriftians, in a more fevere and deftruc"tive manner than his predeceffors had done before "him."

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If it were in my power to place the volume and chapter of Eufebius (Hift. Ecclef. L. viii. c. 14-) before the eyes of every reader, I should be fatisfied and filent. I fhould not be under the neceffity of protesting, that in the paffage quoted, or rather abridged, by my adverfary, the fecond member of the period, which alone contradicts my account of Maxentius, has not the most diftant reference to that odious tyrant. After diftinguishing the mild conduct which he affected towards the Chriftians, Eufebius proceeds to animadvert with becoming feverity on the general vices of his reign; the rapes, the murders, the oppreffion, the promifcuous maffacres, which I had faithfully related in their proper place, and in which the Christians, not in their religious, but in their civil capacity, muft occafionally have fhared with the rest of his unhappy fubjects. The ecclefiaftical hiftorian then makes a tranfition to another tyrant, the cruel Maximin, who carried

away from his friend and ally Maxentius the prize of fuperior wickednefs; for HE was addicted to magic arts, and was a cruel perfecutor of the Chriftians. The evidence of words and facts, the plain meaning of Eufebius, the concurring teftimony of Cæcilius or Lactantius, and the fuperfluous authority of verfions and commentators, eftablish beyond the reach of doubt or cavil, that Maximin, and not Maxentius, is ftigmatized as a perfecutor, and that Mr. Davis alone has deferved the reproach of falfifying the teftimony of Eufebius.

Let him examine the chapter on which he founds his accufation. If in that moment his feelings are not of the most painful and humiliating kind, he muft indeed be an object of pity!

3. A grofs blunder is imputed to me by this polite antagonist ", for quoting, under the name of Jerom, the Chronicle which I ought to have described as the work and property of Eufebius"; and Mr. Davis kindly points out the occafion of my blunder, That it was the confequence of my looking no farther than Dodwell for this remark, and of not rightly understanding his reference. Perhaps the Hiftorian of the Roman Empire may be credited, when he affirms that he frequently confulted a Latin Chronicle of the affairs of that empire; and he may the fooner be credited, if he fhows that he knows fomething more of this Chronicle befides the name and the title-page.

Mr. Davis, who talks fo familiarly of the Chronicle of Eufebius, will be furprised to hear that the Greek original no longer exifts. Some chronological

fragments, which had fucceffively paffed through the hands of Africanus and Eufebius, are ftill extant. though in a very corrupt and mutilated state, in the compilations of Syncellus and Cedrenus. They have been collected, and difpofed by the labor and ingenuity of Jofeph Scaliger; but that proud critic, always ready to applaud his own fuccefs, did not flatter himself that he had reftored the hundredth part of the genuine Chronicle of Eufebius. "Ex eo (Syncello) " omnia Eufebiana excerpfimus quæ quidem depre"hendere potuimus; quæ, quanquam ne centefima quidem pars eorum effe videtur quæ ab Eufebio

relicta funt, aliquod tamen juftum volumen explere "poffunt." (Jof Scaliger Animadverfiones in Græca Eufebii, in Thefauro Temporum, p. 401. Amftelod. 1658.) While the Chronicle of Eufebius was perfect and entire, the fecond book was tranflated into Latin by Jerom, with the freedom, or rather licence, which that voluminous author, as well as his friend or enemy Rufinus, always affumed. "Plurima in

vertendo mutat, infulcit, præterit," fays Scaliger himself, in the Prolegomena, p. 22. In the perfecution of Aurelian, which has fo much offended Mr. Davis, we are able to diftinguish the work of Eufebius from that of Jerom, by comparing the expreffions of the Ecclefiaftical Hiftory with those of the Chronicle. The former affirms, that towards the end of his reign, Aurelian was moved by fome councils to excite a perfecution against the Chriftians; that his defign occafioned a great and general rumor; but that when the letters were prepared, and as it were figned, divine juftice difmiffed him

from the world. Ηδη τισι βόλαις ώς αν διωγμον καθ' ήμεν αγείρειεν ανεκινείτο. πολυς τε ην ὁ παρα πασι περι τετε λίγος, μελλοντα δε ηδη και σχεδόν ειπειντοις καθ' ἡμων γραμμασιν ὑποσημειωμενον θεια METITIV din. Eufeb. Hift. Ecclef. L. vii. c. 30. Whereas the Chronicle relates, that Aurelian was killed after he had excited or moved a perfecution against the Christians, cum adverfum nos perfecutionem "moviffet."

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From this manifeft difference I affume a right to affert; firft, that the expreffion of the Chronicle of Jerom, which is always proper, became in this inftance neceffary; and fecondly, that the language of the fathers is fo ambiguous and incorrect, that we are at a lofs to determine how far Aurelian had carried his intention before he was affaffinated. I have neither perverted the fact, nor have I been guilty of a grofs blunder.

JUSTIN IX. "The persons accused of Christianity had a MARTYR. " convenient time allowed to fettle their domeftic "concerns, and to prepare their anfwer "." This obfervation had been fuggefted, partly by a general expreffion of Cyprian (de Lapfis, p. 88. Edit. Fell. Amftelod. 1700.), and more especially by the fecond Apology of Juftin Martyr, who gives a particular and curious example of this legal delay.

The expreffions of Cyprian, "dies negantibus "præftitutus, &c." which Mr. Davis most prudently fuppreffes, are illuftrated by Mofheim in the following words: "Primum qui delati erant aut fuf

pecti, illis certum dierum fpatium judex definiebat, quo decurrente, fecum deliberare poterant, utrum profiteri Chriftum an negare mallent; explorande

fidei præfiniebantur dies per hoc tempus liberi "manebant in domibus fuis; nec impediebat aliquis

quod ex confequentibus apparet, ne fugâ fibi con"fulerent. Satis hoc erat humanum.") De Rebus Chriftianis ante Conftantinum, p. 480.). The practice of Egypt was fometimes more expeditious and fevere; but this humane indulgence was ftill allowed in Africa during the perfecution of Decius.

But my appeal to Juftin Martyr is encountered by Mr. Davis with the following declaration": "The "reader will obferve, that Mr. Gibbon does not "make any reference to any fection or divifion of this

part of Juftin's work; with what view we may "fhrewdly fufpect, when I tell him, that after an accurate perusal of the whole second Apology, I can boldly affirm, that the following inftance is "the only one that bears the most distant fimilitude "to what Mr. Gibbon relates as above on the authority of Justin. What I find in Juftin is as follows:

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A woman being converted to Christianity, is afraid "to affociate with her husband,because he is an aban"doned reprobate, left she should partake of his fins. "Her husband, not being able to accuse her, vents his rage in this manner on one Ptolemæus, a teacher of Christianity, and who had converted her, &c." Mr. Davis then proceeds to relate the feverities inflicted on Ptolemæus, who made a frank and instant profeffion of his faith; and he fternly exclaims, that if I take every opportunity of paffing encomiums on the humanity of Roman magiftrates, it is incumbent on me to produce better evidence than this.

His demand may be easily satisfied, and I need only